Mayumi Sato is named a National Geographic Explorer to make her research and activism on the environment and social justice more accessible.
The aim is to ensure that my PhD project does not just stay in the academy, but is expanded to produce other forms of multimedia and knowledge products that communicate my research findings in diverse and accessible ways.
Mayumi Sato
A Gates Cambridge Scholar has been named a National Geographic Explorer by the National Geographic Society to research environmental resistance and justice in the Middle East.
Mayumi Sato, who is doing a PhD in Sociology [2021], will use the funding primarily for her PhD research and fieldwork, including developing public-facing materials related to her research in addition to her dissertation, such as creating short documentaries, implementing workshops and summer schools, and putting together a photojournalistic series.
The funding will also support collaborations with SustainED, an organisation Mayumi co-founded to diversify narratives in higher education and reshape discussions around social and environmental justice. It provides mentorship to recent graduates and graduate students who are gearing up to apply for the next level of higher education. It works with local climate organisations and partners in the Global South and racialised organisations in the Global North to implement and communicate grassroots interventions addressing climate, economic, social and political injustices in a wide range of academic and non-academic formats.
Mayumi says: “The aim is to ensure that my PhD project does not just stay in the academy, but is expanded to produce other forms of multimedia and knowledge products that communicate my research findings in diverse and accessible ways.”
National Geographic Explorers are described as “exceptional individuals in their fields who receive funding and support from the Society to illuminate and protect our world through their work in science, exploration, education and storytelling”.
As part of the Explorer community, Mayumi will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge with and meet other explorers at professional gatherings, take courses in science communication, receive peer-to-peer support and access the National Geographic’s resources and equipment to develop multimedia outputs.
