Dr.

Naoko KIMURA

She obtained a PhD in Global Environmental Studies from Kyoto University, Japan, in 2020 and an MA in Education, Gender and International Development from the Institute of Education, University of London (now UCL), in 2004.

Prior to joining IGES in April 2024, she worked at the International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC), where she engaged in research on water environments and integrated lake basin management. She later participated in international collaborative projects on disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management involving academia, government, and industry at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University. At the Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies and the Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, she also worked on rural and regional planning with a focus on disaster risk preparedness and vulnerability, as well as theoretical development in environmental disaster studies.

Across these roles, her work has consistently focused on the perspectives of citizens and local communities, examining how environmental and development policies are experienced and implemented at the local level. Her research particularly explores ways to bridge the gap between macro-level policy frameworks and international governance systems and the micro-level realities of local communities.