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University of Hamburg, Germany
“Water grabbing for energy: Globalisation of Energy, Unconventional Resources and Water”
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The link between water resources and international trade is one of my major research interests since my first Master in International Relations (Macquarie University, Sydney, 2006).
Especially, by living in Australia during my studies and first work experience as a lecturer (RMIT University, Melbourne Australia) a strong personal interest developed in water resources management. Drought and Water resource overexploitation are daily issues in Australia due to their fragile resources and past of severe socioeconomic water shortage impacts. Therefore, my master thesis concentrated already on the privatization of drinking water services and transboundary aquifer management. During that research phase and studying European Studies in Hamburg, Germany, the environmental crisis as part of globalization with international trade as a major driver got more and more into my focus. Consequently, the concept of water footprinting and tracking of environmental impacts linked to international trade interconnected with international power relations got me hooked.
Currently, I am writing my Phd at the Technical University Hamburg- Harburg and University of Kassel with the working title: Global Water Crisis - International Virtual Water Trade of Net exporting countries with local water scarcity. In order to link the global perspective with local impacts a multi scale comparative country case study is used on Vietnam and Australia with a focus on agriculture and mining. At the oikos young scholars academy I want to focus on the tied links between energy, unconventional resources and water.