Perry World House Perry World House Names Colby College's Stacy-ann Robinson as 2022-23 Lightning Scholar

Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania’s hub for global affairs, has announced that Stacy-ann Robinson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Colby College, will be its 2022-23 Lightning Scholar. Since 2018, Perry World House’s Lightning Scholars Program has brought exceptional junior scholars to Penn to engage with a globally-minded, interdisciplinary community of faculty, students, scholars, and policy experts.

Robinson researches the human, social, and policy dimensions of climate change adaptation in small island developing states, centering international adaptation finance and climate justice. She was a contributing author to the Small Islands Chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report, published in February 2022. This chapter examines climate change impacts and risks in small islands, as well as potential barriers and limits to adaptation and development. Already an important member of the Perry World House community, Robinson is currently a 2021-22 Visiting Scholar and will participate in our forthcoming Spring Colloquium on the climate crisis.

“Climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing our world and has become a core focus of our research here at Perry World House,” said Perry World House Director Michael C. Horowitz. “Island states are some of the first countries to experience its worst impacts but are also models for how the world can become more resilient. We are delighted that Stacy-ann will bring her expertise to this crucial part of our work.”

Robinson received her Ph.D. in Global Environmental Change from The Australian National University, where she was an Australia Awards Scholar and Leadership Awardee. She earned her M.Sc. in International Development from the University of Manchester, where she was a Chevening Scholar, and holds a B.Sc. in International Relations and Political Science from the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Each Lightning Scholar spends a semester or full academic year in residence on our campus in Philadelphia, working on a book or other major research output. Alongside their research, the Lightning Scholar connects with Perry World House’s diverse and vibrant community of scholars and practitioners. 

Previous Lightning Scholars include Jane Vaynman, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Temple University; Melissa M. Lee, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University; Sarah Bush, Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University; and Cosette Creamer, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota and affiliated faculty at the University of Minnesota Law School.