Editorial Board
Editorial Boards are an important aspect of any journal and UCL Open: Environment is no different. Governed by an expert and international membership, the Editorial Board provides scientific and scholarly expertise to maintain high publishing standards. You can read more about the UCL Open: Environment Editorial Board Membership Terms of Reference openly online at https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ucloe/site/EBM-terms.
Editor-in-Chief
Prof Dan Osborn, Chair of Human Ecology, Earth Sciences, UCL, UK
Editorial Board Members
Dr Yasemin Aktas, Lecturer, Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE), Faculty of Engineering Science, UCL, UK
Dr Francesco Aletta, Research Associate, Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, UCL, UK
Dr Mohamed Alhaj, Publishing Director, The Sudanese Researchers Foundation, Sudan
Prof Francesco Asdrubali, Professor of Building Physics and Building Energy Systems, Department of Engineering, Roma Tre University, Italy
Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, Senior Researcher (EMIC), Institute for Environment and Human Security, United Nations University, Germany, and Brighton and Sussex Medical School, University of Sussex, UK
Prof Julien S Baker, Head of Department, Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
Prof Sarah Bell, City of Melbourne Chair in Urban Resilience and Innovation, Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr Stephen Blenkinsop, Senior Research Associate, School of Engineering, Newcastle University, UK
Dr Chris Brierley, Associate Professor of Climate Science, Department of Geography, UCL, UK
Dr Luiza Campos, Associate Professor, Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, UCL, UK
Dr Ian Christie, Senior Lecturer, Social Science of Sustainable Development, Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey, UK
Dr Carmelina Cosmi, Researcher, Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis (IMAA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Italy
Prof Paul Dodds, Professor of Energy Systems, Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, UCL Energy Institute; Institute of Sustainable Resources, UCL, UK
Dr Joanna Faure Walker, Associate Professor, Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, UCL, UK
Dr Carina J. Fearnley, Associate Professor in Science and Technology Studies, Department of Science and Technology Studies, UCL, UK
Dr Marlos Goes, Associate Scientist, Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, NOAA AOML, University of Miami, USA
Dr Matthew O. Gribble, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, School of Public Health, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
Dr Jesús Aguirre Gutiérrez, Researcher, School of Geography and the Environment, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Dr Laurenz Langer, Senior Researcher & Portfolio Lead: Evidence Synthesis, Africa Centre for Evidence, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Prof Zhongda Lin, LASG, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Prof Michael E. McClain, Water Resources and Ecosystems, IHE Delft, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Dr Mary Menton, Research Fellow in Environmental Justice, Sussex Sustainability Research Programme, University of Sussex, UK
Dr Ben Milligan, Sustainable Development Law and Policy, University of New South Wales, Australia
Prof Elisa Morgera, Professor of Global Environmental Law, Law School, Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance, Strathclyde University, UK
Dr Filomena Pietrapertosa, Senior researcher, Institute of Methodology for Environmental Analysis – IMAA, National Research Council of Italy – CNR, Italy
Dr Emmanuel Raju, Associate Professor, Public Health, Copenhagen Centre for Disaster Research and School of Global Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Prof Darren Reynolds, Professor in Health and Environment, Applied Sciences, Centre for Research in Biosciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Dr Francesco Salustri, Lecturer in Economics, Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Pop Health Sciences, UCL, UK
Dr Antonio Santoro, Research Fellow, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry – DAGRI, University of Florence, Italy
Dr Beatrice Smyth, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Research Centre in Sustainable Energy, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
Dr Lucilla Spini, Biological Anthropologist, Independent Scholar, Florence, Italy
Dr Craig Styan, Associate Professor, School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Australia
Dr Julia Tomei, Lecturer in Energy, Resources and Development, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, Bartlett School of Energy, Environment and Resources, UCL, UK
Dr Mingshu Wang, Assistant Professor, Department of Geo-information Processing, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente, The Netherlands
Dr Carla-Leanne Washbourne, Associate Professor in Environmental Science and Policy, STEaPP, UCL, UK
Advisory Board Members
Dr Mustafa Abbas, Research Clinical Fellow on Acute Medicine, Salford Royal Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
Prof Mauro Agnoletti, Coordinator, Laboratory for Landscape, Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Italy
Dr Priyanie Hippola Amerasinghe, Emeritus Scientist, Human and Environmental Health, International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka
Prof Melanie Austen, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Marine Institute, University of Plymouth, UK
Dr Graham Bickler, Public Health England, UK
Dr Pam Berry, Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, UK
Prof Vanesa Castan Broto, Professor of Climate Urbanism, Urban Institute, University of Sheffield, UK
Prof Yves Cabannes, Emeritus Professor of Development Planning, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL, UK
Prof Peter J. Dobson OBE, Emeritus Professor, Engineering Science, The Queen’s College, University of Oxford, UK
Mr Guy Duke, GD Nat Cap Ltd, UK
Dr Mizan R. Khan, Deputy Director, International Centre for Climate Change & Development (ICCCAD), Independent University, Bangladesh
Prof Vincenzo Levizzani, Director of Research and Professor, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council of Italy, University of Bologna, Italy
Prof Fiona Marshall, Professor of Environment and Development, Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex, UK
Prof Taikan Oki, Department of Civil Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Prof Richard G. Taylor, Professor of Hydrogeology, Department of Geography, UCL, UK
Prof Nick Tyler, Director of the UCL Centre for Transport Studies and Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering, UCL, UK
Prof Dominik Weiss, Professor for Environmental Geochemistry, Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London UK
Editorial Board Member profiles
Dr Mustafa Abbas
Medical doctor, graduated 2013 from UCL medical school. BSc International Health (UCL) with special interest/dissertation in climate change and health. Author in the 2009 UCL/Lancet Commission on Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change – a high profile academic study. Worked with Department of Health on environmental health policy in 2010 under their global health unit. Organisational work with British Council and Climate and Health Council UK on climate change and health academia and political advocacy between 2008 and 2011. Most global health focus since then has been on migration and health but longstanding interest in environmental health. Main research interests are in climate change, ecology and global health. The most important academic work I’ve been involved in was the 2009 UCL/Lancet Commission. This has strongly influenced my approach in global health as a whole to be multidisciplinary. I am very interested in academia with a ‘purpose’ and translation of evidence into policy. My main role in the megajournal, I expect, will be around environment and health at a relatively junior level and also strategic support for the common goal of multidisciplinarity and evidence into policy. I am also very interested in being involved in subjects outside my relative remit as general support and for my own experience and exposure.
Prof Mauro Agnoletti
My research interests concern the conservation, management and planning of rural landscapes. My research activities developed across different disciplines in the field of science and humanities. I am working with regional ,national and international organization at UN level. Web site www.mauroagnoletti.com
Dr Yasemin Aktas
A structural/conservation engineer by training, I am currently a lecturer at Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE) in a programme jointly developed between CEGE, Bartlett School of Architecture and Bartlett Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering, teaching sustainability of building materials and sustainable building design able to cope with climate related pressures. My research interests include climate induced atmospheric and geophysical hazards on the built environment and their mitigation (both for mid-latitude and (sub)tropical regions), urban climate modelling and the impact of built environment on the urban microclimate, outdoor and indoor thermal comfort, sustainable building design to reduce vulnerability to climatic impact, and the indoor environment and its impact on resident wellbeing. In my research I collaborate with environmental and structural engineers, building and atmospheric phycisists, urban planners and policy makers, among others. I am a member of Asian Network on Climate Science and Technology (ANCST) Special Topic Group on Urban Climate, Meteorology and Air Quality, Deputy Academic Director of UK Centre for Moisture in Buildings and a core member of UCL Environment Domain Early Careers Research Network (EDEN).
Dr Francesco Aletta
I currently work as RA at the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering at the Bartlett, as part of the ERC Advanced Grant “Soundscape Indices” project. I worked at the Department of Information Technology of the University of Ghent, at the WAVES group within the AcustiCare and C3Places projects as a post-doctoral fellow. I worked for the School of Architecture of the University of Sheffield between 2013 and 2016, as part of the Acoustics Group, within the Marie Curie ITN “Sonorus” Project. My background is in Architecture and Civil Engineering (Master’s degree and PhD).
Dr Mohamed Alhaj
Mohamed Alhaj is a renewable energy engineer, an experienced researcher, and a strong advocate for sustainability. He completed his Ph.D., at 28 years old, at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar) where he worked on developing a sustainable solar-driven seawater desalination technology. His Ph.D. research investigated the technical performance, environmental impact, and economic feasibility of solar-driven low-pressure thermal seawater desalination, particularly for water-scarce countries. During his PhD research, he has published 7 peer-reviewed papers in top journals in sustainability, renewable energy, and environmental sciences, 3 conference papers, and received several awards. Mohamed’s research interests include: environmental life-cycle assessment, renewable energy, and desalination technology. Currently, he works as the Publishing Director at the Sudanese Researchers Foundation. He is also the founder and director of Cleanenergy4Africa, an African think-tank and a knowledge platform that promotes renewable energy in Africa.
Dr Priyanie Hippola Amerasinghe
Priyanie Amerasinghe engages in multidisciplinary research studies in the areas of water, environment and health. Her current research interests are, wise use of wetlands and their conservation, water quality and emerging pollutants with special reference to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the environment, and safe use of wastewater in food production. She works mostly in the urban and periurban environments, specifically looking at the impacts of urbanization, resource utilization by vulnerable communities and institutional arrangements for inclusive and sustainable development. She works very closely with government departments as well as international organizations and engages in public policy discussions and advocacy related to her areas of research. She has over 35 years of research and administrative experience working across multiple disciplines that are aimed at enhancing human well-being. She has published widely.
Prof Francesco Asdrubali
Francesco Asdrubali is a full professor of building physics and building energy systems at the University of Roma Tre since 2015. Previously he served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at the University of Perugia. Graduated in Civil Engineering in 1990, he obtained a PhD in Thermophysical properties of materials in 1995 and served as Director of CIRIAF, an inter-university research centre in the field of environment and pollution, based at the University of Perugia, from 2004 until 2013. His teaching activities include courses on Environmental Acoustics, Applied Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer, Energy systems and Environment, Renewable Energies at the University of Perugia and Roma Tre University.
Prof Melanie Austen
Mel Austen is Professor at University of Plymouth, honorary Prof. at University of Exeter, Member of UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee and of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. She leads and advises on inter/transdisciplinary marine environment research at the interface of social and natural science in the UK, EU and internationally to support policy and management for sustainable ecosystems. She currently leads the £6.7m UKRI GCRF Blue Communities capacity building Programme, a collaboration between UK and SE Asian institutes to improve livelihoods, food security, health and wellbeing of coastal communities in ODA countries of SE Asia.
She was on the Expert Advisory Group for the UK Government Office for Science Foresight Future of the Sea project, was the first Chief Scientific Advisor for the UK Marine Management Organisation, and chair of the Marine Board working group Valuing Marine Ecosystems. She has published more than 100 research papers.
Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson
Dr Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson researches (im)mobility, migration, children, gender, health and mental wellbeing in the context of environmental stress, disasters and climatic changes as a Senior Researcher at UNU-EHS and University of Sussex. Her research combines quantitative and qualitative methods (commonaly used witin Development Studies, Geography, Cultural Studies/Anthropology, International Relations, Psychology and Sociology) such as Q, survey design, storytelling methodology, personal life history interviews and discourse analysis. She is also a part of WG1 and WG2 in the Lancet Countdown initiative that is tracking the connections between climate change and public health until 2030 and an editorial board member of Climate and Development and of UCL Open: Environment.
Prof Julien S. Baker
Professor Baker is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and a Doctor of Science (DSc). Professor Baker holds fellowships with important and relevant professional organizations these include; Fellow of the Physiological Society (FPhysiol), Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM), Fellow of Human Biology Association (FHB), Fellow of the Institute of Biology (FIBiol), Fellow of the Institute of Clinical Research (FICR), member of the Society for the Study of Biology (SSOB). Professor Baker is also a Chartered Biologist (CBiol), and Chartered Scientist (CSci). He is also a Fellow of the Institute for Clinical Research, and a member of both the Physiological Society of Great Britain and the American Physiological Society. He also has membership with the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and the British Pharmacological Society. Professor Baker is also a visiting Professor at University of Ningbo, University of Sydney, Hong Kong Baptist University and Ningbo Ninth Hospital Medical Research Centre.
Prof Sarah Bell
My research has primarily focussed on the sustainability of urban water systems, with particular emphasis on community engagement with infrastructure. I work on bottom-up approaches to sustainability and resilience, including community co-design. I am an engineer using qualitative social research methods, drawing on theories from science and technology studies. I am a Chartered Engineer, and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Water and Enviornmental Management.
Dr Pam Berry
She has a wide range of environmental research interests covering: the integrated assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation, including synergies and trade-offs in sectoral mitigation and adaptation measures and their impact on biodiversity; conceptual aspects of ecosystem services; the links between biodiversity and ecosystem services and the assessment of ecosystem services; nature-based solutions as a more systemic way of addressing societal challenges; and the translation of science into practice and policy through stakeholder engagement. She is also a Systems Research Scientist in Land Use in Defra’s Systems Research Programme, which seeks to demonstrate the benefits of a taking a systems approach to issues and to mainstream systems thinking and practice within the Department.
Dr Stephen Blenkinsop
Stephen is a Senior Research Associate in the School of Engineering at Newcastle University, focusing on the development and analysis of historical climate datasets. His work has developed new methods for the quality control of rainfall data for improved analysis of spatial and temporal variability in extreme events, including the examination of trends and variability. He is especially interested in change in sub-daily extreme precipitation and how these are affected by thermodynamic and large-scale climatic drivers. He is also interested in future change in climate extremes and their impacts on society, including hazards such as flood, drought, heat wave, subsidence and wind storms. He is also interested in the impacts of climate change on health. His work has included collaboration with the water industry, particularly considering how urban drainage systems may need to be adapted for increased future flooding.
Dr Chris Brierley
Dr Brierley is currently Associate Professor of Climate Science at UCL, having arrived at the Geography Department in 2011. He is a climate modeller who is interested in uncertianty in projections and the simulation of past climates. He is co-chair of a working group of the international collaboration on Palaeoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP), with an focus on climate variability. Beyond this specific expertise, he has broad interests across the wide range of climate change-related research. He has contributed to interdisciplinary research papers with collaborators from statistics, geology, hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, ecology and environmental physics. He also teaches a joint MSc module on cities and climate change with an urban planner designed to explore the interdisciplinary aspects of the topic.
Prof Yves Cabannes
Yves Cabannes is a development planner and urban specialist. Previous to joining University College London in 2006, he lectured at Harvard University Graduate School of Design and was the regional Coordinator of the UN Habitat/UNDP Urban Management Program for Latin America and the Caribbean. His research interests, in relation to environment, focus on policies and community-led initiatives leading to higher urban systems and city-region sustainability, embracing multiple entry points such as urban agriculture & food sovereignty & short local food chains, participatory planning and budgeting, affordable housing, appropriate technologies, collective and communal land regimes or climate change adaptation. Over the past forty years he has been involved in research and development activities primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, with grassroots organizations, NGOs, local governments, international aid agencies, universities and research centres.
Dr Luiza Campos
I’m a civil and environmental engineer with a PhD by Imperial College, UK and an MSc in Water and Sanitation by University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Before moving to the UK, I worked 10 years for the water utility of Goias (SANEAGO) and another 10 years as a lecturer at the Federal University of Goias in Brazil. I’m an Associate Professor at the UCL Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering where I’ve worked since 2007. I’m currently the head of the Water Management Research Group and Co-Director of the Centre for Urban Sustainability and Resilience. My research lies within water and sanitation with particular interest on designing, testing, implementing technologies and tools to reduce environmental pollution and enhance human health and wellbeing. I’ve participated in multidisciplinary research that involves collaborations with other disciplines such as Chemistry, Electrochemical, Microbiology, Agriculture, Biology, Social Sciences, Art, Education and Policy. So, this provides me a broad and diverse scientific background that fits well within the scope of the UCL Open: Environment Journal.
Prof Vanesa Castan Broto
Vanesa works on different aspects of climate urbanism, including the governance of climate change in urban areas, socio-technical transitions and the potential for urban planning to deliver climate justice. She leads the European Research Council project Low Carbon Action in Ordinary Cities (LOACT) and the project Community Energy and Sustainable Transitions in East Africa, funded by the UK Global Challenges Research Fund. Vanesa’s latest books include Urban Energy Landscapes (2019, Cambridge University Press) and Urban Sustainability and Justice (2019, ZED Books). She is associated editor for the journals Landscape Research and Territory, Politics, Governance.
Dr Ian Christie
I have been associated with the Centre for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Surrey for over 25 years, as an associate fellow, Visiting Professor, and finally as a full-time academic. Before joining the faculty I worked in senior roles in business, think-tanks and central/local government in the UK, covering environmental policy, climate action, sustainabilty and futures. My research and teaching interests are transdisciplinary: the ethics and politics of sustainable development and environmental strategy; sustainable prosperity and new economic models; commons theory and practice; governance and policy for zero-carbon transition; promoting change at systemic, organisational and community/household levels; religion and ecology. I am a founder member of the Surrey Climate Commission; a fellow of WWF-UK; an advisor to the Church of England on climate and environment; and a trustee of the New Economics Foundation.
Dr Carmelina Cosmi
Carmelina is senior researcher at CNR, MS degree in Physics and Ph.D. degree in Methods and Techniques for Environmental Monitoring. Her research interests concern Energy Systems Analysis , Rational Use of Resources, Energy-Environmental Modelling and Planning, Policy Assessment, Smart Governance. She has participated in the EERA/JP “Smart Cities” acting as CNR representative in JPI Urban Europe/UERA – TGW4 Urban Governance and Participation. She represents CNR in the Steering Committee of the Energy Cluster of the Basilicata Region. She took part in the IEA-ETSAP Programme, contributing to Annex 33, Annex X and Annex XI, and in several international research projects among which Interreg MED PrioritEE, Interreg IVC RENERGY, SEE ORIENTGATE, SEE RE-SEEties, IEE RES2020 FP7 REACCESS, FP6 IP NEEDS, LIFE CBSTD and many national projects funded the Italian Ministry. She has been reviewer for many ISI journals and author of many scientific publications appeared in book chapters, international journals and conference proceedings.
Prof Peter J. Dobson
Prof Dobson covers a wide range of disciplines from physics and chemistry to materials science and engineering. He has worked in industry (Philips) as well as academia (Imperial College and Oxford) and was responsible for creating and building the Begbroke Science Park for Oxford University. He has published around 190 papers and 33 patents. He has founded 4 companies and advised on 8 more. He was (2009-2013) the Strategic Advisor on Nanotechnologies to the Research Councils in the UK and currently sits on the UKRI Strategic Advisory Board on Quantum Technology. He was awarded the OBE in 2013 in recognition of his contributions to science and engineering. He is a visiting professor at King’s College London and at UCL. He delivers courses at graduate level in the areas of healthcare, biosensors, energy, nanotechnology, manufacturing, innovation, entrepreneurship and related topics and advises companies and inventors.
Prof Paul Dodds
Paul Dodds is Professor of Energy Systems at University College London. His research in energy systems modelling is at the interface between engineering and economics. He leads the development of the UK TIMES energy system optimisation model, which was used by the UK Government to inform the UK’s Clean Growth Strategy. He also has interests in other types of energy model and in energy transitions. Paul leads on socioeconomic and policy research for the UK’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Supergen Hub, and represents the UK Government at International Energy Agency programmes on hydrogen and energy systems.”
Paul’s first degree is in physics, and he has a PhD from the University of Leeds in tropical agronomy and climate change, in which he examined agricultural system vulnerability in West Africa.
Mr Guy Duke
Guy Duke is founding director of GD NatCap Ltd which provides consulting services on natural assets, at the interface between the knowledge community, business and policy, engaging with multiple disciplines. He has a long track record in frontline conservation, as a policy-maker, in business, in impact research and as a board member. He is particularly interested in stimulating transformative change towards nature-positive business. Current and recent work includes developing a major new ‘UK Natural Assets Research and Innovation Agenda in Support of Business and Policy’, leading the business interface for the Valuing Nature Programme and leading the EU H2020 project ‘We Value Nature’. He is an Honorary Research Associate with the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford, and a Fellow at UKCEH.
Dr Joanna Faure Walker
Joanna Faure Walker’s research interests include earthquake geology, seismic hazard and disaster risk reduction. Her publications concern faults in seismic hazard assessment, with a focus on the importance of fault geometry and rates of motion in understanding fault interactions, fault growth and the dynamic forces controlling these. Joanna’s research into the pre-disaster, emergency and post disaster phases has focussed on micro insurance, early warning systems and post disaster housing. Her work highlights the need to place early warning systems and post-disaster shelter in the context of pre-existing vulnerabilities and housing conditions including the financial and construction systems. Joanna initiated the MSc Risk, Disaster and Resilience at UCL IRDR, developed as a multi-disciplinary and sector-crossing programme to cut through traditional subject boundaries in order to adopt a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction. She is Chair of the Departmental Teaching Committee and IRDR Director of Studies.
Dr Carina J. Fearnley
Carina is Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. She is an interdisciplinary researcher, drawing on relevant expertise in the social sciences on scientific uncertainty, risk, and complexity to focus on how natural hazard early warning systems can be made more effective, specifically alert level systems. She also has interest in the transdisciplinary potential of art and science collaborations around environmental hazards. Carina established the World Organisation of Volcano Observatories Volcano Alert Level Working Group, and edited the first publication dedicated to Volcanic Crisis Communication (Observing the Volcano World: Volcanic Crisis Communication). Carina studied Geology and Mining at Imperial College London prior to working in London City’s financial sector. She completed her PhD at the UCL Hazard Research Centre before lecturing at Aberystwyth University. Carina is a regular consultant for Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre, and frequently appears on national and international media following significant hazard events.
Dr Marlos Goes
I am a physical oceanographer with research interests in climate variability, large-scale ocean circulation, air-sea interaction, observing system designs, and data analysis. In my work, I use mostly oceanic and remote sensing data, and climate model simulations for process studies. I have experience working on oceanographic instrumentation, environmental economics related to geoengineering, and Bayesian statistics. My work is focused on monitoring and understanding environmental phenomena to improve prediction and bring societal benefits.
Dr Matthew O. Gribble
Dr. Gribble is an environmental epidemiologist with post-doctoral training in biostatistics. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. His work involves regular collaboation with earth scientists, ecologists, and statisticians.
Dr Jesús Aguirre Gutiérrez
I am a researcher at the University of Oxford -Environmental Change Institute, UK and Naturalis Biodiversity Center in The Netherlands. I am interested in understanding how environmental conditions shape the distribution of species at local and global spatial extends. I use plants, pollinators and past, present and projected future environmental conditions to model their ecological niches and spatial distribution. Currently my main focus is in understanding the relationship between plant functional trait diversity, the vegetation structure and climatic conditions using field-based and remote sensing approaches.
Prof Mizan R. Khan
Prof Mizan R Khan has a Ph.D in Environmental Policy & Management from the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland at College Park, MD, USA. He had been a Visiting Professor/Fellow at the University of Manitoba, Canada, Brown University, University of Maryland School of Public Policy, USA and at Universite de Poitiers, France. He has a muti-organizational professional background including at UNDP, and at North South University, Dnaka. Since 2001, Dr. Khan attends the UNFCCC process as the lead negotiator on climate finance with the Bangladesh delegation since 2001. In September 2019 Dr. Khan joined his current position. Prof. Khan has wide range of publications in peer-reviewed journals and three books on climate change economics and politics published by Routledge & MIT Press. Dr. Khan speaks French & Russian as well.
Dr Laurenz Langer
Laurenz is a senior researcher and the evidence synthesis portfolio lead for the Africa Centre for Evidence at the University of Johannesburg. Laurenz’s work at ACE involves supporting national government decision-makers to integrate evidence from research syntheses (e.g. evidence maps, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses) in the formulation and design of public policies and programmes. This includes the institutionalising of policy-relevant evidence maps, responsive evidence services, and co-production approaches. In his role at ACE, Laurenz and his team are building and adapting methods and technologies for synthesis to the contexts of African decision-makers. Laurenz has worked on over 50 evidence syntheses including reviews published by the Campbell Collaboration and the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence. He serves as an associate editor at Campbell International Development Co-ordinating Group. He holds a PhD from the University College London and a BA degree in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg.
Prof Vincenzo Levizzani
Vincenzo Levzzani is Research Director at the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate of the Italian National Research Council, Professor of Cloud Physics at the University of Bologna and Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. He is Chair of EUMETSAT’s Post-EPS METimage sensor Science Advisory Group and has contributed to the development of Meteosat Second Generation and other satellites. He has spent his career observing and modeling cloud structure contributing new findings in the physics of the atmosheric ice and precipitation formation mechanisms. His research interests span across cloud physics, meteorology and climate. Currently he studies Mediterranean storms and the water cycle in the context of the changing climate. He has written a high number of papers in peer-review literature and edited fundamental books on precipitation. He is also writing book for the general public to help spread awareness on clouds and precipitation science.
Prof Zhongda Lin
Extreme climate events (drought, flood, and heatwaves) are putting pressures on the environment from ecosystem and water resources to human health, energy, and food, as are gradual processes such as sea level rising, sea ice loss, lowered biodiversity in response to global warming. My research focuses on climate variability (including extreme climate events) and climate change, especially in mid and high laitudes, based on climate diagnosis and modeling. My research interests include: 1) climate effect and dynamics of mid- and high-latitude atmospheric circulation; 2) extreme climate events; (3) change and effect of Arctic sea ice; 4) interaction between atmosphere and fire; and 5) monsoon.
Prof Fiona Marshall
Fiona is a researcher, postgraduate teacher and advisor in environmental change, international development and science, technology and innovation policy; with an emphasis on natural resource management and inclusive resilience of food systems. More broadly she is interested in the theory and practice of transformations to sustainability (which address both environmental integrity and social justice) and the role of transdisciplinary research in transformative innovations. Building from a background in plant sciences and ecology, she is engaged in the design and implementation of transdisciplinary action research initiatives which bridge the natural and social sciences and the formal and informal sector; emphasising co-learning with local communities, NGOs and policy makers. Diverse case studies (concerning food, water and waste, ecosystem services and poverty alleviation, rural-urban dynamics, environmental pollution and health etc.) share common goals in seeking to contribute to enhanced understanding of synergies and trade-offs between SDGs, and the democratisation of science and technology decision making for more inclusive and resilient futures.
Prof Michael E. McClain
Michael McClain is Chair Professor of Ecohydrology, an interdisciplinary science investigating interactions between the hydrological cycle and ecosystems and an area of practice utilising nature-based solutions in water resource management. His research interests focus on improved understanding of flow-ecology relationships in rivers and wetlands and how knowledge of these relationships can be translated into environmental water allocations to meet sustainable development goals. He emphasises translation of research results into improved management practices and thus works closely with water managers and higher-level decision makers. Over his nearly 30 year career he has concentrated his work in the Global South, including South America, Africa, and Asia. As the Theme Editor for Water, he encourages and facilitates articles and special issues that feature innovative approaches to solving water problems in the wider pursuit of sustainability.
Dr Mary Menton
Mary Menton is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist whose work has focused on how development and environmental governance impact wellbeing and local peoples’ rights. Her current research looks at the environmental injustices surrounding development projects, from extractive industries to those (mis)labelled as ‘sustainable’. In particular, she focuses on the experiences of environmental and land defenders who face violence and repression due to their struggles against development projects and land-grabbing. She also looks at the political ecology of these conflicts, particularly for indigenous peoples in the Amazon and northeastern Brazil. Her earlier work focused on community forestry and tropical forest ecology.
Dr Ben Milligan
Ben Milligan is a Scientia Fellow at the University of New South Wales and a Senior Research Fellow at the University College London Institute for Sustainable Resources, and Centre for Law and Environment. His research, teaching and advisory work focus on the use of environmental information in public sector decision-making, and on the design of legal, institutional and policy frameworks for sustainable development.
Prof Elisa Morgera
Elisa specializes in international, EU and comparative environmental law, and has researched specifically the interface between biodiversity law and human rights, ocean governance and business responsibility. She is currently the Director of the global inter-disciplinary research collaboration One Ocean Hub, funded by the UKRI GCRF, which integrates marine and social sciences, arts and the law (with a focus on human rights and the marine environment).
Prof Taikan Oki
Prof. Taikan Oki, Ph.D, is Special Advisor to the President, and a Professor at Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo. His previous academic positions include Associate Professor with the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo and Associate Professor with the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature. He is also affiliated as Senior Vice-Rector, United Nations University, Japan, and an Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations since October 2016. His areas of expertise are global hydrology and the sustainability of world water resources including the virtual water trade and water footprint. He was one of the coordinating lead authors for the chapter “Freshwater Resources” of the IPCC WGII AR5. He got many awards such as the Biwako Prize for Ecology in 2011, and the Japan Academy Medal in 2008. He is the first Japanese AGU Fellow in its Hydrology Section (2014).
Prof Daniel Olago
Daniel Olago is Associate Professor of Geology and Director of the Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation, University of Nairobi. He studied for his D.Phil. in Physical Geography at the University of Oxford, England, following his selection as the Kenya Rhodes Scholar. His research interests are broadly in environmental geoscience, water resources and climate change. He has published over 150 research articles, book chapters and edited books and in 1998 won the International START Young Scientist Award. Prof. Olago has been involved in multi-disciplinary research, training and capacity building activities on global environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa for over 25 years. His current projects are: REACH – Improving Water Security for the Poor https://reachwater.org.uk/; Development Corridors Partnership Project https://developmentcorridors.org/; AfriWatSan www.afriwatsan.org; and the African Great Lakes Information (AGLI) Platform project https://www.africangreatlakesinform.org/. He was a Lead Author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report that won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007, and is contributing to the Africa Chapter as Lead Author in the current IPCC assessment. He is a fellow of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences.
Prof Dan Osborn
Researched the environmental fate and impacts of a range of chemicals including metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls and polyaromatic hydrocarbons found in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. Identified biological mechanisms by which impacts occurred and might be mitigated. Investigated a range of wildlife mortality incidents in the UK and the EU to ascertain the role of pollution in those events, conducting a range of monitoring studies where needed to ensure harm due to pollution was minimised or eliminated. Conducted studies on environmental aspects of industrial accidents in relation to the revision of the EU Seveso Directive and and the criteria to be used to define a major accident in relation to the environment. Assessed the effect of exposures to mixtures of chemicals. Worked extensively on the technical advice and policy basis of industrial pollution control and the regulation of industrial plants with the potential for major accidents in both the UK and the EU. Developed expertise on the various approaches to environmental risk assessment, particularly in relation to pesticides, industrial chemicals and contaminated land. Formerly acted as Chair and deputy Chair of advisory committees with government and industry dealing with risk assessment. Helped initiate the policy debate on ecosystem services, contributing in various roles to the two UK National Ecosystem Assessments. Co-led the people and built environment aspects of the Evidence Report underpinning the Second UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. Currently interested in the links between natural resources and people’s wellbeing and how knowledge of these linkages can improve our lives and Co-Chair of the UCL Environment Domain.
Dr Filomena Pietrapertosa
MS degree in Environmental Engineering, 2000; Ph.D. degree in Methods and Techniques for Environmental Monitoring, 2004. She is senior researcher at Institute of CNR-IMAA since 2005. Since 2000 she has been working as energy systems’ modeller implementing analysis with the MARKAL/TIMES model generators at local and national scale. Her research interests include climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies at urban scale, energy efficiency measures, LCA, renewable energy and awareness raising strategies. She cooperates to and provides support to local authorities in developing and implementing sustainable energy strategies. She is actively involved in the EURO-LCP initiative, a group of scientists across the 28 (incl. UK) member states of the Europe regularly analysing a representative sample of local, regional, and national climate change plans and policies in these countries. Filomena contributes to the Urban Europe Research Alliance (UERA) of JPI Urban Europe as Thematic Expert for CNR in the TWG2: Urban Environmental Sustainability and Resilience.
Dr Emmanuel Raju
Emmanuel currently co-chairs the Copenhagen centre for disaster research- inter-institutional research center COPE linking disaster research and education (Master of Disaster Management). He also hold a Visiting Associate Professor at the African Centre for Disaster Studies, North-West University, South Africa. He also works on issues on Disasters and Memory; International frameworks on Disasters and is interested in issues of integration of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Emmanuel’s research interests also include disaster risk reduction; disaster recovery; and governance.
Prof Darren Reynolds
Darren Reynolds is a Professor in Health and Environment at the Centre for Research in Biosciences at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. I have a passion for Teaching, Learning and Research and I contribute to a number of environmental programmes and modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels within the Department of Applied Sciences. I have over 20 years of experience in developing applied technology platforms at the life science/environmental/physical science interface for addressing real-world problems. My current research activities occupy the interdisciplinary cross-cutting themes addressing the Grand Challenges associated with Health, Agri-Food, Water and Environment. I work extensively with UK small-medium enterprises and high-technology partners specialising in driving interdisciplinary science and innovation from laboratory through to real-world application, maximising Impact through Research.
Dr Francesco Salustri
Francesco is a Lecturer in Economics at the UCL Institute for Global Health, where he also serves as Deputy Co-director for the MSc in Health Economics and Decision Science. Prior to UCL, Francesco held research positions at the University of Oxford, the University of Turin, the London School of Economics, and SOAS. He studied Mathematics in Rome and Economics in Toulouse. In April 2018 he obtained a PhD from University of Rome “Tor Vergata” with a thesis on the behavioural economics of responsible consumption. His research focuses on the behavioural aspects of health economics, environmental economics, and social responsibility. Francesco has also been regularly involved in advocacy and consultancy projects for a number of institutions, including the Italian Ministry for Environment and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Dr Antonio Santoro
Antonio Santoro, PhD, is Research Fellow at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI) of the University of Florence (Italy), where he teaches Forest Resources and Landscape Monitoring. He participated in two special projects of the Ministry of Agricultural Policies, including the research on the National Catalogue of Historic Rural Landscapes, and in two landscape restoration projects on behalf of the FAI (Italian National Trust). As a freelancer he carried out consultancy for FAI, for ISMEA, for the UNESCO WHL dossier of the Valdobbiadene Hills, and for the Management Plan of the UNESCO site Portovenere, Cinque Terre and Islands. His research topics currently focus on traditional agricultural systems, rural landscape, sustainable forest management, and traditional agroforestry systems. He has published scientific articles in international journals and he is reviewer for different journals as well as a Guest Editor for the journal Sustainability.
Dr Beatrice Smyth
Dr Beatrice Smyth is a senior lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, and is part of the Research Centre in Sustainable Energy. Her research is focused on environmental impacts, and specific areas of interest include energy and carbon life cycle analyses, optimisation of energy pathways, resource quantification and mapping, and economic assessment. Ongoing research projects include nutrient management of digestate combined with energy recovery, the use of short rotation coppice willow to reduce agricultural run-off and improve water quality, hydrogen for heavy-duty transport, microplastic pollution in drinking water, and the sustainable use of plastics in a circular economy. Prior to moving to Queen’s in 2013, Beatrice worked in both the public and private sectors, mainly in energy/carbon management and in geotechnical and environmental engineering. Beatrice has wide experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams, with colleagues from psychology, management, public health, politics and sociology.
Dr Lucilla Spini
Dr. Lucilla Spini is a biological anthropologist with expertise in biodiversity conservation, environment/health, and environmental policy. Over the past 20 years, she has held various positions within international organizations, including as an Associate Expert at UNESCO Division of Ecological Sciences, Programme Officer of the Global Terrestrial Observing System at FAO, and Executive Officer Global Environmental Change and Human Health at the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health. She has served as Adjunct Professor at the McMaster University’s School of Geography and Earth Sciences, and as Giorgio Ruffolo Research Fellow in Sustainability Science at Harvard University’s J. F. Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Spini holds a B.A. (Hons.) in anthropology from New York University, a Laurea in foreign languages and literature from the University of Florence, and a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in human biology and Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) in biological anthropology, both from the University of Oxford.
Dr Craig Styan
Craig is a marine ecologist who has spent the last 20 years working in and outside of academia. His research aims to better understand and manage the impacts of energy and natural resource mangement, particularly in the marine environment. Consequently, he works across a wide range of areas, including: environmental monitoring and statistical analysis, ecotoxicology and pollution studies, environmental policy and impact assessment, engineering and economics, though to studies of ‘Social Licence to Operate’. To do this Craig works regularly with industry partners and community groups and, increasingly, with a diversity of other scientists, engineers, geographers, lawyers and social scientists.
Prof Richard G. Taylor
Richard Taylor is a Professor of Hydrogeology whose research seeks to inform provision of equitable and sustainable water supplies in low-income countries of the tropics to improve food security through irrigation and to increase access to safe water. His research is focused in the use of groundwater as a climate resilient source of freshwater to realise the UN Sustainable Development Goals. From 2009 to 2018, he led a global (IAH) Commission on Groundwater and Climate Change and is currently a contributing author to two chapters of the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report, Water Cycle Changes and Africa.
Dr Julia Tomei
My research advances understanding of the human and political dimensions of energy and resource use in developing countries. My work engages with research users from policy, academic and industry and examines the practical and policy mechanisms that can advance sustainable development. I draw on a range of social science theories and methods in my research and regard my experience and outlook as truly interdisciplinary. I have published more than 20 papers in a range of leading peer-reviewed journals, including Nature Energy, the Lancet, and Energy Policy, and have worked in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Prof Nick Tyler
Professor Nick Tyler CBE FREng is the Chadwick Professor of Civil Engineering at UCL. He invented, and runs, the UCL Pedestrian Accessibility Movement & Environment Laboratory, which is a life-scale environmental space, to conduct his multiscalar multidisciplinary research into the environment’s interactions with people. He is working extensively with bodies such as Transport for London, national and local governments, and civil society in the UK, EU, Latin America, Japan and China to help create an adaptive and sustainable urban realm which is responsive to people and their needs. He aims to create cities in which people with dementia can feel comfortable and lead a healthy life.
Dr Mingshu Wang
I am currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Geodata Science at the Department of Geo-information Processing, Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, the Netherlands. My research focuses on developing and applying methods of GIScience (i.e., geographical information systems, remote sensing, and spatial analysis) and big data analytics (e.g., machine learning, artificial intelligence, and econometrics) to understand sustainable urban systems. I have two interconnected research lines of the ‘environment’ from the perspective of people. At a macro-scale, I quantify built environment structure and city performances via GIScience techniques. At a micro-scale, I explore individual human mobility in urban environment via crowdsourced geospatial information and artificial intelligence methods.
Dr Carla-Leanne Washbourne
I am an interdisciplinary researcher and practitioner working at the interface of science and public policy. My work seeks to understand how decision-making and planning in urban settings is influenced by prevailing knowledge systems, particularly focussed on urban environment and sustainability topics. I have a good technical grasp of a range of topics across earth sciences, environmental sciences and science policy. I completed my PhD in Geosciences and MSc in Engineering Geology at the University of Newcastle (UK) and a BSc (hons) in Natural Sciences at Durham University. I am employed as a Associate Professor in Environmental Science and Policy at University College London (UCL), in the department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) and as such am deeply aligned with, and respectful of the challenges of, promoting and publishing inter-/multi- and post-disciplinary work. I am a member of the UCL Urban Innovation and Policy Laboratory and a Research Associate at the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO), Johannesburg, giving me a global perspective on my topics of expertise.
Prof Dominik Weiss
In our group we study fundamental geochemical processes and general principles of trace metal cycling in the environment. We take a geochemical perspective on questions of environmental quality, environmental change and ecosystem system processes. We use tools of aqueous and isotope geochemistry to understand what controls trace metal cycles, and combine this with computational modelling to understand the nature, drivers and ecological/environmental consequences of trace metal cycling. Our ultimate goal is to understand the controls that underpins the chemistry of man made and natural systems across levels, and geochemical constrains for a sustainable development.
Dr Keri Wong
I am a developmental psychologist and criminologist. I received my BA (Hons.) in Psychology and MA in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania (USA) and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Cambridge. I developed the first dimensional assessment of paranoia in young children and adolescents: The Social Mistrust Scale (SMS). I was subsequently awarded the Betty Behrens Research Fellowship (JRF) from the University of Cambridge, Clare Hall to conduct research into the causes of antisocial behaviours and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. I joined UCL in 2018. Read Keri’s full profile here.