Devon Cantwell-Chavez (she/her/hers) has a Ph.D in Political Studies from the University of Ottawa. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Copenhagen. Her current project is “RIPPLE: The Transformative Impact of High Ambition City Commitments,” which focuses on understanding the catalytic effects and transformative potential of the C40 Water Safe Cities Accelerator program. This project is led by Dr. Michele Betsill at the University of Copenhagen as the PI with C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and the Grundfos Foundation as partners.

Overall, Devon’s research focuses on urban climate governance norms and the impacts of urban climate governance norms on residents. Her current book project (in preparation) focuses on the emergence of norm leadership and entreprenuers in the areas of green spaces, climate action plans (CAPs), and mobility across four global mega-cities: Ho Chi Minh City, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, and Seoul.

Devon uses a broad range of methods in her research including interviews, ethnography, spatial ethnography/grounded visualization, GIS analysis, archival research, policy document analysis, as well as quantitative analysis.

Prior to her academic career, Devon worked as a K-12 mathematics and computer science instructor for schools in Alabama and Mississippi. She has also worked as an instructional coach and content designer for Teach for America. Additionally, she has practical experience in working for public agencies as a researcher and data analyst.

She was a 2021-2022 Fulbright Research Fellow to Vietnam and was based in Saigon with the Southern Institute for Social Sciences (SISS), studying city climate change mitigation and adaptation in Vietnam. She was also a co-PI on the project “ROK-US Collaboration on Environmental Policy,” funded by the Korea Foundation.

To read more about her publications, research activity, and skills, please visit her CV linked below. She is available by e-mail at devon [dot] cantwell [at] gmail [dot] com.