Kerry Bobbins | Geography | University of Exeter

Dr Kerry Bobbins

Associate

k.l.b.bobbins@exeter.ac.uk

Amory

Amory Building, University of Exeter, Rennes Drive, Exeter, EX4 4RJ , UK

Overview

I am an urban geographer who has worked on sustainability transitions at the academia-policy interface for the last ten years. During this time, I have worked closely with government officials, private sector, and civil society in the United Kingdom and South Africa to produce applied research and policy outputs on urban infrastructure transitions, focusing on water, sanitation, and energy. I have also directly contributed to the development of national, regional, and municipal policies on infrastructure, nature-based solutions, mining waste landscapes, and urban water management.

I previously worked as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES) (July 2021- July 2022) on the UMBANE project (Funder: BEIS/GCRF Newton Fund). The UMBANE project implemented seven solar-powered mini-grids in Qandu-Quandu, an informal settlement in Cape Town, to provide residents with stable and reliable refrigeration services. The project also offered business training to female entrepreneurs to help them set up sustainable solar-powered businesses. My role included conducting qualitative and quantitative fieldwork and disseminating knowledge via written outputs (academic and policy), social media, and in-person sessions.

I am currently an Associate at CLES (July 2022 onward). I am affiliated with the following projects: EDI-GEN: Equality, diversity, and inclusion in energy systems: community and gender perspectives (Funder: UKERC), and Smart energy justice in cities: Off-grid renewable energy for (re)defining energy access and use in urban settings (Funder: British Academy).

BROAD RESEARCH SPECIALISMS

Urban sustainability transitions, urban infrastructures, nature-based solutions, climate change, resilience, socio-environmental justice.

Qualifications

PhD Development Planning (University College London, United Kingdom)

MSc Geography (Rhodes University, South Africa)

BSc Honours Geography (Rhodes University, South Africa)

BSc Geography and Botany (Rhodes university, South Africa)

Publications

Journal articles

Caprotti F (In Press). Rethinking the off-grid city. Urban Geography Abstract.

Bobbins K, Diep L, Hofmann P, OkoWilliams A, Campos LC, Steenmans I, Lakhanpaul M, Mate-Kodjo DW, Parikh P (2023). Accelerating progress towards the SDGs: Collaborative policymaking in sanitation for integrated benefits in Sub-Saharan Africa. World Development Sustainability, 2, 100037-100037.

Bobbins K, Caprotti F, de Groot J, Pailman W, Moorlach M, Schloemann H, Densmore A, Finlay K, Fischat E, Siwali S, et al (2023). Beyond the Grid: the Micropolitics of Off-Grid Energy in Qandu-Qandu, South Africa. Antipode: a Radical Journal of Geography Abstract.

Bobbins K, Caprotti F, de Groot J, Pailman W, Moorlach M, Schloemann H, Densmore A, Finlay K, Fischat E, Siwali S, et al (2023). Smart and disruptive infrastructures: Re-building knowledge on the informal city. Urban Studies, 61(1), 165-179. Abstract.

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