Maricélle Botes is a legal researcher with expertise in environmental, climate change, and urban law. She holds a BA Law and LLB from North-West University (NWU), South Africa, and obtained her Master of Laws cum laude in 2021. She recently passed her PhD in Law and Development, with the degree awaiting formal conferment. Her doctoral research, completed under the NRF South African Research Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability (SARChI CLES), focused on the role of municipal planning by-laws in promoting urban climate resilience in South African cities. Maricélle is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Global Environmental Law Centre (GELC) at the University of the Western Cape. She has presented her work at national and international conferences and contributed to a range of academic, policy, and technical publications. She previously served as Editor-in-Chief of CLES InPress, the official newsletter of SARChI CLES, and has extensive experience in legal research, academic editing, and research coordination.