Field of research

• Ecosystem services and human well-being
• Nature-based solutions and green infrastructure
• Urban sustainability and informality
• Inequalities and environmental change
• Equitable resilience and development
• Futures thinking and social-ecological transformations

Profile

Maike is a researcher at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) at Stellenbosch University, and a Knowledge & Evidence Lead for the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP).  Maike uses a social-ecological systems lens to understand how nature contributes to and enhances human well-being, and has a particular interest in the impact of socio-economic inequalities on people-nature relationships. She coordinates the Southern African Resilience Academy for the GRP, and works on a Formas-funded project that examines the role of inequality in the palm oil and fishing industries. In addition, Maike has extensive expertise in applying creative futuring methods to explore transformations towards more just and sustainable futures. Before joining the CST, Maike completed a PhD in Sustainability Science at the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher with the Natural Capital Project at the University of Minnesota in the United States.