Anaís Roque, Ph.D.
John Hope Franklin Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Sciences
Duke University
She/her/Ella
Description: On this talk I’ll examine community-based water governance in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María, focusing on how local aqueduct systems and community networks restored water access amid severe disruptions. Through interviews with community managers and stakeholders, the study identifies social and human capital, local ownership, and collaborative practices as key enablers of water resilience and security in the wake of hazards. Findings underscore the importance of integrating community governance into broader strategies for water security, resilience, and environmental justice in disaster-prone regions.
About the speaker: Dr. Anaís Delilah Roque (she/her/ella) is an environmental social scientist and anthropologist who studies resource insecurity and health in the Anthropocene. Currently, her research agenda is focused on how households and communities experience, prepare for, and respond to food, energy, and water insecurity during “normal” times and in the wake of a hazard (e.g., geophysical, climatological) or disaster. Dr. Roque is also interested in the health outcomes of such experiences and the extent to which strategies to address insecurity across scales (e.g., household, community, policy) shape pathways to better or worse health and well-being. Trained as a mixed-methods scholar, Dr. Roque uses a range of methodologies in her research, including ethnographic research methods, participatory research methods, social networks, and surveys. Dr. Roque is part of several interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams that advance research at the intersections of environmental behaviors, community resilience, and social vulnerability. She conducts research in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Gulf Coast, and the U.S./Mexico Borderlands.
Friday, October 3rd, 2025
Field Auditorium, Room 1112, Grainger Hall (9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC)
This seminar will also be presented live via Panopto. Click HERE for the livestream.