Estefanya Charlotte Vazquez Casaubon successfully defends doctoral dissertation
(12-09-2025)
On September 12, Estefanya Charlotte Vazquez Casaubon successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at the Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University, with the support of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).
Her dissertation, titled Bringing Water Closer: Understanding and Supporting Household-Level Responses to Sustainable Water Usage, explored how individuals and families engage with water in their daily lives, and what drives or hinders sustainable practices. Through a mixed-methods approach, Estefanya uncovered that while many households are motivated to conserve water and explore alternative sources, meaningful change requires more than awareness, it demands opportunity, capability, and motivation. Her work calls for restoring water’s intrinsic value and making sustainable water management truly accessible and actionable.
The defense was met with thoughtful discussion and positive feedback from the jury, composed of Marjolein Vanoppen, Nadja Contzen, Peter Conradie, Gino Verleye, and Ronan Van Rossem. Estefanya’s supervisors, Prof. Dr. Veroline Cauberghe and Prof. Dr. Dieneke Van de Sompel, guided her throughout this interdisciplinary journey, which bridges behavioural science, environmental communication, and policy relevance.