Fellowship

Professor Nina Laurie is an internationally leading human geographer with interests in global challenges that sit at the interface between development and the environment. She has particular interest in indigenous livelihoods and gender inequalities. She studied for her undergraduate degree at the University of Newcastle before moving to McGill University, Canada, to obtain her Masters. She undertook her PhD part time at UCL, while living in Peru. In 1992 she returned to Newcastle to join the faculty. For her first 5 years in post she was the only woman academic on the staff. In 2005 she became the first female professor of Geography at Newcastle and remained there until 2016 after which she became Professor Geography and Development at the University of St Andrews. She has undertaken interdisciplinary research with social and natural scientists in the UK and Latin America. Most recently she has focused on field-based research with colleagues in Peru addressing indigenous livelihoods in tropical peatlands and exploring the ways in which climate change in generating opportunities for El-Nino food systems in northern coastal desert regions of the country.