Julia Davies, PhD, is a Research Programme Officer for the Climate Adaptation Research Programme (CARP), a funded modification of the Humanitarian Assistance Technical Support (HATS) initiative. In collaboration with partners at the University of Arizona and Stellenbosch University in South Africa, Julia’s work seeks to raise the institutional capacities of African universities by providing African researchers with funded opportunities to conduct research on climate adaptation and disaster risk resilience in Africa.

Julia earned her PhD in Geography from the University of Arizona, with her dissertation focusing on urban food system transformations and governance in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to beginning her doctoral studies, Julia was based at the University of Cape Town’s African Climate and Development Initiative, where she worked as a Senior Research Assistant on the Adaptation at Scale in Semi-Arid Regions project. Her research portfolio incorporates qualitative and quantitative approaches to studying a variety of topics related to food systems, food security, rural-urban linkages, governance, and climate change adaptation in Africa. Julia holds a MSc in Climate and Development and a BSc in Environmental and Geographical Science from the University of Cape Town.