Petr Vesnovskii’s research focuses on governance responses to global water resilience risks

Vesnovskii’s PhD is part of the collaborative SAFER project, which involves partners at Politecnico de Torino, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Princeton University, Stanford University, and WaterAid.

Vesnovskii aims to deepen the understanding of the future of water governance in the context of global environmental change and cross-scale interactions. For his current research, he adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine the distribution and propagation of water resilience risks across political borders and natural boundaries, as well as how governance responses can effectively address these risks. This work builds on a broader recognition of water’s role in socio-ecological and Earth system resilience. Vesnovskii seeks to ground and nuance his research findings and policy recommendations by using knowledge co-production through collaboration with a wide spectrum of stakeholders in Sweden and internationally.

Vesnovskii obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and, later, an MPhil in Water Science, Policy, and Management from the University of Oxford. His master’s dissertation focused on the adaptive capacity of the Volga River delta system to complex environmental changes. Before joining SRC, he worked at the International Hydropower Association, where he assessed the sector's resilience to climate change and facilitated expert and stakeholder engagement activities, including the 2023 World Hydropower Congress.

Youth’s leading role in solving global sustainability challenges has been a cornerstone of Vesnovskii’s worldview. He served as the United Nations SDG 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation” Youth Envoy in Russia (2017-2019) and the Delegate to the European Youth Parliament for Water (2019-2024). He continues to expand his support network to mainstream the voices of young communities in the global agenda.

Supervisors

Michele-Lee Moore (main)
Örjan Bodin (co-supervisor)
Sara Constantino (external co-supervisor, Stanford University)