Perrine Hamel, Nanyang Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University is Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore and Scientific Advisor for Entropia Capital.
She wears different hats: researcher, educator, science communicator, project manager and consultant on nature-based solutions projects, and recently co-founder of Pulse, an environmental services start-up.
I was trained as an Engineer at Ecole Centrale Nantes and I got more exposure to the tech world in San Francisco, where I lived for close to 5 years. I was working for a project called the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University, a consortium between NGOs and academic institutions aiming to mainstream natural capital thinking into decision-making. Being based in the Silicon Valley, I got exposed to the innovation and start-up ecosystem and I enjoy bringing part of this culture in my work as an academic.
One thing I’m proud of is the research group I founded at NTU: The Resilient and Inclusive Cities lab, which aims to build scientific evidence and decision-support tools to mainstream nature-based solutions in urban areas. Nature-based solutions get a lot of attention these days – they refer to approaches using natural or semi-natural systems to provide benefits to people and nature. Think protecting an urban forest (instead of developing hard surfaces) or integrating green roofs into our buildings. I am proud to train bright scientists to tackle important questions about urban nature-based solutions and to strengthen the relationships between Singapore and the region through collaborations with amazing colleagues in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.
I am currently working on a start-up, Pulse, aiming to catalyse nature-positive action in the private sector in Southeast Asia. We are developing an AI-powered solution (who doesn’t these days?!) to support the sustainability transition for companies small and large, with a footprint in Southeast Asia. This venture ticks a lot of boxes for me, building on my expertise on nature-based solutions and aiming to support transformative change in a region where swift biodiversity action is crucial. One of my wildest career goal is that Pulse gains traction, making a difference to how business is done in Southeast Asia, and creating vast opportunities for action research in my lab and beyond.
Good question. There are probably 1 million things I could have done differently, to be honest. I don’t see myself as someone with a strict career plan. I crafted opportunities and enjoyed learning from different experiences, working as an engineer, as a researcher, as an educator, and collaborating with amazing people all around the world. In an ideal world, I would try and be more intentional about these learnings to catalyze the change – social and environmental – that many of us are working toward. Maybe more ambitious too, but that’s a fine line with taking the time to learn from people and with people.
I was fortunate to be selected in the Women 4 Climate program by C40 in 2018, when I was living in Paris. The program promotes mentorship and networking with women working in the space of climate action (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8752804/) So there were far more than 3 women who inspired me but I’ll highlight one here: Alexandra Palt, former Chief Sustainability Officer of L’Oreal and now President of WWF France -- I still cherish the reflections that our meetings sparked and admire her relentless engagement.
Connect with Perrine Hamel on Linkedin
Get in touch with us @ womenfrenchtech at gmail dot com
In collaboration with Amel Rigneau & Romeo Aguilar Bernard