Eleanor Jew
Lecturer in Environment and Development

Profile

Biography

Eleanor Jew is a lecturer in Environment and Development in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York, and a member of the York Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre. Eleanor is an interdisciplinary researcher who uses mixed methods across the social and natural sciences to investigate relationships between the human and environmental systems, and how they can be managed to achieve both development and conservation goals.

During her undergraduate degree at the University of Leeds Eleanor was inspired by a lecturer to undertake her dissertation research in Botswana, where she examined the role of ants as indicators of land use change. This was her first trip to Africa, and set the path for her future research and career direction. An MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford incorporated wildlife utilisation research in Zimbabwe and following this Eleanor worked in Tanzania, Indonesia and Honduras with students on a range of conservation projects. This included the discovery of a new species of ant in Tanzania, and teaching within tropical rainforests. Eleanor has also worked on conservation projects within the UK, although she much prefers warmer climates! After this practical work experience she moved back into academia, undertaking a PhD at the University of Leeds. Eleanor’s doctorate examined the impact of tobacco cultivation on the miombo woodlands of south-west Tanzania, in particular the implications for social development and biodiversity conservation.

Eleanor’s post-doctoral research examined the impact of El Niño on farming systems within Malawi, unpicking the social constraints that undermine resilience to climatic events. Eleanor’s research interests include land use management, wildlife utilisation, conservation agriculture, biodiversity indicators and ecosystem service provision and she is currently working on a research project in Vietnam forests looking at resilience to storms, in addition to expanding her research on tobacco cultivation and household health within agricultural systems.