We’re thrilled to celebrate Dr. Alida O’Connor, who successfully defended her PhD thesis on October 16th, 2025. Her dissertation, titled “Understanding Collaborative Landscape Governance to Inform Integrated Landscape Approaches: Evidence from Ghana and Zambia,” offers valuable insights into inclusive governance and integrated landscape management in complex socio-ecological systems.
Alida is the latest PhD graduate from a cohort of six doctoral researchers under the COLANDS initiative—a collaborative effort involving The University of British Columbia, CIFOR-ICRAF, University of Amsterdam, and several local partners.
This achievement is especially meaningful, as Alida is the first PhD graduate from the Sunderland Lab at UBC Faculty of Forestry Lab. We couldn’t be prouder of her dedication, impact, and the trail she’s blazing for future scholars.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. O’Connor on this incredible accomplishment! 👏
