Perrine Hamel

Leading the way to greener cities

Brought up to embrace the beauty of the world, Perrine Hamel (PhD, 2013) has built a career where she can continue to explore and improve it. Wherever she goes – Australia, France, Sweden, the United States, Cambodia and Singapore – she brings a dedication to water resource management and sustainable urban environments.

After five years at the Natural Capital Project’s hub at Stanford University in the San Francisco Bay Area, Perrine has led their Livable Cities Program from Paris. This international program evaluates how urban nature or ‘green infrastructure’, such as green roofs and rain gardens, can benefit cities worldwide.

“My role has evolved over the years, but always across three dimensions,” says Perrine. “Conducting research on the value of nature to people. Engaging with stakeholders to produce useful information for management, such as the ‘real’ value of a forest, with its hidden benefits of water regulation and carbon sequestration. And training academics and practitioners in the approaches and tools we’ve developed.”

Additionally, Perrine collaborates with researchers at the Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement (CIRED) on urban sustainability projects. For example, she’s involved with Évaluation des Services Écosystémiques en Île de France (IDEFESE), which maps ecosystem services in the Île-de-France region in order to inform urban and regional planning decisions.

Perrine has recently joined the faculty of the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, where she looks forward to developing an urban program at the Asian School of the Environment. She has received a Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship, Class of 2020 – a sizeable grant for early career researchers to conduct new research in the region.

“My biggest professional dream is to build a strong lab, where I can conduct ‘action research’ on urban nature,” shares Perrine. “I’d like to work with private companies or local government there to make cities better places for people and the planet.”

Perrine’s journey gained momentum a decade ago when she embarked on her doctorate in Civil Engineering at Monash. “The Cities as Water Supply Catchments project, which later transitioned to the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities, was underway at the University,” explains Perrine. “This interdisciplinary program was perfect for someone like me who wanted to work in water resource management, but did not have a clear research project in mind.”

During the course of her career, Perrine has discovered the rewards of volunteering. “I naturally gravitated towards education non-profits,” she remarks. “With my two parents being teachers, I guess there’s something in my genes!” Perrine has given time to AIME (founded as the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience), Engineers Without Borders Australia and Science is Elementary – experiences that have boosted both her confidence and spontaneity.

What does Perrine say to young people just starting out? “Speak up! Doing so firmly and diplomatically is an important skill. Don’t assume you always need perfect answers in meetings. Listen closely when others speak.” Perrine has travelled far in her career. Perhaps saying what you think is the first step in getting to where you want to go.