Position Title
Visiting Researcher
Nahideh Faiaz is an interdisciplinary researcher whose work focuses on gender, water governance, and
environmental justice. She holds a PhD in Human Rights and Global Politics.
Drawing on feminist political ecology, her research and publications examine how gender relations and
institutional structures shape access to water and participation in environmental decision-making in Central
and South Asia. Her work explores the gap between women’s growing agricultural responsibilities and their
limited representation in formal water governance, including through the concept of “feminization without
representation.”
Nahideh brings professional experience in gender equality, social development, and humanitarian and
development programming, including work with UNDP, UNOCHA, and FAO. She recently joined California’s
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. She seeks to connect feminist research with policy and
practice to advance equitable and inclusive natural-resource governance.