Hadeel Hisham Ikhmais is the Head of the adaptation to Climate Change Section at the Environment Quality Authority (EQA) of Palestine, where she also serves as the national contact point for adaptation and the national gender and climate change focal point under the UNFCCC. She has more than 10 years of professional experience in climate change policy, adaptation planning, environmental governance, gender mainstreaming, and international climate finance. She holds an MSc in Environmental Studies from Al-Quds University, where her research focused on environmental sustainability and climate-related challenges through finding unconventional water resources, focusing on wastewater treatment in Palestine. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the development of Palestine’s climate action and planning. Her work also encompasses climate policy development, institutional capacity building, environmental diplomacy, and strengthening climate resilience in conflict-affected and resource-constrained contexts.
As a SAGE Fellow, Hadeel is pursuing her PhD through the University of Tübingen under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Thomas Potthast and Prof. Dr. Christiane Fröhlich. Her research explores the intersection of climate change, environmental governance, conflict, and ethics, with a particular focus on climate resilience, adaptation, and justice in fragile and conflict-affected regions. By integrating climate science with governance and policy analysis, her work aims to advance evidence-based approaches that support equitable climate adaptation, sustainable resource management, and informed decision-making in vulnerable contexts.