E (Lize) Swartz

Biography

I am a scientific researcher, academic blogging expert, academic editor, and writer.

My PhD research and regards how water users in urban areas understand and navigate changes to urban water supply systems. I am particularly interested in how the relation between water users and water changes as water scarcity, shortages, and drought force them to interact differently with water. Bron, an art-science book that I co-authored with Dutch photographer Zindzi Zwietering (https://www.eriskayconnection.com/home/128-bron.html), explores how residents of Cape Town responded to the near-depletion of the city’s water resources in 2017 and 2018. Bron's lessons are applicable to other contexts subjected to the changing availability of water.

In addition to my research, I am studying transformative research communication through my participation in an ISS project on transformative research methodologies. My work as editor of ISS Blog Bliss (www.issblog.nl) directly contributes to transformative research communication agendas. Bliss is an academic blog serving that helps communicate the ideas and insights of researchers at the ISS and beyond in an accessible way to academic and non-academic audiences across the world.

I hold an MSc degree in Sustainability Science and Policy (Maastricht University), a BPhil degree in Journalism (Stellenbosch University) and a BA degree in International Studies (cum laude) (Stellenbosch University), having majored in Political Science and Mandarin Chinese.

For more information, please visit www.lizeswartz.com.