About

As an environmental social scientist, my core expertise lies in embedding sociological, developmental and multidisciplinary perspectives to study challenges that affect people's lives. I undertake critical analyses of interlinkages between humans and the environment, and resource management, in urban and rural contexts. Key aspects of my work have been looking at opportunities and questions about the implications of policy mechanisms on people's lives and the practice of sustainable development.

Before joining the University of Derby, I completed my PhD at the University of Reading looking at 'Gender and Rural Development Dynamics, Case study of a Public Private Partnership in Rajasthan, India'. After which, I was part of a multi-million pound UK-India research consortium funded by the EPSRC-DST project as a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the School of Geography, University of Nottingham. My work package in the bioenergy project looked at the whole systems analysis of Rural Hybrid Energy Enterprise Systems (RHEES).

Research interests

My research interest lies in solution-focused interdisciplinary issues that affect urban and rural contexts. I try to identify gaps in policy discourse and implementation processes by working with a participatory bottom-up approach to problem-solving. 

Research areas include (not restricted to):

• Policy Analysis - success and failures
• Social inequalities and participation
• Urban Development - Sustainable Cities, Urban Green Spaces, Slum Development
• Rural Development 
• Renewable Energy and Socio-technical studies
• Corporate Social Responsibility - Circular Economy, Public-Private Partnerships
• Environmental Changes

PhD Supervision (Current)

Daniel Koomson 2018 - 2021: Adaptation and Resilience of Coastal Communities to Climate Change.

Recent publications

• Raha, D., and Davies-Vollum, S., (2023) New Network aims to sustain vital lagoons, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors https://ww3.rics.org/uk/en/journals/land-journal/resilient-lagoon-network-framework.html
• Boyd Williams, N., Quilliam, R.S., Campbell, B., Raha, D., Baruah, D.C., Clarke, M.L., Sarma, R., Haque, C., Borah, T. and Dickie, J. (2022). Challenging perceptions of socio-cultural rejection of a taboo technology: Narratives of imagined transitions to domestic toilet-linked biogas in India. Energy Research & Social Science, 92, p.102802. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2022.102802
• Davies-Vollum, K.S., Puttick, S., Doherty, F., Agyekhumene, A., Aneyo, I., Addo, K.A., Boateng, I., Danby, A., Danso-Wiredu, E., Degbe, G., Hemstock, S., Mitchell, S., Raha, D. and Sohou, Z. (2022). Resilient lagoons? Climate change, sustainability and adaptation. Geography, 107(3), pp.153–157
• Koomson, D., Davies-Vollum, K.S. and Raha, D. (2022). Climatic Hazards: High Importance but Low Severity to Coastal Rural Fishing Communities. Earth Science, Systems and Society, 2. doi:10.3389/esss.2022.10052
• Davies-Vollum K.S., Raha D., Koomson D. (2021) Climate Change Impact and Adaptation: Lagoonal Fishing Communities in West Africa. In: Leal Filho W., Ogugu N., Adelake L., Ayal D., da Silva I. (eds) African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation. Springer, Cham
• Komsoon, D., Davies-Vollum, K., S., Raha, D. (2020) Characterising the vulnerability of fishing households to climate and environmental change: Insights from Ghana, Marine Policy 120
• Matzenberger, J., Hargreaves, N., Raha, D., Das, P., (201. A novel approach to assess resilience of energy systems International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment. Volume 6 (Issue 2),
• Raha,D., Mahanta, P., Clarke, M. L., (2014). The implementation of decentralised biogas plants in Assam, NE India: The impact and effectiveness of the National Biogas and Manure Management Programme, Energy Policy. 68, 80 – 91
• Raha, D., Osbahr, H. and Garforth, C., (2013). Does watershed development implemented through public private partnership empower women? A case review from Rajasthan, Western India.: Special Volume: Water, Women, Waste, Wisdom and Wealth Journal of Cleaner Production. 60(1), 18–33

Further details of my publications are available on my Researchgate profile.

Membership of professional bodies

• Fellow of Advanced HE
• Fellow and Member of Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers 

Professional interests

Time For Geography Team https://timeforgeography.co.uk/about/team/

Fair-trade Directory of Supporting Academics https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get-involved/universities-and-colleges/fairtrade-directory-of-supporting-academics/

Qualifications

• BA in Sociology, Stella Maris College (Autonomous), Chennai, India
• MA in Social Work (specialising in Urban and Rural Community Development), Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
• MSc in Sociology with Research Training, Felix Scholar, University of Reading, UK
• PhD in International Development, Felix Scholar, School of Agriculture Policy and Development, University of Reading UK
• Post Doctoral Research Fellow, School of Geography, University of Nottingham 
• PG Certificate in Higher Education, University of Derby, UK

Recent conferences

• Royal Geographical Society, London, UK, August 2016
• The University of Nottingham, School of Geography, Nottingham, UK 29th February 2016
• Conference on Climate Change and Education, Lincoln, UK, 2019
• International Conference Coastal Ecosystem and Management September 16-17, 2019, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Session Organiser Royal Geographical Society, International RGS-IBG Conference London, UK, August 2021
• Global Challenges Research Funds (GCRF) Workshop, Winneba Ghana, July 2022

Experience in industry

I have previously worked as Senior Executive - Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, TVS Motor Company Limited.

TVS Motor Company is a very reputed multinational company and is the third-largest motorcycle manufacturer in India. As a senior member of the Corporate Social Responsibility team (CSR), I was in charge number of CSR activities the company undertook both for its employees and the extended communities within which it was embedded. CSR activities were funded by Ford Foundation and from within the company for both urban and rural projects. From water management around factories, income-generating activities for women, health and sanitation, and improvement of primary education to temple renovation as the centres of tradition, culture, and faith.

In the media

• Impacts of climate change on low-lying coastlines | The Muni coastal lagoon, Ghana 
• Impacts of coastal change on local communities in Ghana, Time for Geography (Dr Sian Davies-Vollum and Dr Deb Raha from the University of Derby, discuss their research into shoreline changes in Ghana and the impact this has on local communities)
• Coastal Change in Ghana - Environmental Sustainability Research Centre

International experience

I have been previously awarded International Scholarships for my academic training: Felix Scholarship 2005 (MSc); Felix Scholarship 2007 (PhD). My core research context has been in Asia specialising in India, however, my research now has expanded to Africa specifically Ghana.

Working together to secure the future of lagoons

Why Lagoons need our attention?

Lagoons provide resources that are essential to the livelihood, wellbeing and health of the  communities around them including the source of water for washing, fish for food and market and wood for use as building material and cooking fuel. 

Resilient Lagoon Network

Teaching responsibilities

Within the School of Environmental Sciences, I currently teach on the BSc (Hons) Geography and Environmental Sustainability courses. 

Module Leader for:

• Global Environmental Issues
• Sustainable Cities
• Environment Society and Development
• Theories and Concepts of Development
• Global Food Security and Food Futures
• Development Management in the Voluntary Sector

Teaching Contribution to: 

Undergraduate

• Sustainable Energy
• International Public Health and Nutrition (Sports Science Department)
• Water
• Environmental Management, a critical perspective
• Independent Studies Supervision

Postgraduate

• Geoenergy
• Conversation Biology
• Postgraduate dissertation supervision

Additional interests and activities

Aurora Programme (2019-2020) Aurora is Advance HE's leadership development initiative for women

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee