Anna's work focuses on understanding and supporting social processes of addressing complex environmental changes, especially that of human-induced climate change.

Her earlier work focused mainly on the practices of rural communities in developing country contexts dealing with environmental stresses and shocks, using concepts of vulnerability and livelihood. Her focus has gradually shifted to the institutional and knowledge dimensions of adapting to climate change, increasingly in urban settings. This involves exploring climate variability and change, risk, vulnerability, resilience, adaptive management, adaptation, mitigation, ecosystem services, social learning, and governance.

Her current projects include:

• a research project investigating the governance arrangements that enable more effective management of the risks of flooding and coastal inundation in the city of Cape Town, South Africa;
• a project to collaboratively test, refine and further develop two interactive web-based platforms (weADAPT and CIP) designed to inform, support and strengthen climate change adaptation interventions;
• the refinement and delivery of a short course for early to mid-career professionals who are mainstreaming climate change considerations into their work.

Anna first joined SEI as a fieldwork assistant on the multi-stressor vulnerability project in Sekhukhune District, South Africa, and then joined the Oxford Centre in early 2006. There, she worked on several research and technical assistance projects, and also served as communications node.

In late 2010, she moved back to Cape Town, South Africa, where she is conducting her Ph.D. research at the University of Cape Town, on the policy framing of climate change within a developmental local government in the City of Cape Town. She continues to work part-time with SEI Oxford.

Prior to joining SEI, she worked in South Africa for SouthSouthNorth, doing research on technology transfer in the context of climate adaptation (2005-6); the Western Cape Department of Health, researching household accidents suffered by children in low income areas (2005); and the Partnership for a Sustainable Environment at the University of Cape Town, investigating financing mechanisms for responding to climate change (2003).

In 2005, she also spent time in Ghana, West Africa, coordinating small-scale community development projects involving collaborations between local villagers and volunteers from the UK.

Anna has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Geographical Science from the University of Cape Town.