Dr Yim Ling Siu

Profile

Dr. Siu has over 30 years of research work experience in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaborations in the fields of energy, water, transport and the environment, specifically focused on climate-induced risk assessment and modelling. Over the past few years, she has been actively engaging in translating science to services, and has led many research projects on climate change at the national and international levels. She received “Water Woman Award” under the category of “Research Funding” in 2021.

Yim Ling began her career in the School of Geography, developing computer-based geographic information systems (GIS) models for use in the energy and water domains: energy resource modelling and planning, and water pollution and quality monitoring; then at the Institute for Transport Studies she worked on various projects, centring on land-based transport and the environment, in particular forecasting travel demands in relation to socio-economic changes. She joined the School of Earth & Environment in December 1999 as an ESRC funded post-doctoral researcher focusing on the development of quality audit tools for Science for environmental policy. She became a Senior Research Fellow in 2000, and was appointed as Senior Teaching Fellow in 2002, and Lecturer in Environmental Risk Management in 2015.

Apart from being an inter-disciplinary researcher, Yim Ling is also a committed teacher and has developed UG and PGT modules in the subjects of environmental risks, environmental impact assessment, environmental sciences and the environment and environmental sustainability. She manages and leads MSc Climate Change & Environmental Policy programme since its inception.

Responsibilities

• Programme Manager of MSc Climate Change & Environmental Policy
• Deputy Director of WRDTP CEL pathway; Access to Leeds Env. Science Subject Tutor
• Editors of SRI working papers Series & SRI Policy Briefs

Research interests

Dr. Yim Ling Siu's research interests focus on 3 primary areas:

1. risks, in particular environmental risk perception and decision-making based on system dynamics and knowledge management perspectives;
2. quality audit for science, in particular the knowledge divide between 'public understanding of science' and 'scientist's understanding of the general public' based on deliberative-participatory, web-based approach;
3. environmental informatics and modelling, in particular developing multiple natural hazards risk assessment models and information systems for environmental risk analysis and assessment, based on geographic information system (GIS) and database applications.

Additionally, she has a keen interest in developing a new paradigm of risk analysis (or a meta-theory of risk) in view of providing a better theory to encompass and explain the highly complex, intricate and dynamic nature of risk (and its risk decisions and behaviour), particularly in relation to sustainable development in our modern societies.

Current research projects include:

• UK Met Office’s Climate Science for Service Partnership: visiting delegations (PI).
• Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Roll “Analysing risk perception and preparedness to develop effective risk communication” (Co-I; 3 years duration from July 2023) 

Completed research projects include:

(as Principal Investigator/PI)

• UK Met Office's Climate Science for Service Partnership: China 'Sector-Based Climate Services for Water Resources' (PI), April 2019 -March 2023.
• Applications of a new risk paradigm on natural disasters in China - UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, U.K.
• Impacts of Natural Hazards on Energy Security in China: A case study of floods - Ministry of Science & Technology / State Key Lab. of Earth Surface Processes & Resource Ecology, China
• Climate & Geohazard Services: Knowledge Transfers (Risk analysis in China) - Climate & Geohazard Services, Leeds University, U.K.
• Public Policy & Public Attitudes: Develop People’s environmental risk knowledge databases - faculty of Environment Enterprise Knowledge Transfer, Leeds University, U.K.

(as Co-I)

• UK Met Office’s Climate Science for Service Partnership: China 'Improving the treatment of uncertainty in Climate Services in China', July 2017- June 2019.
• UK Met Office’s Climate Science for Service Partnership: China – WP5.3 developing translational science for climate services ‘Mapping climate services and information needs in China’, November 2014 – March 2015.
• The Leverhulme Trust grants – “Artist in Residence – Sue Lawty” Visual art – Earth and Environment: Developing Dialogues, February 2014 - March 2015

Short-listed research proposals include: (as the Co-PI and the leader of a workpackage on risk or social science theme)

• NERC's Science for Humanitarian Emergencies & Resilience (SHEAR) - project title: Socio-Economic implications of Rianfall InducEd Landslides resulting from rock mass softening (SERIRL) (2016)
• NERC's Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards in Earthquake Prone Regions in China (IRNHiC) - project title: Quantifying the risks of earthquake-induced floods and developing enhanced resilience strategies. (2015)
• NERC’s “The changing water cycle in the UK uplands” programme - WP 4 “Development of a risk analysis framework” (2010)

Other research project submissions include:

• NERC-GCRF application (2019): Congo Cascades: Resilient Futures to Flood and Drought Risk Cascades in the COngo Basin. (requested for £3.4M)
• UKRI-GCRF application (2019): Bounce back better: Co-production of resilience tools for multiple natural hazards, with and for the marginalised communities in Kerala. (requested for £0.95M)
• The British Council's Newton Institutional Links Grants (June 2016): Resilience Management of Riverine Socio-Ecological Systems for Adadpation to Climate Extreme Events (with Federal University of Amazonas, Brazil)

International visiting scholars, government officials and research collaborations

• 2023 (for 12 months) : (Hosting) Prof. Xin Miao at Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
• Date TBD (due to COVID travel restrictions):(Hosting) 2 Climate scientists & hydrologists – Prof. Buda SU and Ziyan CHEN - from China Meteorological Administration (1-month)
• Date TBD: (Hosting) 3 visiting scientists – Prof. Tong JIANG, Dr. Shanshan WEN and Mengxia Zhao - from Nanjing University of Information, Science & Technology (1-month)
• Date TBD: (Hosting) 1 Climate change scientist – Prof. Hui TAO, from Chinese Academy of Sciences (1-month)
• 2019: (Hosting) China Ministry for Water Resources/South-North Water Transport (East Line) delegation visit (15 high ranking government officials)
• 2017: (Hosting) Dr. Xingqi ZHANG, School of Geographic & Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University on “Multi-hazard risk assessment in large river delta areas
• 2016: (Hosting) Beijing Audit Bureau UK official visit: Leeds (21 high ranking government officials)
• 2010-11: (Hosting) Prof. Feng GAO (Chinese Academy of Sciences) on “The impact of climate change on the occurrence of natural hazards and energy security in Chinese cities”

Qualifications

• PhD, Geography, University of Leeds
• MA, Human Geography, University of Leeds
• Hon. Dip, Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University

Student education

Dr. Yim Ling Siu contributes to teaching at all levels of undergraduate study as well as leading a postgraduate programme (MSc. Climate Change & Environmental Policy) and being involved as a PI or Co-I of research projects.

She specialises in teaching of the following subjects

• Introduction to Environmental Science
• Introduction to Creating Sustainable Futures
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environmental Risk: Science, Policy & Management
• Climate Risk: perception and communication

She also contributes to module teaching in:

• MSc Climate Futures
• BSc Sustainability & Environmental Management
• BSc Environmental Science
• BA Environment & Business

Areas for PhD supervision

She welcomes queries on doctoral research projects on topics such as:

• Singular or multiple natural hazard risk assessment and modelling
• Risk perceptions
• Risk knowledge management
• Environmental risk and information systems
• Risk theory and paradigm
• Climate change mitigation policy evaluation
• The energy-water-food nexus

Completed PhD students (for whom I am the principal supervisor):

• Maha Alsabbagh (2016) - now Associate Professor at the Environmental Management in Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain. Award winner of VIWA 2016 Young Women Achiever.
• Baoyin Liu (2015) - now Research Fellow in Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources/Institute of Policy and Management of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
• Cheng Wen (2014) - now Research Felllow at School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds
• Xin Li (2012) - now Senior Research Associate in Energy Innovation, Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia
• Kuishuang Feng (2011) - now Associate Professor at Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, USA
• Joanna Ganatsiou (2007)

Completed PhD students (for whom I am the co-supervisor):

• Uzma Aslam (2013) - jointly with Luuk Fleskens
• Yingluk Kanchanaroek (aka Bee) (2014) - jointly with Claire Quinn

PhD internal examiner:

• Ahmed Maroos-AL-Saiari: now Directorate General of Environment and Climate Affairs in Dhofar Governorate
• Muhammad Qasim: now Associate Professor in Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Pakistan.

PhD transfer chair:

• Dejan Zec (June 2021)
• Jefim Vogel (December 2018)
• Macro Sakai: now research fellow at SRI/School of Earth & Environment
• Dabo Guan: now Professor in Climate Change Economics at School of International Development, University of East Anglia

Research Support Group member:

• Md. Monirul Islam: Impact of Climate Variability and Change on Fisheries of Bangladesh with reference to Vulnerability of Livelihoods of Fisherfolk and Their Adaptation Strategies

Teaching Enhancement & Student Success projects include:

Completed projects:

• Introduction to Creating Sustainable Futures: Migration to Blackboard ULTRA platform
• Introduction to Environmental Science e-textbook (School of Earth & Environment STEF 2017) (contributor)
• Enviroweb Revitalised (School of Earth & Environment STEF, University of Leeds 2012/13) (PI)
• Enviroweb Evolution (Faculty Environment TESS, University of Leeds 2010/11) (PI)

Research groups and institutes

• water@leeds
• Economics and Policy for Sustainability
• Energy and Climate Change Mitigation
• Social and Political Dimensions of Sustainability
• Sustainability Research Institute
• Climate Change Adaptation, Vulnerability and Services