Personal statement

I am a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography in the School of Sciences. My research contributes to the political ecology of adaptation to climate change, with a focus on South Asia (in particular Pakistan, Nepal, India, and Bhutan), where I have worked and conducted research for over 10 years.

I have extensive experience in the Himalayan region, where I worked for the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a regional intergovernmental research centre based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I am currently co-investigator of the Leverhulme trust-funded project: Digital climate futures: A decolonial and justice perspective on digitalised climate change adaptation. The project addresses the proliferation of digital climate services and the lack of critical scholarship on how digital technologies shape adaptation to climate change, and involves a case study in Bihar, India.

I have also published extensively on climate mobilities and the genealogies of competing discourses on migration and climate change.

I hold a PhD (University of Parma) and MA (University of Pisa) in Political Philosophy (see my work on Gilles Deleuze and Anarchist thought), and an MSc in European Studies and Migration from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences. 

At Bath Spa, I co-host the international research lecture series for the Hazard, Risk and Disaster Research Group, I am an affiliate at the Research Centre for Environmental Humanities, and direct BSc Global Development and Sustainability.

Research projects

  • 2023-2025 – Digital Climate Futures: A Decolonial and Justice Perspective on Digitalised Climate Change Adaptation
  • 2018-2019 – Dynamic Risk at Fuego Volcano: Communities living in a post-eruption but still persistently active context
  • 2015 – Contested Waters: The Sub-National Scale of Water and Conflict in Pakistan
  • 2014-2018 – Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience (HI-AWARE) Research on Glacier and Snowpack Dependent River Basins for Improving Livelihoods

Professional memberships

  • Royal Geographical Society
  • European Association for South Asian Studies (EASAS)

Teaching and supervision


Undergraduate

Since 2020, I have directed BSc Global Development and Sustainability and I am module leader for several GDS/Geography courses, including Global Development, Spatial Development Planning, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Geographical Research Methods.

I am also responsible for the L5 module Geographical Fieldwork: Hazards, Disasters and Sustainable Development.

Postgraduate

I am part of the teaching team for MA Environmental Humanities. For this course I teach on the core modules Issues and Approaches in Environmental Humanities and Interdisciplinary Research Methods for Environmental Humanities.

I have supervised PhD and Masters theses and welcome applications engaging with the political ecology of development, hazards, disasters, and adaptation to climate change.

Research and academic outputs

Go to ResearchSPAce

Thinking as anarchists: selected writings from Volontà
book

Gioli, G and Kallin, H, eds. (2021) Thinking as anarchists: selected writings from Volontà. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh. ISBN 9781474483131

Water security across the gender divide
book

Fröhlich, C, Gioli, G, Cremades, R and Myrttinen, H, eds. (2018) Water security across the gender divide. Springer, Cham. ISBN 9783319640440

The importance of thinking as anarchists
book_section

Kallin, H and Gioli, G (2021) 'The importance of thinking as anarchists.' In: Gioli, G and Kallin, H, eds. Thinking as anarchists: selected writings from Volontà. Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, pp. 3-37. ISBN 9781474483131

Climate migration is about people, not numbers
book_section

Durand-Delacre, D, Bettini, G, Nash, S.L, Sterly, H, Gioli, G, Hut, E, Boas, I, Farbotko, C, Sakdapolrak, P, de Bruijn, M, Tripathy Furlong, B, van der Geest, K, Lietaer, S and Hulme, M (2021) 'Climate migration is about people, not numbers.' In: Böhm, S and Sullivan, S, eds. Negotiating climate change in crisis. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, pp. 63-81. ISBN 9781800642621

Understanding and tackling poverty and vulnerability in mountain livelihoods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
book_section

Gioli, G, Thapa, G, Khan, F, Dasgupta, P, Nathan, D, Chhetri, N, Adhikari, L, Mohanty, S.K, Aurino, E and Mapstone Scott, L (2019) 'Understanding and tackling poverty and vulnerability in mountain livelihoods in the Hindu Kush Himalaya.' In: Wester, P, Mishra, A, Mukherji, A and Shrestha, A, eds. The Hindu Kush Himalaya assessment. Springer, Cham, pp. 421-455. ISBN 9783319922874

Gender, migration and (global) environmental change
book_section

Gioli, G and Milan, A (2018) 'Gender, migration and (global) environmental change.' In: McLeman, R and Gemenne, F, eds. Routledge handbook of environmental displacement and migration. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 135-150. ISBN 9781138194465

Remittances as self-insured life: on migration, flood and conflict in North-Western Pakistan
book_section

Gioli, G (2017) 'Remittances as self-insured life: on migration, flood and conflict in North-Western Pakistan.' In: Irudaya Rajan, S and Bhagat, R.B, eds. Climate change, vulnerability and migration. Routledge, Abingdon, pp. 94-118. ISBN 9780415790727

An index based assessment of vulnerability to floods in the Upper Indus Sub-basin: what role for remittances?
book_section

Banerjee, S, Ahmad, Z, Gioli, G, Bisht, S, Sharma, S and Tuladhar, S (2016) 'An index based assessment of vulnerability to floods in the Upper Indus Sub-basin: what role for remittances?' In: Milan, A, Schraven, B, Warner, K and Cascone, N, eds. Migration, risk management and climate change: evidence and policy responses. Springer, Cham, pp. 3-23. ISBN 9783319429205

Knowledge priorities on climate change and water in the Upper Indus Basin: a horizon scanning exercise to identify the top 100 research questions in social and natural sciences
article

Orr, A et al (2022) 'Knowledge priorities on climate change and water in the Upper Indus Basin: a horizon scanning exercise to identify the top 100 research questions in social and natural sciences.' Earth's Future, 10 (4). e2021EF002619. ISSN 2328-4277

Understanding rural outmigration and agricultural land use change in the Gandaki Basin, Nepal
article

Maharjan, A, Kochhar, I, Chitale, V.S, Hussain, A and Gioli, G (2020) 'Understanding rural outmigration and agricultural land use change in the Gandaki Basin, Nepal.' Applied Geography, 124. e102278. ISSN 0143-6228

Clouded skies: how digital technologies could reshape "Loss and Damage" from climate change
article

Bettini, G, Gioli, G and Felli, R (2020) 'Clouded skies: how digital technologies could reshape "Loss and Damage" from climate change.' WIREs Climate Change, 11 (4). e650. ISSN 1757-7799

Climate migration myths
article

Boas, I et al (2019) 'Climate migration myths.' Nature Climate Change, 9 (12). pp. 901-903. ISSN 1758-678X

Pinning down social vulnerability in Sindh Province, Pakistan: from narratives to numbers, and back again
article

Mustafa, D, Gioli, G, Memon, M, Noshirwani, M, Idris, I and Ahmed, N (2019) 'Pinning down social vulnerability in Sindh Province, Pakistan: from narratives to numbers, and back again.' Disasters, 43 (2). pp. 311-335. ISSN 0361-3666

One step forward, two steps back? The fading contours of (in)justice in competing discourses on climate migration
article

Bettini, G, Nash, S.L and Gioli, G (2017) 'One step forward, two steps back? The fading contours of (in)justice in competing discourses on climate migration.' Geographical Journal, 183 (4). pp. 348-358. ISSN 0016-7398

Climate adaptation approaches and key policy characteristics: cases from South Asia
article

Vij, S, Moors, E, Ahmad, B, Arfanuzzaman, Md, Bhadwal, S, Biesbroek, R, Gioli, G, Groot, A, Mallick, D, Regmi, B, Saeed, B.A, Ishaq, S, Thapa, B, Werners, S.E and Wester, P (2017) 'Climate adaptation approaches and key policy characteristics: cases from South Asia.' Environmental Science & Policy, 78. pp. 58-65. ISSN 1462-9011

Waltz with development: insights on the developmentalization of climate-induced migration
article

Bettini, G and Gioli, G (2016) 'Waltz with development: insights on the developmentalization of climate-induced migration.' Migration and Development, 5 (2). pp. 171-189. ISSN 2163-2324

Human mobility, climate adaptation, and development [editorial]
article

Gioli, G, Hugo, G, Costa, M.M and Scheffran, J (2016) 'Human mobility, climate adaptation, and development [editorial].' Migration and Development, 5 (2). pp. 165-170. ISSN 2163-2324

Gendering flood early warning systems: the case of Pakistan
article

Mustafa, D, Gioli, G, Qazi, S, Waraich, R, Rehman, A and Zahoor, R (2015) 'Gendering flood early warning systems: the case of Pakistan.' Environmental Hazards, 14 (4). pp. 312-328. ISSN 1747-7891

Migration and global environmental change: methodological lessons from mountain areas of the global South
article

Milan, A, Gioli, G and Afifi, T (2015) 'Migration and global environmental change: methodological lessons from mountain areas of the global South.' Earth System Dynamics, 6 (1). pp. 375-388. ISSN 2190-4987

Gender, conflict, and global environmental change
article

Fröhlich, C and Gioli, G (2015) 'Gender, conflict, and global environmental change.' Peace Review, 27 (2). pp. 137-146. ISSN 1040-2659

Climate change and environmental pressure: adaptation and resilience of local communities in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya [editorial]
article

Gioli, G, Lucarini, V, Scheffran, J and Turner, A (2015) 'Climate change and environmental pressure: adaptation and resilience of local communities in the Hindu-Kush-Himalaya [editorial].' Earth System Dynamics, 5. ISSN 2190-4987

Early 21st century snow cover state over the western river basins of the Indus River system
article

Hasson, S, Lucarini, V, Khan, M.R, Petitta, M, Bolch, T and Gioli, G (2014) 'Early 21st century snow cover state over the western river basins of the Indus River system.' Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 18 (10). pp. 4077-4100. ISSN 1607-7938

Migration as an adaptation strategy and its gendered implications: a case study from the Upper Indus Basin
article

Gioli, G, Khan, T, Bisht, S and Scheffran, J (2014) 'Migration as an adaptation strategy and its gendered implications: a case study from the Upper Indus Basin.' Mountain Research and Development, 34 (3). pp. 255-265. ISSN 0276-4741

Climatic and environmental change in the Karakoram: making sense of community perceptions and adaptation strategies
article

Gioli, G, Khan, T and Scheffran, J (2014) 'Climatic and environmental change in the Karakoram: making sense of community perceptions and adaptation strategies.' Regional Environmental Change, 14 (3). pp. 1151-1162. ISSN 1436-3798

What is transcendental empiricism? Deleuze and Sartre on Bergson
article

Gioli, G (2007) 'What is transcendental empiricism? Deleuze and Sartre on Bergson.' Pli -The Warwick Journal of Philosophy, 18.

Towards a theory of history in Gilles Deleuze
article

Gioli, G (2006) 'Towards a theory of history in Gilles Deleuze.' International Journal of the Humanities, 3 (1). pp. 162-173.

Neither heroines nor victims: women migrant workers and changing family and community relations in Nepal. UN Women discussion paper series, no. 18
commissioned_report

Gioli, G, Maharjan, A and Gurung, M (2017) Neither heroines nor victims: women migrant workers and changing family and community relations in Nepal. UN Women discussion paper series, no. 18. UN Women, New York, NY. ISBN 9781632140999

Critical climate-stress moments and their assessment in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: conceptualization and assessment methods : HI-AWARE Working Paper 10
commissioned_report

Groot, A, Werners, S, Regmi, B, Biemans, H, Gioli, G, Hassan, T, Mamnun, N, Shah, H, Ahmad, B, Siderius, C, Singh, T, Bhadwal, S and Wester, P (2017) Critical climate-stress moments and their assessment in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: conceptualization and assessment methods : HI-AWARE Working Paper 10. HI-AWARE, Kathmandu. ISBN 9789291155361

Contested waters: subnational scale of water and conflict in Pakistan
commissioned_report

Mustafa, D, Gioli, G, Karner, M and Khan, I (2017) Contested waters: subnational scale of water and conflict in Pakistan. United States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC. ISBN 9781601276490

Literature review of critical climate-stress moments in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: a resource kit
other

Groot, A, Singh, T, Pandey, A, Gioli, G, Ahmed, B, Ishaq, S, Raza, N, Hassan, M, Tanvir Hassan, S.M, Abu Syed, Md, Mamnun, N and Eijrond, V (2018) Literature review of critical climate-stress moments in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: a resource kit. Kathmandu: HI-AWARE.