Contact

DLGS, ABS Haus 116, August-Bebel-Str. 30, room 07-009

Email: t.santosioer@dlgs.ioer.de
Phone: +49 (0)351 463 42348
Fax: +49 (0)351 4679 212

DLGS 10 (2020-2022)

Working title:
Navigating Southeast Asian urban water systems in transformation: A social-ecological-technological systems analysis of Klang Valley, Malaysia case study

Supervisor:
Prof. Dr. Marc Wolfram, TU Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Science

Abstract:
Rapidly growing urban regions in the Global South are experiencing critical water uncertainty. Water plays a vital role in development but its provision constantly faces systemic risks and failures therefore challenging its availability and distribution across spatial and temporal scale. This scenario leads to a complex system of interactions and feedback mechanism in the hydrological, social, and technological patterns. This is further exacerbated by climate change, urban-rural migration patterns, including economic expansion in emerging economies centered in cities.

However, urban water system policies, research, and practice are primarily anchored and framed within disciplinary silos that shape the urban agenda, political changes, and techno-centric approaches. Prevailing technocratic and management solutions are insufficient and non-responsive to current and future realities due to the limited consideration of the social, ecological, and technological dimensions that are coupled within the system.

This research aims to address how water security and transformation in an urban region in Southeast Asia be examined at a conceptual level through a multidisciplinary, coherent, and holistic framework. It further aims to determine approaches in which security and transformation process can be shaped, influenced, and governed towards a particular development pathway and trajectory. 

The research intends to develop new concepts and orientations for urban water system transformations in highly dynamic urbanization contexts. It does so by first conceiving of a novel Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) framework for urban water by bringing together the Social-Ecological System (SES) and Socio-Technical System (STS) frameworks, usually employed separately. Second, it will apply the novel framework through an in-depth qualitative case study of the urban water systems in Klang Valley, Malaysia. By doing so, it will empirically examine the social, ecological, and technological components, their interconnections and relationships, and how this configuration drives the urban water system towards specific goals. Based on that, it will finally assess the benefits and disadvantages of using SETS as an analytical lens in order to offer future research and policy recommendations for water security and governance.

Education

Since 03/2020
Doctoral Student at the TU Dresden, Faculty of Environmental Science, Dresden, Germany

09/2016-06/2017
Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary
Academic Degree: Master of Science

06/2016-03/2007
Political Science Major in Global Politics, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines
Academic Degree: Master of Arts

06/2002-03/2006
European Studies Major in International Relations with double
Minor Degrees in History and French Language and Studies,
Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines
Academic Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Experiences

02/2019-03/2020
International Climate Protection Fellow of Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung / Guest Research Fellow at Fraunhofer ISI, Germany

07/2018-01/2019
Sustainable Finance Project Director, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Philippines

04/2017-07/2017
Sustainability Research Intern, Schneider Electric, Hungary

02/2017-07/2017
Research Intern, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), Hungary and Austria

06/2014-08/2016
Technical Specialist (Greenhouse Gas Management and Project Implementation Lead) for the Building Low Emission Alternatives to Develop Economic Resiliency and Sustainability Project, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Philippines

02/2012-02/2014
Project Consultant for the Climate Change and Clean Energy Project, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Philippines

10/2012-03/2013
Project Consultant for the Sustainable Energy Finance (SEF) Project, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Philippines

10/2011-06/2014
Assistant Director, Ateneo de Manila University – Center for Social Entrepreneurship, Philippines

01/2010-02/2011
Program Officer, Asia Society, Philippines and USA

10/2008-08/2009
Program Officer, Ashoka Innovators for the Public, Philippines and USA

06/2007-10/2008
Project Manager, Langogan Hydro Power Corporation, Philippines

03/2006-06/2014
Research Associate and Lecturer Faculty (Project-based, Part-time), Ateneo de Manila University – School of Government and Loyola Schools

Awards

03/2020
Scholarship for a doctorate at the TU Dresden by the Dresden Leibniz Graduate School (DLGS), Germany

02/2019-03/2020
Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung Fellowship, Germany

07/2017
UNU-MERIT Scholar for the International Conference of the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM) as presentor and participant, Belgium

09/2016-06/2017
(Full Scholarship) Master’s Excellence at Central European Univeristy, Hungary

06/2014
Fellow and Philippine Representative, Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leadership Program awarded by the Asia Foundation and Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Malaysia

08/2012-01/2014
(Full Scholarship) Australia Leadership Awards Fellowship for training on Research Approaches and Methodology, Australia