After having obtained her Master's degree in Human Rights and International Politics from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, Sarah Nash will soon continue her studies on climate-induced migration with a PhD programme at the University of Hamburg, Germany.
Until then, she seized the chance to prepare herself by attending a training school on field research methods taking place at the UNU-EHS in Bonn, Germany. The training is part of the COST Action IS1101 programme on climate change and migration which aims to build a broad body of social science research concerning climate change and migration. It offers PhD and Master Students the unique opportunity to discuss their planned fieldwork, the qualitative and quantitative empirical methods included in their research designs, and to carry out different exercises and role plays. Moreover, they had the chance to gain support from an experienced research team in refining their fieldwork design.
"I found this training school to be a very enriching experience. It has given me a strong foundation in methods very specific to my PhD project, which I will soon be embarking on. The quality of all of the trainers was outstanding and the opportunity to be here and learn from them has without a doubt added new dimensions to my research", says Sarah.
Right after this training, Sarah headed to Hamburg to participate in another element of the COST Action programme: a workshop on Knowledge-Creation and Capacity-Building for Actions in Climate-Induced Migration at the Climate Service Center (CSC), which the Green Talents visited in 2011. This COST Workshop aims to improve knowledge, capacity building and management approaches concerning climate change and related issues. The workshop looks to facilitate this through an intensive and active learning process of decision making, action and evaluation.
In August 2013, Sarah will start her PhD studies at the KlimaCampus of the University of Hamburg, in which also the CSC as well as the Helmholtz Centre for Materials and Coastal Research (HZG) in Geesthacht are associated.
