Virginia Thomas-Pickles

Contact details

Email: Virginia.Thomas-Pickles@warwick.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/virginia-thomas-pickles

Current PhD student

Biography

I am a second-year PhD candidate focussed on the potential of posthuman urban planning, particularly in relation to creating socially and ecologically equitable green infrastructure. Previously, I studied BASc Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick, culminating in my dissertation “In troubled waters: Assessing the impact of urbanisation on river ecosystems in the West Midlands”. After this, I studied MSc Environmental Management at Lancaster University, acquiring key skills in ecological surveying, GIS, and data analysis. My dissertation was entitled “Trees to beat the heat: How can small towns use trees to mitigate increasing temperatures experienced under climate change? A case study of Ambleside”.

More broadly, my research interests centre on the use of nature and transdisciplinary approaches to address challenges emerging in the Anthropocene. This spans human-environment interactions, (urban) ecology, nature-based solutions, geospatial data, and participatory methods. I am also passionate about teaching and communicating sustainability challenges, and enhancing student and staff wellbeing.

Research overview

Examining the challenges and opportunities for creating ecologically just green infrastructure: A case study of Coventry. This transdisciplinary research project seeks to incorporate other-than-humans as active agents within urban practice to facilitate urban resilience. Grounded in ecological justice, this project aims to determine existing social and ecological injustice in green infrastructure policy and practice, and then consider interventions to overcome these challenges. This incorporates GIS, ecological surveys, framework analysis of policy literature, and practitioner interviews. The West Midlands, specifically Coventry, is utilised as a case study.

Teaching

Academic background

PhD Global Sustainable Development - University of Warwick
MSc Environmental Management - Lancaster University
BASc (Hons) Global Sustainable Development - University of Warwick

Supervisors

Dr Jess SavageLink opens in a new window - Department for Global Sustainable Development
Dr Jonathan ClarkeLink opens in a new window - Department for Global Sustainable Development
Prof Jon CoaffeeLink opens in a new window - Department of Politics and International Studies

Research interests

Human-environment interactions
Ecological justice
Urban resilience
Ecology
Geospatial data

Funding and awards

2023-2027 - Leverhulme Trust Doctoral ScholarshipLink opens in a new window
2023 – Outstanding Overall MSc Performance and Outstanding Dissertation in the Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
2022 – Best Overall Mark in Global Sustainable Development, University of Warwick

Publications

Kay, V. & Thomas-Pickles, V. (2021) Review of The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story of the Future. ReInvention 14(1). DOI: 10.31273/reinvention.v14i1.