A FORMER Homertonian has scooped a prestigious global research award for her work on climate change.
Dr Anika Haque, who was a research associate between 2019 and 2022, became the first scholar from the Global South to receive the AXA IM Research Award. This award is only given to one mid-level academic in the world each year.
Reacting to the news, Dr Haque said: “I am delighted to receive the 2023 AXA IM research award for my work on urban climate change resilience in the global south.
“It not only acknowledges my contribution to the field but also enables me to further build on the research impact through funding my future research.
“Despite the projection that 70 percent of the world will live in urban areas by 2050, when it comes to climate change, there is a significant ‘urban specific’ knowledge gap to inform current climate change decision-making.
“Adding a gender lens to this, we hardly have any knowledge about the climate vulnerability and adaptation processes of urban women, let alone finding solutions.”
Dr Haque is Assistant Professor of Human Geography and Environment at York University, but still lives in Cambridge.
The latest award is an acknowledgement of her 15 years work on climate change and its impact.
The AXA IM research award has been running for three years and seeks to reward a researcher whose work focuses on the social dimensions of climate change and how to create the conditions for a fairer green transition.
Dr Haque’s multidisciplinary research includes looking at integrating women into development approaches to combat gender inequalities which are intensified by poverty and increasing urbanisation.
She has been awarded a research grant of €100,000 for future research.
Dr Haque said: “This fund will allow me to conduct further research in this area which will inform the climate change related decision-making processes in the global South for transitioning towards not only a fair and inclusive future but also a resilient future.
"Being a female researcher from the global south researching climate change, I find myself ethically responsible to use my knowledge and expertise in leading the forces for reducing climate change vulnerability of the marginalised women from the global south.”
Julia d’Astorg, Head of the AXA Research Fund, said: “We are delighted to see the award gain recognition year after year. We continue to receive a large number of high quality applications from all over the world.
“We have decided to reward the work led by Dr Haque for its ability to develop a systematic understanding of the complex adaptation processes at the intersection of the three major challenges of increasing urbanisation, climate change and persistent gender inequalities.”
