My Ph.D. project and the complementary digital project WASSERTURM.org examines escalating risks and ways of crisis prevention related to water security in the Euphrates-Tigris region. By following the river basin of Euphrates and Tigris it focuses on the challenges and grievances of the population in North-Eastern Syria and Northern Iraq.

As a Doctoral Researcher at the Disaster Research Unit, I am focusing on the communities directly impacted by climate change and escalating risks. In the context of climate change, both women and children are those most affected by the consequences of the crisis. But despite being affected, they are often excluded from public debates and political decision-making processes in climate policy debates. How can knowledge production regarding the consequences of the climate crisis, such as water scarcity, as well as awareness processes be sustainably implemented in the communities? Which civil structures are available in the communities that can be used in emercency situations? These and other questions are the focus of my observation in order to track vulnerabilities and escalating risks in extreme water conditions such as droughts and floods.

Water / River Research Collaborations

During the last few years, I curated an exhibition titled ‘Constructed Utopias’ and organized panels, workshops, and joint meetings. I also worked with several NGOs to raise awareness of rising projects regarding climate change and water scarcity, such as a river bed greening project in cooperation with a Berlin municipality’s sister city initiative.
2023 – 2025 I am working with the curator Lotta Schäfer on a project at Spore Initiative in Berlin. As a researcher, I provide consultation and contribute to the project ‘Wasserspiegel—Water Bodies’. The main focus is to strengthen the knowledge-building process in the target communities regarding climate change.

University Cooperations

Together with my Finnish colleague Ilkka Jaakkola, we are working on building networks with universities to develop expertise in the areas related to preventing impacts climate change and drought disasters . The research cooperation aims to promote the exchange of researchers on climate change, especially water scarcity in the Euphrates and Tigris River basins, organize the knowledge-building process of field research, and publish joint papers in different media.

Topics of Research collaboration in Kurdistan Region Irak – KRI:

• Humanitarian AID
• WASH
• Environmental Justice
• Women’s historical and contemporary role in water crises
• Water scarcity
• Climate Adaptation
• Trans-boundary water/river negotiations