Current affiliation (as of September 2026): Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Environmental Economics, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Shahana was a PhD fellow in the NEWAVE project and member of the research group Governance, Participation, and Sustainability at Leuphana University from November 2020. She holds a BA degree in International Studies from ADA University and an MSc degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Central European University.

As a PhD fellow, she explored how diverse water governance systems perform in terms of water-related sustainability.

For details see https://sustainability-governance.net/projects/newave/

Or visit Shahana’s profiles on researchgate | leuphana.de | LinkedIn

Publications

2026

Bilalova, S., Jager, N. W., Newig, J., Huitema, D., & Koehler, J. K. L. (2026). Paradigms of water governance: a systematic review. Ecology and Society, 31(1), 8.

2025

Bilalova, S., Jager, N. W., Newig, J., & Villamayor-Tomas, S. (2025). Successful water governance pathways across problem contexts: a global qualitative comparative analysis. Ecology and Society, 30(4), 2.

Bilalova, S., Valin, N., Burchard-Levine, A. F., Gerlak, A. K., Huitema, D., Jager, N. W., Geagea, D. H., Koehler, J. K. L., Newig, J., Singh, R., Porada, H., & Ros, J. R. (2025). Now you see me, now you don’t: the role and relevance of paradigms in water governance. Ecology and Society.

Bilalova, S., Villamayor-Tomás, S., & Newig, J. (2025). Water-related problématiques: Five archetypical contexts of water governance. Ecology and Society, 30(1), 10.

Bilalova, S., Newig, J., & Villamayor-Tomas, S. (2025). Toward sustainable water governance? Taking stock of paradigms, practices, and sustainability outcomes. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water, 12(1), e1762.

2024

Bilalova, S., Jager, N. W., Newig, J., & Villamayor-Tomas, S. (2024). Pathways to water-related sustainability: case survey data from 40 empirical water governance studies, complemented by expert surveys and additional case-based literature.

Bilalova, S., Newig, J., Tremblay-Lévesque, L., Roux, J., Herron, C. & Crane, S. (2024). Dataset for analyzing the relationship between IWRM implementation and SDG 6 water-related environmental sustainability indicators.

Bilalova, S., Newig, J., & Villamayor-Tomas, S. (2024). Water governance and sustainability outcomes: dataset from systematic review of 165 empirical water governance research articles.

2023

Bilalova, S., Newig, J., Tremblay-Lévesque, L.-C., Roux, J., Herron, C., & Crane, S. (2023). Pathways to water sustainability? A global study assessing the benefits of integrated water resources management. Journal of Environmental Management, 343(October), 118179 [free open access content].

2021

Valiyev, A., & Bilalova, S. (2021). A battle for transportation routes in the Russian neighborhood: Is there a place for small states?. Int Polit 58, 483–499 [free open access content].