Olivia Bina

Experience

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  RSPB

  Sept 1993 - Oct 1997

  Policy Officer - Environment and Development

  Policy Officer at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Sandy, United KingdomThe role of Environment and Development Policy Officer involved co-ordinating work on the integration of biodiversity into transport and regional development policies at the European level. During the last year and a half, I was responsible for managing the BirdLife International Transport Working Group and Birdlife’s Regional Development Task Force. Work included the production of a number of publications for the RSPB and BirdLife International, related to the topics of the Task Force and Working Group. Earlier research included environmental impact assessment of forestry initiatives, and cost-effectiveness analysis of different alternatives for forestry and biodiversity conservation. Show less

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  Environmental Resources Management

  Nov 1997 - Oct 2000

  Senior Consultant

  Senior Consultant at Environmental Resources Management (ERM), London, United KingdomWork focused on policy analysis and environmental integration mechanisms. Her responsibilities entailed project management, marketing and client relations. This was mainly for public sector clients in European countries, as well as for European Institutions, including Directorate Generals for Environment, Regional Policy and Transport & Energy, and the European Environment Agency. Appointed external expert to the European Commission (DG ENV) on the issue of Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Trans-European Transport Networks from 1998-2000. Show less

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  International Association for Impact Assessment

  Jan 2000 - Jan 2011

  Member
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  FCT-UNL

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2006

  Research Fellow

  Land-use planning Group, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL). Research led by Maria Partidario, focused on assessment as a mechanism for environmental governance. Main task involved contributing to a multi-disciplinary project (2002-2005) looking at the impacts of changing agriculture policies on the sustainability and biodiversity of mountain areas (www.bioscene.co.uk). Funding: European Commission, FP5. Lead institution: Imperial College London. Main collaborators: Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (UK), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and University of Macedonia (EL), CRNS-Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (F), Universidade Nove de Lisboa (PT), Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL (CH), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO). Show less

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  University of Lisbon

  Apr 2006 - Jan 2008

  Research Fellow

  Research on China's current environmental crisis. Considering the implications of this crisis and the need for the stronger environmental governance. Considering the impact that China is having on world environmental awareness: the debate on climate change and on limits to growth.

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  The Chinese University of Hong Kong

  Dec 2008 - Jan 2010

  Assistant Professor

  I was at the Department of Geography and Resource Management. Responsibilities included: undergraduate teaching (world energy, sustainable development, strategic environmental assessment); coordination of the concentration area ‘Global Change and Sustainable Development’, coordination of the departmental seminars; coordination of the research graduate seminars. I was appointed Deputy Director (international) – Centre for Strategic Environmental Assessment in China, CUHK

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  Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Unversidade de Lisboa

  Jan 2010 - now

  Senior Researcher / Investigador Principal

  I see myself as an interdisciplinary ‘policy-engaged’ researcher, with a longstanding interest in understanding our changing relationship with nature, and how that relates to the many challenges facing the 21st century. I explore the drivers of (un)sustainability of our socio-economic and socio-technical models and their effect on life – human and more-than human, working through the lens of ecological economics, sustainable futures, systems change and transition/transformation theories. My research focuses on worldviews and pathways that can balance our dependence on ‘ever smarter’ growth and technology with a recovery of the unlimited potential of prosperous human-nature connectedness. The general idea is to assist in efforts towards progress, beyond traditional notions of economic growth, towards a better future (focus on urban) for all life on our Planet. Recent work focused on urban futures, nature-based (urban) transformations, nature-based solutions, and the future of knowledge and of universities. I also continue my 'permanent inquiry' into the tension between growth and sustainability. In the last decade I have explored these themes through research projects on nature-based solutions for cities in Europe and Latin America (CONEXUS and NATURESCAPES), sustainable urbanisation in China (URBACHINA), urban imaginaries in Africa (URBANOSCENES), foresight mechanisms, imaginaries and new economic models (FLAGSHIP and MUVE).I seek to bring an inter and trans-disciplinary approach, with full knowledge of the many challenges and obstacles that this entails, having Chaired a network of over 70 experts representing 32 countries (COST Action) on interdisciplinarity in urban research: INTREPID 2015-2019.Earlier on I researched and published widely in the field of environmental governance, contributing ideas to its theory and mechanisms (assessment, policy processes; knowledge and policy learning), in different contexts (Europe, Latin America and China). Show less

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  The Chinese University of Hong Kong

  Apr 2010 - Jul 2024

  Adjunct Assistant Professor
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  Urban Knowledge Network Asia (UKNA)

  Mar 2014 - Jun 2014

  Visiting Scholar

  Visiting at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong

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  World Academy of Art and Science

  Sept 2020 - now

  Fellow
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  Heritopolis

  Jul 2024 - now

  Member