Deborah Shmueli

Deborah Shmueli is a Professor in the School of Environmental Science at the University of Haifa and a principal researcher at the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions. She has served as the head of the National Knowledge and Research Center for Emergency Readiness since its establishment in 2018. She has previously held several positions at the university, including head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, head of the graduate studies committee, and head of graduate programs. She has published over 90 articles in leading journals and books on environmental policy, land use, water, and planning. Her research focuses on conflict resolution and conflict management in the public sector on environmental issues, community and institutional capacity building, as well as resilience and emergency management. Since the establishment of the Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions, she has also focused on policy aspects related to emergency management. Shmueli has served as an advisor for master plans in Israel, mediated stakeholder engagement processes, conducted conflict assessments, and held workshops on consensus building, conflict management in the private-environmental sector, and evaluation of public programs. In recent years, she has worked intensely on land issues with Bedouin communities in the Negev, co-authored a book on the subject, and served as one of five members of an inquiry committee (appointed by the Ministry of Interior) on the spatial and municipal planning boundaries for Bedouin communities in the Beer Sheva region. She is currently a member of the Ministry of Interior Permanent Geographic Boundary Committee for the Haifa Metropolitan Area, a committee examining the merger of local authorities in the Haifa area and the redistribution of resources among them.