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Dr Shona Koren Paterson
Director of Global Lives Research Centre / Senior Lecturer

Summary

Building on an academic transdisciplinary background in Natural Sciences (Marine Biology, Resource Management) and Social Sciences (Climate Adaptation, Social Justice, Environmental Policy), Shona’s guiding focus remains the generation and translation of defensible research informed by the needs of society and co-created with the intended beneficiaries. Her research is motivated by international frameworks such as the UN 2030 Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the COP21 Paris Agreement. She has spent her working career building partnerships and knowledge exchange networks with local communities and stakeholders to achieve mutually beneficial social and ecological goals.

With a special interest in marginalised communities and social justice and equity, Shona’s recent research has focused on global flood risk and resilience, climate risk assessments, adaptation and adaptive capacity in urbanising coastal areas.  Embracing a transdisciplinary approach, Shona works at the interface of science-policy as well as effective and fit-for-audience communication of data and knowledge to ensure increased impactful discourse around risk. She has research experience in the Caribbean, USA, UK and Ireland, as well as a global perspective through involvement with Future Earth and its associated global research project Future Earth Coasts.  

Newest selected publications

Jerome, LW., Paterson, SK., von Stamm, B. and Richert, K. (2024) 'Making transdisciplinarity work for complex systems: A dynamic model for blending diverse knowledges'. Futures, 161. pp. 1 - 13. ISSN: 0016-3287 Open Access Link

Journal article

Paterson, SK. and Chabay, I. (2024) 'Navigating the currents of coastal narratives in search of sustainable futures'. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 29 (5). pp. 1 - 15. ISSN: 1381-2386 Open Access Link

Journal article

Franzke, CLE., Ciullo, A., Gilmore, EA., Matias, DM., Nagabhatla, N., Orlov, A., et al. (2022) 'Perspectives on tipping points in integrated models of the natural and human earth system: cascading effects and telecoupling'. Environmental Research Letters, 17 (1). pp. 1 - 11. ISSN: 1748-9318 Open Access Link

Journal article

Paterson, SK., Le Tissier, M., Whyte, H., Robinson, LB., Thielking, K., Ingram, M. and et al. (2021) 'Examining the Potential of Art-Science Collaborations in the Anthropocene: A Case Study of Catching a Wave', in Zielinski, T., Evans, K., Seys, JJC. and Carvalho, A. (eds.) Marine Observations and Society: Pathways to Improve Public Engagement and the Science-Policy Nexus. Lausanne, Switzerland : Frontiers Media SA. pp. 7 - 19. ISBN 10: 2889719278. ISBN 13: 9782889719273. Open Access Link

Book chapter

Paterson, SK. and Guida, K. (2021) 'Bridging gaps: Connecting Climate Change Risk Assessments with Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation Agendas', in Flood, S., Columbie, Y., Le Tissier, M. and O'Dwyer, B. (eds.) Creating Resilient Futures: Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction, Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change Adaptation Agendas. London, UK; Cham, Switzerland : Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 65 - 80. ISBN 10: 3-030-80790-8. ISBN 13: 978-3-030-80791-7. Open Access Link

Book chapter
More publications(20)