My work is concerned with the politics and practice of achieving just and sustainable urban transitions. It is marked by a) its concern to develop southern theorisations on urban transitions; and b) a commitment to deep engagement between scholarly and practitioner communities. This work has led to the significant advancement of debates within geography and the wider social sciences on the theorisation of environmental governance and decision making; environmental justice; and transdisciplinarity. It has also served to considerably advance the practice of transdisciplinary research within the academy, within South Africa and internationally. This work has contributed to a series of articles that have focused on key concepts, as well as to articles that are co-produced with non-academic partners, serving to diversity the forms of knowledge that are recognised as authoritative within these debates.

My research on urban transitions sits at the science-policy interface and is steered by three themes: a) urban knowledge b) urban governance and c) decision making. My commitment to working in transdisciplinary ways, with knowledge partners beyond the university is central to my engagement with urban transitions. Close, and long-term engagements with government partners provides deep and layered engagement with the complex terrain of policy; whilst government partners gain from engaging with academic arguments to steer their practice.

I have extensive experience in science engagement with early career African Scholars through the International Science Council supported LIRA 2030 (Leading Integrated Research for Agenda 2030) program through training and supporting prospective grantees and grantees in transdisciplinary approaches and practices; and through a multi year learning study on the role of transdisciplinarity in urban transitions in Africa. I am the co-Editor in Chief of Urban Forum, the leading urban journal for Africa; and serve on the Editorial Advisory Board of Local Environment: the international journal for justice and sustainability.