The University of Exeter (UNEXE), a member of the NATALIE consortium, recently hosted a dynamic PhD Academy on Water and Climate Resilience at Venice International University. Bringing together 24 early career researchers from 12 countries, this intensive program aimed to cultivate expertise in climate resilience research.
Under the coordination of Professor Albert Chen from UNEXE, the PhD Academy fostered collaboration with esteemed institutions such as Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, KU Leuven, and Tsinghua University. These global experts shared cutting-edge insights on climate resilience, equipping participants with essential skills to address complex challenges.
In addition to the core team, colleagues from Venice International University, Università di Bologna, City University of London, and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia provided crucial support to help participants building transversal skills such as proposal preparation, publication and public engagement.
A part of the PhD Academy has focused on the discussions around Natural-Based Solutions (NBS). The methodology from NATALIE was presented and the experiences of sponge cities in China was also demonstrated. Participants explored innovative ideas for scaling up NBS applications to enhance climate resilience worldwide.
Zhufeng Li, a UNEXE 2nd year PhD student, said: " I feel lucky to have the opportunity to participate in the Academy. The course mainly covered the impact of climate change on water. I gained a lot of inspiration from this course. Additionally, I had the opportunity to interact with students from other universities and regions. During this time, I made many new friends and learned a lot from them as well.”
UNEXE is co-leading Work Package 3 Resilience assessment models and tools in NATALIE. Their strong expertise in Water and Environmental Sustainability Research has secured the 1st place in the UN SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation category of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024 for consecutive two years.