Extensive travel led to Troy's interest in desert regions, environments and people. Thoughts on how arid lands functioned and why there was such great diversity and extent led to his DPhil on pastoral environments in the Gobi Desert (University of Oxford, 2009). Research focused on extreme climate hazards (drought, dzud), environments (water, steppe vegetation, desertification) and social dynamics (pastoralists, social-environmental interaction, mining and communities). Since 2005 Troy has continued to research in Mongolia; in 2010 northern China and in 2015 Central Asia became additional study sites. Work on mining, communities and conflict in drylands and Chinese drought impact on the Arab Spring has stimulated interest in how environmental factors contribute to contemporary conflict and displacement. Investigation in the Gobi Desert, Kyrgyz and Kazakh steppe, Za'atari Refugee Camp, Jordan, Al-Shati Camp, Gaza and Colombia reflect ongoing interest in socio-ecological contestation and community development.

Current research includes the FCT project 'Mystical Nature: A comparative study of religious-environmental dynamics among Inner Asian, African and North American dryland communities' at the Centre for International Studies, ISCTE-IUL as Co-Investigator; Post-Pandemic Societies in Inner Asia funded by the Japan Society for  Promotion of Science (JSPS) and United Kingdom Research and Innovation – Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) with the University of Oxford, UK;  the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence - Mobilities and Socialities: COVID-19 in the Drylands with the University of Bayreuth, Germany; and FCT STIMULUS Award - Principal Investigator, ‘Silk Road Geographies of Change’, Centre for International Studies, ISCTE-IUL, Portugal.

Troy has received awards and scholarships including Portugal's Fundacao para Ciencias e Tccnologia STIMULUS Award, the Royal Geographical Society, British Academy, Oman-Thesiger Desert Fellowship, British Science Association, UK Research & Public Policy Partnership, UK Global Challenges Research Fund, ESRC Impact Accelerator, UK-China Visiting Scholars, UK US Fulbright Fellow, the EU's 'Drylands Facing Change' & 'Arid Lands Rehabilitation' and the UK Special Talent Visa. He feels travel is an integral part of geography and encourages engagement and understanding of our globalised world.