Dr. Siera Vercillo

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Siera Vercillo is an Assistant Professor investigating governance and sustainable agri-food system transformations at Wageningen University. She is a scholar-activist engaged in participatory action research within feminist geography, political ecology, and critical development studies, focusing primarily on northern Ghana. Siera's research enhances existing literature on agrarian nutrition transitions, smallholder livelihoods, and food systems, particularly addressing household food security and food sovereignty. She is notably interested in experimental and applied qualitative research methodologies that facilitate transformative change. In her work, Siera collaborates with community-driven movements, civil society, donors, and NGOs to advocate for agroecology and food sovereignty, while upholding the rights of peasant farmers. Her publications exist in respected outlets such as Aljazeera, the Journal of Rural Studies, Ambio, and the European Journal of Development Research. Siera has received prestigious national and international research grants and serves as a Principal Investigator on several projects aimed at improving local food systems in Ghana. She has developed and taught courses at both bachelor’s and graduate levels, currently focusing on topics related to Policy, Governance, and Transformative Sustainability Practices.

Research Interests

Experience

Assistant Professor

2018-01-01 — Present

Wageningen University • Wageningen, Netherlands

Investigating governance sustainable agri-food system transformations, focusing on participatory action research.

Courses

Policy Governance Law Transformative Sustainability Practices Global Institutions Research Design Politics Development

Requirements for Wageningen University

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:2.8
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:6.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:90
PTE
Listening
Required:59
Reading
Required:59
Writing
Required:59
Speaking
Required:59
Overall
Required:62
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a field of science relevant to the selected programme Sufficient academic performance (unweighted average 70% or 7.0/10.0) Basic knowledge of Statistics and Mathematics
Application Checklist
  • Bachelor's degree certificate (or recent transcript if not graduated)
  • Transcript of academic records
  • Proof of English proficiency
  • Curriculum Vitae (max 2 pages)
  • Statement of Purpose (optional but recommended for specializations)
  • Copy of passport
Specialization Notes

Master's programs are 2 years (120 ECTS). Admission decisions are usually issued within 6-8 weeks.