Michael Boyland

Michael Boyland is a PhD candidate in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS conducting research on young people's participation in climate action. 

Michael has a decade of professional experience conducting research and policy engagement on a range of environment and development topics, with a focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, primarily in Southeast Asia. He has led research projects working with a range of groups, including children and youth, to better understand risks and reduce vulnerabilities faced by communities on the frontline of disasters and climate change. Michael has a MA in Disasters, Adaptation and Development from King's College London, and a BSc in Geography from University of Southampton.

 Redistributing resilience? Deliberate transformation and political capabilities in post-Haiyan Tacloban 

Long-term recovery narratives following major disasters in Southeast Asia

A Typology Framework for Trade-Offs in Development and Disaster Risk Reduction: A Case Study of Typhoon Haiyan Recovery in Tacloban, Philippines 

Transforming Development and Disaster Risk  

 What We Measure Matters: The Case of the Missing Development Data in Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction Monitoring 

The Role of the Panglima Laot Customary Institution in the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Recovery in Aceh 

FIRE: A framework for integrating human rights and gender equality in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation 

Michael's research interests centre on the social justice and equity dimensions of climate action, across mitigation, adaptation, and loss & damage domains. 

His research explores themes of empowerment, political capabilities, and knowledge co-production in the fields of climate and development. Michael's experience and interest are grounded in people-centered approaches to the climate crisis, from responding to disasters and adapting to climate impacts to meeting social justice and equity goals in decision-making spaces at all scales, from local to international.

Michael Boyland