Hello, world

I’m an explorer and a tinkerer by nature, an interdisciplinary researcher by training, an organiser by experience, and a system thinker by design. 

I’m currently a DPhil Candidate in International Development at the University of Oxford, investigating the intersection of environmental sustainability and human-centred development, particularly through the lens of agriculture, food, and the informal economy. My research focuses on the dynamics of shared values and value creation in promoting a more sustainable agrifood system, but placing the natural environmental and marginalised labour (smallholder farmers, market vendors, etc.) at the centre rather than capitalist market incentives. 

Prior to Oxford, I had received a Master in City Planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where I learned to navigate the complexities of informality in our modern society, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Brown University, where I was able to explore the breadth of climate change mitigation through the lenses of geology, technology, human-centred design, grass-root movements, and development policies. I was fortunate that my work during those years had allowed me to apply myself to a broad range of experiences: from climate-resilient housing development in Vietnam, to urban informality in Argentina and South Africa, community development in Boston, rural livelihoods in Botswana, and the world of corporate social responsibility consulting in Paris.

Besides believing that the climate crisis is the largest challenge of our generation, I’m drawn to the puzzles of sustainable development because the complexities & learning potential is almost infinite – just imagine multiplying the sets of different contexts, locations, populations, and problems to address!