Alix Debray is a PhD Fellow at UNU-CRIS and Ghent University.
Affiliated to the Department of Economics, she is investigating water and climate-related conflicts and migrations towards empowerment focused solutions for policy integration in Africa. More specifically, she is conducting in-depth comparative studies in DR Congo, Rwanda and Senegal, under the supervision of Professor Dr Ilse Ruyssen (Ghent University) and Dr. Nidhi Nagabhatla (UNU-NWEH, McMaster University). In collaboration with UNU-INWEH, her research is part of a broader project on the Congo River Basin.
Alix holds a hydraulic & environmental engineering degree (ENGEES, France) and has been working in the water field alongside her studies for five years, in both the private and public sectors. Her work has covered various issues including water quality and contamination risk assessment, flood management, river restoration, water legislation applications and sustainable development as an approach for innovation in engineering projects.
In 2018, she undertook a research assistantship at UNU-INWEH (Ontario, Canada) where she built the structure of the Peace and Political Stability module of the Global Water Security online course. She also lectured with the Peace Studies programme at McMaster University to emphasise the link between ecosystems services, water security and peace processes.
Research Interests
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Africa-EU-Collaboration
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Civil and Minorities Empowerment
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gender equality
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Human mobility
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Science-Policy Interface
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Water security