Laura Pereira

Laura Pereira is an Associate Professor at the Global Change Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa. She specializes in sustainability transformations and futures thinking, particularly in the context of developing countries. Pereira's research is closely aligned with frameworks such as the IPBES Nature Futures framework and focuses on projects aimed at fostering transformative futures for people and nature in Africa.13

Education and Career

• DPhil in Geography and Environmental Science: University of Oxford.
• BSc (Hons) in Zoology, Ecology, and Law: University of the Witwatersrand.
• MSc in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy: St Hilda’s College, Oxford.

Pereira has held various prestigious positions, including:

• Post-doctoral fellowships at institutions such as the Institute of Development Studies, Harvard University, and the University of Cape Town.
• Lecturer at the Centre for Complex Systems in Transition at Stellenbosch University.
• Senior researcher at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University.12

Research Contributions

Pereira's research encompasses several key areas:

• Leading projects like “Seeding transformative futures for people and nature in Africa” and engaging with initiatives focused on gastronomic landscapes under the IKEA Foundation project.
• Co-authoring significant assessments for international organizations, including the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment and UNEP’s GEO-7 assessment.12

Publications and Impact

She has published extensively, with over 75 articles cited more than 7,000 times. Her work addresses critical issues such as food systems governance and complex social-ecological systems.24 Pereira also actively supervises MSc and PhD students, contributing to the academic development of future researchers in her field.1

Professional Affiliations

Pereira is involved with various scientific advisory boards and committees, including:

• Earth Commissioner.
• Member of the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS).
• Core member of the Mountain Research Initiative Social-Ecological Futures Working Group.13

For more details about her professional background, her LinkedIn profile can be found under the username laurapereirasa.4