Sofia Kabbej

Sofia Kabbej is an Associate Researcher at the Climate, Energy, and Security Program of IRIS, where she analyzes the geopolitical and security implications of climate change. She contributes to the work of the Defence and Climate Observatory, initiated by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, and her current research focuses on the impact of climate change on defense actors as well as the geopolitics of climate modification technologies.

She holds a PhD from the University of Queensland (Australia). Her thesis, co-supervised by Matt McDonald and Roland Bleiker, focused on France’s engagement with climate change as a security issue. It examined the main characteristics of this engagement, its evolution over time, and the political factors influencing it.

Sofia also currently coordinates the Climate Security & Peace Project (CS2P) at the NGO CliMates, after serving as Advocacy Co-Director from 2018 to 2019.

Previously, she worked as a researcher at IRIS’s Climate, Energy, and Security Program (2020-2022), specializing in the security dimensions of climate change. She has also contributed to projects on climate governance, international climate negotiations, green economy, and sustainable development within organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Danone, and the NGO CliMates.

Sofia Kabbej holds a master’s degree in international security policies from the European School of Political & Social Sciences (ESPOL – Catholic University of Lille), a master’s in international relations from ESPOL, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication from the University of Montreal.