Shaieree Cottar is the coordinator for the Canadian Coastal Resilience Forum and a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo. Her research is on flood risk management and Canadian policies related to disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, managed retreat and resilience building against hazards. She is particularly interested in analyzing the feasibility and implications of managed retreat strategies for regions who face repeated risk of flooding and the long-term fiscal and social impacts on ‘receiving’ communities.

Shaieree has a breadth of experience working in academia and the public sector from working for the Ontario Public Service to Environmental NGOs in the global south. She received her Masters of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelors of Environmental Studies from York University.

Within the Climigration Network, Shaieree is the co-chair of the Research, Innovation & Evaluation Workgroup, a community within the Network focused on building research capacity to support more just, equitable, community-led responses to climate-driven displacement.