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Brandon Marc Finn

Brandon Marc Finn
Assistant Research Scientist
Environmental Justice
Sustainable Systems
Climate + Energy
Cities + Mobility + Built Environment
Cross-cutting
[email protected]
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520 E. Liberty

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About

Brandon Marc Finn is an assistant research scientist in the Urban Sustainability Research Group and is a core faculty member of the Center for Sustainable Systems. His interdisciplinary research focuses on urbanization, informality, and mining, and his current work investigates the unintended consequences of decarbonization. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Brandon is researching the interplays between artisanal and industrial mining practices in the 'first-mile' of the global cobalt and copper supply chain. In Ghana, he is assessing how informality defines the 'last-mile' of global electronic waste supply chains. Brandon’s other work is concerned with urban informality in relation to climate change mitigation and just transitions, where he argues that informality lies at the heart of sustainable development.

Publications

Finn, B.M., 2024. Informality at the heart of sustainable development. Dialogues in Human Geography, p.20438206241240216.

Finn, B.M. and Bandauko, E., 2024. Dwindling funds and increased responsibilities: Decentralization, unfunded mandates, and Harare's infrastructure crisis. Habitat International, 148, p.103087.

Finn, B.M. and Cobbinah, P.B., 2023. African urbanisation at the confluence of informality and climate change. Urban Studies, 60(3), pp.405-424.

Finn, B.M., 2023. The structure of informality: The Zambian copperbelt and the informal/formal dialectic. Dialogues in Human Geography, p.20438206231168883.

Google Scholars page
Research

Current research projects include:

1. Copper and cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo

2. Mixed-methods research on industrial and artisanal mining supply chains

3. Electronic waste and urbanization in Accra, Ghana

Education

PhD Urban Planning, Harvard University

MSc Urban Studies, University College London

BSocSci Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town

In the News
Catalyst Grant banner
April 17, 2025

Four of five Sustainability Catalyst Grants include SEAS faculty

Five research projects tackling key sustainability issues have received funding through the Sustainability Catalyst Grant program, and four of them include University of...

Bags of copper and cobalt are loaded by artisanal and small-scale miners near Kolwezi, DRC.
September 4, 2024

Making the case for artisanal and small-scale mining

Contact: [email protected] Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) comes with significant challenges, especially since this kind of mining typically lacks regulation and...

Veronika Lubeck (MS ’24): Meet the future of Geospatial Data Sciences
April 25, 2024

Veronika Lubeck (MS ’24): Meet the future of Geospatial Data Sciences

In 2021, Veronika Lubeck (MS ’24) graduated from Santa Clara University with an environmental science degree. With an interest in data and statistical analysis, Lubeck...

In the Media
02/04/2025
Brandon Marc Finn
DRC: history is repeating itself in Lubumbashi as the world scrambles for minerals to go green (The Conversation)
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