Gilbert Siame holds both a masters and PhD in city and regional planning from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He is a lecturer and researcher in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) at the University of Zambia where he also founded and coordinates the Centre for Urban Research and Planning. He is the coordinator of graduate studies in the same department. Moreover, he has served as visiting lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and as external examiner for Universities of the Witwatersrand, Cape Town, Western Cape, and Free State- all in South Africa.

Dr. Siame has done research and published on cities and climate change, urban resilience, climate change and water security, governance, urban informality, transdisciplinary research methodologies. He has published widely on urban themes such as climate change and cities, urban food systems, urban governance, urban corruption, among others.

In addition, Dr. Siame has over eight years of experience in co-leading and leading consortia-led research projects in Southern Africa and has over eight years of graduate teaching in Zambia and in the region. He is currently co-leading three international collaborative research projects in climate change, sustainable cities, and urban food systems in Zambia and Malawi.