Dr Tira Foran
Social Scientist - Interdisciplinary research for sustainable development
Contact details:
Biography
I joined CSIRO in 2010 as a human geographer to focus on international research-for-development. My background includes substantive work on water and energy governance, in eight Asian and African developing countries.
My group at CSIRO (Basin Management Outcomes) applies capability in water-related analysis and governance to a variety of developing country contexts. We aspire to improve decision making around water, food, and energy security. This requires detailed historical and institutional knowledge, effective networks with state and non-state actors in each setting, and fluency with a range of social science and interdisciplinary methodologies.
To support outcomes in this space, I develop and apply techniques that take interdisciplinary inquiry, and the social complexity of knowledge production seriously. I pursue a range of methods and techniques to enhance deliberative policy development, including: scenario building, argumentation analysis, institutional and political analysis, and livelihoods analysis. I typically work in non-English speaking developing countries and pursue international collaboration and partnership opportunities.
Current Roles
-
Project Leader
Ayeyarwady Basin Exploratory Scoping Study (AWP 5) -
Lead social scientist
Koshi Basin (Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio) Project
Academic Qualifications
-
2007
PhD
University of Sydney (Geography) -
1999
M.S.
University of California at Berkeley (Wildland Resource Science) -
1989
B.A.
Harvard University (Anthropology Magna cum Laude)
Professional Experiences
-
2010-2011
Team Leader
CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences -
2007-2010
Research Fellow
Chiang Mai University, Thailand -
2006-2007
Research Fellow & Senior Program Officer
IUCN – The World Conservation Union -
2003-2004
Technical Advisor
IUCN – The World Conservation Union
Community and Corporate Citizenship
-
2010-present
Reviewer for academic journals: Asia Pacific Viewpoint, Ecology and Society, Ecological Economics, Energy Policy, Energy and Sustainable Development, Energy Efficiency, Landscape and Urban Planning, Water Resources & Rural Development, Water History, Third World Quarterly, Water Alternatives, WIRES Water