Tom is Professor of Climate and Society and Director of the SOAS Centre for Development, Environment and Policy (CeDEP) within the Department of Development Studies, coordinating research and online distance learning postgraduate programmes on climate change and sustainable development.
He is a development geographer with a background in environmental change, development studies, environmental economics and political science. He specialises in building resilience and adaptation to climate change through research, policy and practice.
Tom’s research interests include climate change policy and planning, anticipatory decision-making, urban resilience, policy processes and political economy, and child-led approaches to resilience. He has extensive research experience in South Asia leading research partnership funded by ESRC, DFID, World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others.
Tom is an Associate Editor of the academic journal Climate and Development and serves on the expert advisory body for the UN’s Race to Resilience initiative. He has authored numerous research articles as well as the leading textbook on Climate Change and Development (Routledge) and an edited book on incentivising Disaster Risk Management (Springer). His most recent book ”Resilience Reset” (Routledge) provides a critical analysis and future roadmap for tackling climate change and other shocks in urban areas.
Research Interests
Climate change policy;
Climate adaptation and resilience;
Children, youth and climate change;
Urban resilience;
Development cooperation and climate
Teaching and Learning
- Climate change and development: Low carbon development and adaptation perspectives
- Environment and development: Natural resources management, ecosystem services, biodiversity conservation
- Online learning pedagogies and programming
PhD Supervision Availability
Yes
PhD Topics
Climate change adaptation and development;
Youth, climate and development
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
