Lauren joined the Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, in January 2016. As a former Fulbright grantee, she completed her Master’s degree in Political Science with a focus in quantitative methods. Her past research interests have focused on international (inter-state and inter-city) institutions for climate governance. For her Master’s thesis, Lauren developed a unique dataset of megacities’ participation in the global, inter-city climate regime and conducted an advanced quantitative analysis of the impact of two inter-city institutions, namely ICLEI and the C40 Climate Leadership Group. Her past research, however, has expanded beyond climate governance to include ecosystem management, reflected in her work on coastal ecosystem management/governance with the IUCN’s Blue Carbon project, public health and well-being, and public participation in local decision-making.

Lauren's interests centre around local governance for sustainable development, devolution, and public participation. Her doctoral research will focus specifically on devolution in the East of England and its implications for social, economic, and environmental development in the region.