The Earth Fellows Edit for 2025 is live! This annual publication showcases the work of Edinburgh Earth Initiative’s Earth Fellows programme, which gives current students the unique opportunity to work on paid climate and environment projects, engage with professional development events and build a network for collective action on climate change. For the first time this year, we are also reflecting on the impact of the programme in a video.
View the Earth Fellows Edit 2025
Earth Fellows contribute vital skills and capacity to climate and environment projects across the University of Edinburgh. The Earth Fellows community is a diverse and dynamic team of researchers, students and staff all working together towards solutions for climate change on a global scale.
Our annual Earth Fellows Edit showcases the wonderful work of the Earth Fellows, and acts as a record of their contributions to our collective climate knowledge, featuring quotes from project partners across the University and beyond.
Our 2024/2025 cohort included 16 Earth Fellows representing ten Schools, across all three colleges at the University of Edinburgh.
The Fellows worked on 14 separate research projects, spanning topics like seasons, urban food growing, climate in the University curriculum and engagement with COP29 in Azerbaijan.
Project partners included the Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes, the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Edinburgh Futures Institute, Learning for Sustainability Scotland, the School of GeoSciences, the School of Social and Political Science, the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, the School of Engineering and Future Woodlands Scotland.
“We’re so proud of what the Earth Fellows have achieved this academic year. From creating new evidence databases for sustainable agriculture, to organising conferences on ‘post-carbon Africa’ and ‘teaching sustainability through connection’ their work has added immense value across the University. We’re very grateful to the Fellows and their project partners for their dedication and collaboration this year.” – Chloe Francis, Earth Fellows Programme Manager
Interdisciplinary research projects
Rachel Carlile, Freya Buckley, Beth Pottle, Nick Wray, Kaia Waxenberg and Masood Rehman worked on interdisciplinary research projects proposed by research leaders across the University.
The Fellows looked into topics as diverse as water management and cultural and environmental adaptations to new seasons, producing literature reviews, statistical analyses and a systematic map.
“Rachel’s exploration of food justice and housing justice in Edinburgh has been very enlightening. She found that linking the two themes was not a natural thing to do for actors of the respective housing and food scenes – but asking them the question is perhaps already opening up future possibilities of joint work and alliances.” – Dr Isabelle Darmon, Lecturer in Sociology, School of Social and Political science
The Earth Fellows work offered a great opportunity to diversify my research skillset. I independently designed and delivered research interviews and analysed interview transcripts for the first time. As a computational modeller, this social-science approach to addressing research questions was pretty new to me! – Kaia Waxenberg, Earth Fellow: Climate change, land management and river flows
Knowledge sharing and global partnerships
Katherine Taylor, Alys Daniels-Creasey, Esther Githinji, Jennifer Salmon, George Mayenga, Haili Wu and Mai Li Spencer worked with colleagues to organise conferences, engage with COP29 climate conference and build online and in-person research communities.
The team worked across the University, bringing together communities interested in circular economy research, climate and sustainability teaching, regenerative computing and more.
“Woodland restoration is a crucial part of Scotland’s environmental strategy and practitioners play a key role in the on-the-ground delivery of this. Working with the Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes (CSFL), I am seeking to understand what knowledge is required by practitioners to start co-developing a future research strategy which better accounts for their needs.”– Alys Daniels-Creasey, Earth Fellow: Woodland restoration research strategy development
“Esther has played a pivotal role in developing and implementing CSFL’s digital communication strategy. She enhanced considerably CSFL’s LinkedIn presence through regular posts, showcasing CSFL’s research and expertise and establishing mechanisms for future communication activities.”– Nataša Honeybone, Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes
Climate and sustainability in the curriculum
Rachel Sharp, Katherine Troeller and Juliet Booker worked on strengthening climate and sustainability in the University’s curriculum.
They worked with the School of Mathematics and Edinburgh College of Art, and gathered feedback from students studying sustainability-focused challenge courses.
“Coming from a master’s in landscape architecture, it has been really interesting to learn more about the different ways sustainable material use and reuse are happening across disciplines in ECA. It’s helped me interrogate my own material use in the studio and consider how reuse makes for more creative practice.”– Juliet Booker, Earth Fellow: Climate and sustainability curriculum
“It has been wonderful to learn about, and really engage with, all the incredible work the University is doing in relation to sustainability.” – Katherine Troeller, Earth Fellow: Climate and sustainability curriculum
Find out more about their work: Earth Fellows Edit 2025
Earth Fellows impact video
For the first time this year, Earth Fellows and project partners have also spoken about their experiences in our Earth Fellows programme impact video.
Watch the video and hear from Earth Fellows and project partners: Earth Fellows impact video.
Earth Fellows opportunities
We’re currently hiring for a number of Earth Fellow roles for University of Edinburgh students!
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh can host Earth Fellows to support their areas of research and contribute to the wider strategic aims at the University of Edinburgh. Length of projects and Earth Fellows contributions are flexible based on your project’s needs.
Get in touch with Earth Fellows Programme Manager, Chloe Francis.
