Haoran Shi

I am broadly interested in the long-term resilience of water infrastructure and its implication for contemporary heritage preservation. My dissertation research examines a subterranean irrigation system (qanat or karez) that is commonly found in Central Asia. Through an interdisciplinary lens –– incorporating geochronological analyses, palaeoecological reconstructions, and ethnographic approaches –– I explore how the small-scale management of this system has afforded its flexibility to quickly adapt to changing physical and social environments. Theoretically, my work seeks to illustrate the potential of these past human environmental relations in generating innovative strategies for heritage conservation, emphasizing the preservation of flexibility and resilience. My dissertation project covers locations in Kerman, Iran and Xinjiang, China and has been supported by National Science Foundation and Wenner-Gren Foundation. 

Prior to Stanford, I received a BSc in Geology from Imperial College London and a Master’s degree from Oxford University.