Alpha Koroma

BSc MA

  • Doctoral Researcher

Research groups and centres

Research and expertise

My current research interests are in the management of solid waste in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). My research looks at why and how various social and environmental factors in the informal solid waste sector affect waste pickers' emotional well-being, and whether understanding these factors can influence national policies in LMICs.

Current research activity

  • Waste Pickers: Social and environmental factors influencing emotional well-being

Research interests 

  • Technology and solid waste management 
  • Governance in WASH
  • WASH in prisons in LMICs

Profile

I graduated from Kingston University with a BSc in Sociology, and after establishing an interest in international development and agriculture, I went on to the University of Reading to pursue an MA in Social Development and Sustainable Livelihoods.

Following my master's, I spent several years working with the British Red Cross on community-based programmes focused on social protection measures and emergency response in the UK. Most recently, I have worked with Thames Valley Police's Tasking and Resilience department and as an ad hoc Resettlement Officer for the Probation Service, providing support to persons on licence from prisons.

As part of the water-WISER CDT programme and in keeping with my interest in international development, I'm currently researching the informal solid waste management sector in LMICs. My WASH experiences have been shaped by witnessing not only the effects and consequences of the lack of structural forms of solid waste management but also the potential to create sustainable livelihoods.