Eleanor Jew is a lecturer in Environment and Development in the Department of Environment and Geography at the University of York, and a member of the York Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre. Eleanor is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in the relationships between the human and environmental systems, and how they can be managed to achieve both development and conservation goals.

Following work on research projects in Botswana and Zimbabwe, and an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford she worked in Tanzania, Indonesia and Honduras with students on various conservation projects. After this practical work experience she moved back into academia, undertaking a PhD at the University of Leeds. Eleanor’s doctorate examined the impact of tobacco cultivation on social development and biodiversity conservation within the miombo woodlands of south-west Tanzania.

Eleanor’s post-doctoral research investigated the effect of El Niño on farming systems within Malawi, unpicking the social constraints that undermine resilience to climatic events. Eleanor’s research interests include land use management, wildlife utilisation, conservation agriculture and ecosystem service provision. She is currently working on a research project in Vietnam forests assessing resilience to storms, and expanding her research on tobacco cultivation and household health within agricultural systems.