Bouhlel, Zeineb

Zeineb has a diverse background in environmental sciences, specializing in marine and water sciences, with valuable experience in policy-oriented settings. As a (virtual) visiting research fellow at UNU-CRIS, she will leverage her expertise to contribute to climate-related projects focusing on marine environments, coastal protection, ocean pollution, and biodiversity. Under the guidance of Nidhi Nagabhatla within the Climate, Nature and Health Cluster, her primary focus will be on climate adaptation strategies, including nature-based solutions, particularly for vulnerable regions such as small island developing states (SIDS).

Previously, Zeineb worked as a research associate at UNU INWEH (Institute for Water Environment and Health). She led a flagship project on bottled water markets and trends, producing a report that garnered coverage from approximately 1,000 media outlets across 72 countries and in 27 languages, with a potential reach of 2.8 billion people. Additionally, she served as the primary rapporteur for the project “Accelerating the Implementation of Water-Related UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” and contributed to various capacity-building initiatives.

Zeineb's professional experience spans both academic and non-academic environments. In Canada, she worked as a research associate at the University of Quebec at Montreal, a business development specialist with Mitacs—a research-industry funding cluster—and as an intern with the Quebec Ministry of International Affairs, collaborating with the Great Lakes Commission, an American think tank. She has undertaken a range of internships and volunteer roles across Canada, the US, and Spain, contributing to universities, research centers, and non-profit organizations. Notably, during her Ph.D. studies, she volunteered as a researcher with WWF-Canada. 

She holds an MSc and a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Quebec at Rimouski, where she focused on aquatic chemistry and microbiology. She is also a national agriculture engineer from Tunisia, specializing in aquaculture and aquatic environments. In addition, Zeineb earned a professional certificate in Finance for Nature from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy.

Zeineb fluently speaks English, French, and Arabic.