Biography

Geographer and Hydrologist who uses social science and systems modelling to better understand our place in the built and natural world. In 2016 he received a PhD from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. His main
research interests surround understanding and evaluating natural capital, ecosystem services and the many complex links and feedbacks between the human and natural environments. This involves spending time with a wide variety of stakeholders including farmers, property developers, NGO’s, City Councils and regulatory bodies. He has extensive field experience and uses real world insights to develop modelling tools for improving understanding and testing potential solutions.

He has previously worked on the NERC funded CAMELLIA project (Community Water Management for a Liveable London) where he focused on understanding the intersections between urban development and natural capital. He has also worked on NERC and Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences funded projects collaborating with researchers in the UK and India, examining water management in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. He is one of the co-founders of the WISA (Water Initiative South Asia) network in collaboration with the British Council, connecting a wide variety of researchers, policy makers and industry specialists from the UK, South Asia and the Middle East.

He is currently Assistant Professor at Dublin City University’s School of History and Geography where he supports the development of a BA in Climate and Environmental Sustainability. He lectures on a wide range of topics surrounding environmental and societal resilience.

Social Medial Handles:
Twitter: @Jimmy_OKeeffe

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmy-o-keeffe-08017458/

Personal Webpage: https://drjimmyokeeffe.weebly.com/

Projects:

2019 to 2021 Research Associate

Community Water Management for a Liveable London (CAMELLIA), Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. CAMELLIA is a 5-year programme funded by the Natural Environment Research Council which aims to develop solutions that will enable the required
housing growth in London, whilst managing water and the environment.

2016 to 2019 Research Associate

Coupled Human and Natural Systems Environment (CHANSE), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London.
The aim of this research was to improve mapping and quantification of dominant interactions and feedbacks between human activities and the hydro-meteorological system of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). This project helped provide information for improved decision-making on water allocation for agriculture, drinking water, ecosystems and other needs.

2019 to 2021 Principal Investigator

The use of local knowledge for science and policy assessment and improvement. Funded by the British Council
The aim of this research was to develop metrics and data on Bengaluru’s lakes, as well as a holistic understanding of the different components and dynamics of the system in order to improve water management. This work led to the creation of a dataset of lakes in the Hebbal valley in Bengaluru and the development of a wastewater treatment and reuse recommendation tool

2018 to 2019 Co-Principal Investigator

Democratising access to water resources usage through high-performance cloud-based computing.