Miss Heather Smith

Heather Smith is working in the Socio-economics Research Group as a PhD student registered at the University of Aberdeen.

Research Interests

Heather has an undergraduate background in environmental science. Her general research interests include studying the links between emerging science and the development of environmental policy, with a particular focus on water resources management. As a researcher at Canadian NGO, she was involved in a multi-stakeholder process for implementing watershed (catchment) planning in Ontario. She also holds an MSc from the University of Oxford in Water Science, Policy and Management, for which she studied how a growing understanding of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) could help mountain communities in Nepal reduce their vulnerability to these catastrophic events.

Her current research project involves studying how the land use planning system in Scotland can both inform and help deliver river basin management planning, as required under the European Water Framework Directive.

Heather's most recent publications

• Facilitating integration: River basin management meets land use planning in Scotland., Smith, H.M.; Blackstock, K.L.; Wall, G., (2010) American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Washington DC, 14th-18th April 2010.

• Stakeholder engagement in river basin management planning., Blackstock, K.; Coull, M.; Dunglinson, J.; Fischer, A.; Futter, M.; Glenk, K.; Marshall, K.; Smith, H., (2009) Knowledge Scotland KTE Event, SEPA, Stirling, 29th May 2009.

• A sustainable future? A theoretical perspective on water management and land use planning., Smith, H.M.; Blackstock, K.L.; Wall, G., (2009) AESOP 2009, PhD Workshop 2009, Manchester, UK, 11-14 July 2009.

• A sustainable future (?): River basin management meets land use planning in Scotland., Smith, H.M.; Wall, G.; Blackstock, K.L., (2009) AESOP 2009, 23rd Congress of the Association of European Schools of Planning, Liverpool, UK, 15 - 18 July 2009.

• Planning for sustainable futures: River basin management meets Scottish land use planning., Smith, H.M.; Blackstock, K.L.; Scott, A.J.; Wall, G., (2008) RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), London, 26-29 August 2008.

• Discussant for the paper 'Aspirations and Realities under the Water Framework Directive' presented by Prof. Bill Howarth, Smith, H.M.; Blackstock, K.L.; Scott, A., (2008) Workshop on Ocean and River Basin Governance, University of Dundee, 2nd May 2008.

• Planning for sustainable futures: linking river basin management and land use planning in Scotland., Smith, H.M.; Blackstock, K.L.; Scott, A.J., (2008) International Water Association, 11th International Specialised Conference on Watershed and River Basin Management, Budapest, 4-5 September 2008.