Stella Shumba is a Senior Research Associate, who is committed to evaluating climate risk insurance demand and impact across diverse regions, with a focus on integrating gender perspectives.
Dr. Stella Shumba is a Senior Research Associate at the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), hosted by UNU-EHS. Leading research efforts within the Solutions and Implementation team, she contributes to evaluating the demand for and impact of climate risk insurance across various project regions, including the Pacific (PICAP program), Caribbean (CRAIC program) and soon expanding to Africa and Asia under the joint UNU-EHS/UNCDF global program (CIRP).
Previously, Dr. Shumba held positions such as Carnegie DEAL Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, where she focused on assessing weather index insurance effectiveness in empowering smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa to adapt to changing climate conditions.
Her expertise spans climate disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI), climate justice, Just Energy Transitions, food systems resilience, strengthening smallholder farmer resilience, perceptions of risk and gender-integrated research.
Dr. Shumba actively contributes to academia, having played a crucial role in the World Adaptation Science Programme (WASP) Working Group on Loss and Damage, where her responsibilities included conducting semi-systematic literature reviews and data analysis with the aim of producing knowledge outputs, including policy briefs. Furthermore, she previously engaged in a Wellcome Trust-sponsored project, aimed at comprehending the impact of climate change on human health, actively conducting key informant interviews with leading researchers in this domain.
Dr. Shumba brings extensive teaching experience from her tenure as a Senior Lecturer at the Women's University of Africa, Zimbabwe, where she taught courses on Gender and Agriculture, Environment and Sustainable Development, Disaster Research Methods, among others. She continues to lecture in various programs, including the Joint Master's Programme, offered by the University of Bonn and UNU-EHS, where she teaches Gender in CDRFI and Social Norms.
Committed to climate advocacy, Dr. Shumba serves as a Green Ambassador for Climate Change in Africa, raising awareness within local communities. She has also undergone training in Climate Leadership and Diplomacy, contributing to policymaking processes. Notably, she is undergoing training to become a Technical Expert Reviewer of Biennial Transparency Reports for the UNFCCC.
Dr. Shumba's diverse portfolio includes roles as an Agricultural Development Consultant for the Global Centre for Gender Equality and an Advisory Board Member for the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company.