I am an interdisciplinary urban researcher, with a strong commitment to developing and sustaining equitable partnerships in the Global South. My interests include urban health; shelter and infrastructure in informal settlements; climate adaptation; gender; and informal livelihoods. Over many years, I've been lucky to work closely with affiliates of Slum Dwellers International (SDI) in several African cities, and with other grassroots partners based in Zimbabwe and India.

At Manchester, I contribute to postgraduate modules in urban development planning, international fieldwork, climate resilience, and qualitative research. I am very happy to speak with students interested in Manchester: please feel free to email alice.sverdlik[at]manchester.ac.uk 

Currently, I am Co-Investigator for an ESRC/NFRF project on health equity and climate action in Bulawayo, Freetown, and Kampala. I recently contributed to University of Manchester's African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC) with civil society and academic partners in Nairobi. From 2018-23, I served as research manager for an NIHR-funded project on occupational health and climate change-related risks for informal workers in India and Zimbabwe. Alongside SDI partners in four African cities, I explored COVID-19 responses with a focus on bottom-up action during the pandemic. Other projects have analysed shelter in Nairobi (DFID's East Africa Research Fund) and grassroots understanding of risk and resilience in Dar es Salaam (British Academy).

I am co-convenor for the Development Studies Association's Urbanisation and Development Study Group, including a recent workshop on 'New Frontiers of Urban Informality.' 

From 2017-2022, I worked as a researcher at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), where I produced policy-related outputs for UCLG, UN-Habitat, and C40.