Melissa Hiltl

Research Focus

Melissa Hiltl is a PhD Student at the Doctoral School “HR21: Human River Systems in the 21st century". With a background in Peace and Conflict Research as well as international cooperation, her work strives to bridge scientific research and practical application for transformational change.

In her PhD research, she focuses on participatory and action-oriented methodologies to co-develop strategic approaches for water supply security in Alpine communities in Austria. Using a participatory action research approach, she is conducting a case study in Upper Carinthia to investigate the relationship between regional governance, Alpine water supply, and conflicts of interest through co-design with regional stakeholders. By including knowledge generated by those directly impacted by the topic of inquiry, the project aims to support transformative change and develop scalable data for the region, as well as up-scalable knowledge on broader questions about water-related issues in the Alps.