Youssef Al Bouchi

Being a public scholar means treating knowledge as a shared resource. Academic research is often locked behind paywalls or written only for specialists, reinforcing the idea that knowledge belongs to a few. I see scholarship as something to be made common — created with others, accessible to all and used to challenge systems that produce inequality and socio-ecological harm.

Public Scholars Initiative
Faculty
Faculty of Arts
Program
Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
Research supervisor(s)
Jessica Dempsey
Country
Lebanon
Selected Award(s)
UBC Public Scholars Award
Killam Doctoral Scholarships
Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)

Research description

Investment in low-carbon energy technologies and increased militarization is intensifying resource extraction. The International Energy Agency expects demand for "critical minerals" to quadruple by 2040. This surge unfolds within a fractured global order marked by geopolitical tensions and resource competition. As the United States seeks to restructure supply chains to reduce global dependency on Chinese exports, Canada and Mexico emerge as key extraction sites. My research examines how Canada and Mexico navigate the contradictions of a climate-security nexus that expands the extractive frontier while demanding commitments to Indigenous rights and environmental protection. Specifically, I ask: 1) How do state capacities and geopolitical bargaining power shape each country’s industrial policy as it pertains to mineral extraction and processing? 2) What strategies do Canada and Mexico use to manage the socio-ecological fallout of extraction while advancing developmental ambitions? 3) How do Indigenous, frontline and activist groups resist, adapt or negotiate with state and corporate actors amidst these pressures? Grounded in political ecology, my research analyzes the intersections of state power, economic policy and socio-ecological change and contestation. I hope to contribute to critical scholarship that holds claims of sustainable development to account and advances efforts to reckon with centuries of colonial plunder and injustice.

What does being a Public Scholar mean?

Being a public scholar means treating knowledge as a shared resource. Academic research is often locked behind paywalls or written only for specialists, reinforcing the idea that knowledge belongs to a few. I see scholarship as something to be made common — created with others, accessible to all and used to challenge systems that produce inequality and socio-ecological harm. This means resisting intellectual enclosures by sharing findings openly, engaging with communities as collaborators rather than subjects and ensuring that research clarifies how power works rather than serving narrow institutional or corporate interests.

In what ways do you think the PhD experience can be re-imagined with this Initiative?

Being part of the PSI pushes me to design my research from the outset with public engagement in mind. Knowing my work will be shared beyond academia encourages me to rethink methods, framing and outputs so they are open, clear and, most importantly, useful to a wider audience.

How do you envision connecting your PhD work with broader career possibilities?

Public-facing scholarship involves building relationships with people outside academia, creating trust that can lead to opportunities beyond the university.

How does your research engage with the larger community and social partners?

I plan to work with PODER, a civil-society organization in Mexico, to connect my research with frontline perspectives on mining and corporate accountability. In Canada, my work with the Extinction Paradox group has already involved research on mining and environmental assessment, engaging people across diverse sectors and organizations to produce a policy brief on mining reform. I also plan to use the Geopolitical Ecology podcast, which I co-run with Erika Siao, to share findings and interviews in accessible formats.

Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?

After working in corporate sustainability, I became disillusioned by how solutions were often shaped to satisfy clients or revenue goals rather than to confront problems honestly. The PhD gives me the freedom to pursue critical scholarship, ask difficult questions and produce research that serves the public interest rather than private agendas.

Why did you choose to come to British Columbia and study at UBC?

UBC Geography is internationally recognized for critical research on climate and social justice, and working with Jessica Dempsey offers the mentorship to pursue that kind of scholarship. Also, British Columbia’s own debates over mining and Indigenous rights provide a unique setting to study global resource politics from a grounded perspective.