Biography
Karen Bakker leads an interdisciplinary team of academic researchers and community-based organizations for the Sustainable Water Governance and Indigenous Law project.
Her research is oriented towards designing and implementing governance reforms to enhance water security in light of ongoing water crises facing Indigenous communities, and focuses on environmental sustainability, reconciliation, and the contributions of Indigenous law to Canadian governance.
Bakker is also Canada Research Chair in Political Ecology at The University of British Columbia (UBC), a professor in UBC’s Department of Geography, and a founding co-director of UBC’s Program of Water Governance. She is the author of over 100 academic publications, including five books on water governance. She has advised such organizations as the UNDP, UNESCO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom.
Her commentaries appear frequently in the popular press. She is a Rhodes Scholar and a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
In addition to being passionate about her research, Bakker is enthusiastic about disseminating that knowledge using creative and sophisticated communications methods, including the arts and social media. Her approach has inspired and engaged students and scholars at all stages of their careers.