Dr. Helena Shilomboleni is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment (School of Environment Resources and Sustainability and the Department of Geography and Environmental Management) at the University of Waterloo.

Her research and teaching areas of expertise are agriculture and food security, with a specialization working with small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. She has fieldwork experience in Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania. Prior to her appointment at UW, she held a Post-doctoral Fellowship with the formerly Consultative Group of International Agriculture Research (2019-2022) in Nairobi, Kenya, and a Professional Development Award with Canada’s International Development Research Center (2017-2018) in Ottawa.

Helena’s publications comprise peer-reviewed academic articles and book chapters on scaling innovations in food and agriculture systems, climate smart agriculture, the African Green Revolution and Food Sovereignty. She has also published policy briefs, informational notes and research statements on these themes. In 2020, she was selected as an Affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences, for her contributions to the development and application of science in Africa. Her research and work also enabled her to engage different policy networks, including Global Affairs Canada & the Namibian Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

At UW, she is looking to expand the scope of her work to examine digital agriculture in small-scale farming systems, rice value chains, and agricultural landscape restoration efforts for climate change adaptation. Finally, Helena serves as a Board member of the Canadian Association of Food Studies.