Australia
EDUCATION
B.S. in Food Technology and Nutrition,
University of Nairobi, 1996 (Kenya)
M.S. in Disaster/Emergency Planning and Management,
University of Hertfordshire, 2006 (UK)
Ph.D. in Environment and Geography,
Macquarie University (Australia)
TEACHING
- Environmental policy and socio-economics
- Geographies of global change, Macquarie University, Sydney (ENVG 111)
- Sustainable Urban Environments, University of Sydney (GEOG 3521)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
- I am part of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme/Land-Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (IGBP/LOICZ) initiative which is a small international group (15 people) who will be setting out and then examining the limits of science for describing and explaining resilience/transformation in the face of concentrated risks in Megacities of the coastal zones.
- I belong to several research/professional networks including: Sydney Coastal Council Group, Climate Change Discussion Group, International Ecological Economics and AfricaAdapt
RESEARCH INTERESTS
I am interested in interdisciplinary research that uses theories and applications from both natural and social sciences to understand environmental management and change as well as local livelihood dynamics. This entails using novel decision frameworks that support the sustainable development of natural resources in the face of global environmental change. In particular, I would wish to be involved in research that explores the negotiated processes through which resource-dependent communities self-organise and how the potential found in their collective actions can be leveraged to respond to changes in local conditions. In the face of uncertain climate change, this understanding would be critical in improving the ways in which investment in adaptation and mitigation to climate change is identified, prioritised, commissioned and utilised. My interest and motivation in undertaking climate change research is based on the belief that climate change is real and since its impacts are locally manifested, then local actors at the lowest effective level of governance must play a pivotal role in building adaptive capacity and enhancing resilience. Furthermore, their involvement in decision-making processes will require the formulation of innovative planning frameworks.
GRANTS AND AWARDS
- British Chevening scholarship (2005-2006)
- Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship (2007-Feb 2011)
- Macquarie postgraduate Research Funds (Dec. 2009-March 2010)
- Macquarie travel grants (April- 2008)
- Rattansi Education Trust Fund (1995)
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS (last updated July 2011)
Peer-reviewed journals
Kithiia J (2010) Old notion-new relevance: setting the stage for the of social capital resources in adapting East African coastal cities to climate change. International Journal of Urban Sustainable1 (1), 17-32
Kithiia, J. and Dowling R. (2010) An integrated city-level planning process to address the impacts of climate change in Kenya: the case of Mombasa. Cities, 27, 466-475
Kithiia, J. (2011) Climate change risk responses in East African cities: need, barriers and opportunities. Current Opinions in Environmental Sustainability, 3 (2)
Kithiia, J. and Lyth A. (2011) Urban wildscapes and greenscapes in Mombasa and their potential contribution to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Environment and urbanization, vol 23(1), 251-265
Edited publications, including technical publications and theses
Kithiia, J. and Dowling, R (submitted-under review) Resourceless victims or resourceful adaptigators: social capital and sustainable use of climate-sensitive resources in East African cities. Geoforum
Kithiia, J (submitted-under review) Collective action in urban environmental management as a response strategy to climate change risks. The case of Sydney Bushcare Volunteers. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management.
Kithiia, J. (2006) Integrating disaster risk management in development planning: the lifeline for attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Sub-Saharan Africa Masters thesis.
Kithiia, J. (2002) Post-harvest loss assessment during pounding, drying and storage of traditionally decorticated maize meal
Kithiia, J (2000) The socio-economic and cultural implications of traditional processing and utilization of decorticated maize meal in Mwingi District
Kithiia, J (1999) Substrate effect on the efficiency of lactic acid fermentation: a comparative study of maize, millet and sorghum substrates
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS (^ invited, # intern, *undergraduate)
30th-31st May 2011 (London)-Land-Ocean Interactions Coastal Zones (LOICZ) international; working conference on Megacities in the Coastal Zones. Key issues paper presentation ^
21st March-24th March 2011 (Mauritius)-Conference on climate change, adaptation & mitigation in the Western Indian Ocean region: solution to crisis: Integrated city-level planning to address the impacts of climate change.^
28th June- 1st July, 2010 (Gold Coast, Australia)-National Climate Change Adaptation research Facility: Climate Futures Conference. Local participation in climate change adaptation.^
21st-27th Feb. 2010 (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)-Fourth International Conference on Community based Adaptation. Social capital perspectives in the context of climate change^
7th -11th Aug. 2008 (Nairobi, Kenya)-Tenth International Conference for the Society for Ecological Ecologists (ISEE). Protecting East African coastal cities from the impacts of climate change^
1st Oct. 2009 (Sydney, Australia) Faculty of Science Conference. Resourceless victims or resourceful “adaptigators” ^
