Shariq Waheed

Profile

I am a researcher in environmental sociology, currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Leeds under the ESRC WhiteRose Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship. My research project, Shaping the Climate Future: Bradford Young People’s Engagement with the Future through Action in the Present, examines how young people in Bradford, UK, from diverse socio-demographic backgrounds engage with environmental and social sustainability. This study, conducted in collaboration with the NHS's Born in Bradford project, seeks to explore young people’s perspectives on the future, the impact of collective action, and how social and environmental conditions influence their aspirations, particularly in the context of climate change and social inequality.

As a Commonwealth Scholar alumnus, I bring an interdisciplinary academic foundation, with a master’s in Environment & Development from the University of Leeds and an MPhil in Gender and Development Studies from the University of the Punjab. With extensive experience as a development specialist, I have collaborated with numerous organisations to design projects focused on gender-responsive humanitarian action, gender-inclusive socioeconomic development, and climate resilience. Through my research and professional work, I aim to advance academic understanding and practical strategies that address complex social and environmental issues. My work focuses on the behavioral dimensions of sustainability, examining how individuals and communities make decisions in the face of climate and economic challenges and how these behaviors can be guided toward more resilient and sustainable practices, especially in vulnerable communities.

Linkedin: Link , ORCID: Link

Research interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of Environmental Behavior, Gender, Inequalities and Environment, and Decision-making in Complex Systems.

At the core of my work, I am deeply engaged in understanding environmental behavior, investigating how individuals and communities shape their environmental impact and exploring actionable insights to foster sustainable, climate-resilient futures in socially diverse settings, specifically under ecological, economic (or simultaneous) crises. I combine advanced quantitative and qualitative methods to uncover the drivers of environmental behavior, often integrating these approaches to model complex relationships and assess how environmental policies, social context, and economic pressures influence behavior and decision-making. By bridging these methodologies, I seek a nuanced understanding of environmental behavior, aiming to inform policies and interventions that enhance social equity and resilience, especially in communities facing compounded environmental and economic vulnerabilities.

My broader research interests include:

• Environmental Behaviour
• Decision-making in Complex Systems
• Disaster and Risk Cognition
• Gender, Inequalities and Environment
• Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling
• Gender, Inequalities and Environment
• Quantitative Analysis
• Qualitative Analysis
• Exploratory Sequential Design 
• Youth & Environment

Journal Articles

Waheed, S., Waheed, H., Malik, R., & Ghaffar, A. (2022). The Impact of Post-Covid-19 Economic Recession on Public Perception of Climate Change and Environmental Behavior in Pakistan. Review of Economics and Development Studies, 8(3), 223-231. Link

Waheed, S., & Waheed, H. (2022). Impact of climate finance on gender equity for sustainable global development: Can aid for climate action also aid gender equity?. Brazilian Journal of Science, (7), 82-94. Link

Waheed, S., & Hameed, R. (2022). The Catastrophic Trap: Association of Gender Differences with Depression and Anxiety during the Covid-19 Pandemic Among Pakistani Social Media Users.Pakistan Journal of Social Research, (2), 838-848. Link

[J0] Waheed, S., & Malik, R. (2023). Gender Differences in Environmental Concern & Pro-sustainability Behavior during Winter Smog Wave in Lahore, Pakistan.  Journal of Social and Political Science (Under Publication)

Conference Papers:

Siddiqui, F., Waheed, S. (2024) Unveiling Environmental Shifts in Forest Fires, Urbanization, and Temperature Dynamics in the Margalla Hills Region, Pakistan: A Geospatial Analysis. In the proceedings of Yale’s th Annual International Society for Tropical Foresters Conference

Waheed, S., Siddiqui, F. (2024) Breaking Ground: Navigating Symbolic Violence amidst Urbanization Encroachment and Economic Transitions among Women and Gender Marginalized groups in Pakistan. In the proceedings of the European University Institute, Italy’s Conference Intimately Material – Violence, Social Reproduction and Queerness in Transition

Waheed, S., Allauddin, U. (2022) Impact of Gender on Perception and Adaptation Strategies against Climate Change Induced Disasters in Pakistan: A Cross-sectional Study. In the proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Development Goals. 

Waheed, S., Waheed, H. (2021) The Impact of Post-Covid-19 Economic Recession on Public Perception of Climate Change in Pakistan. In the proceedings of the World Bank's International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Contemporary World.

Waheed, S., Cheema, H. (2021) Coordination in Disaster Preparedness and Response- Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Sexual and Reproductive Health. In the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Gender & Social Sciences.

Awards:

ESRC Whiterose Doctoral Training Partnership Scholarship Award UKRI -Present

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Award – Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (2023-24)

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship Award – European Commission (2023)

The World Bank's Best Research Paper in Sustainability Award – The World Bank (2021)

University Gold Medal – University of the Punjab (2021)

Projects:

USAID BIOM Project with Sustainability Research Institute, University of Leeds Link

Disaster Preparedness and Response for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Family Planning Association of Pakistan Link

Youth Participation in promoting peace and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) in Pakistan https://sfea.pk/portfolio/amnqalaab/

 

 

Qualifications

• MSc Environment & Development - School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, UK
• MPhil Gender & Development - Department of Gender Studies, University of the Punjab, Pakistan
• BS Applied Geology - Institute of Geology, University of the Punjab, Pakistan