Our Alumni
Fellows
An integral part of the Edinburgh Earth Initiative community, Earth Fellows are undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students at the University of Edinburgh who work on impactful, short term, paid climate, environment and sustainability related projects and research. Meet our alumni.
Chiara Aquino
Advanced Earth Fellow: UNCOVER
October-December 2022
Chiara completed her PhD in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences in 2022. Her PhD focuses on mapping forest degradation in the tropics as a result of selective logging. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she led the UNCOVER project developing new evidence-based reviews linking climate change and health and building a community of researchers at the university at the intersection of climate and health.
Eloise Bevan
Advanced Earth Fellow: Low Voltage Living
February-July 2023
Eloise is a PhD student in Chemical Engineering. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she worked with Dr Arno Verhoeven in the School of Design on the Low Voltage Living project, working in a team to deliver workshops with researchers to challenge predominant sociotechnical narratives regarding social behaviour, technical emancipation and the role of critical infrastructures in energy production, storage and distribution.
Iris Cheng
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum
October 2023 – April 2024
Iris is currently pursuing her MSc in Global Environment, Politics and Society. As an international student from China, she demonstrates a profound interest in advancing the green and sustainable transition of developing nations. Her aspiration lies in fostering North-South collaboration, facilitating the transfer of sustainable development expertise from more advanced countries to those in development.
Cormac Cleary
Advanced Earth Fellow: Sus+ Network Support Officer
September 2023-August 2024
Cormac is a PhD student in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, researching the intersections and tensions between Scottish Gaelic revitalisation efforts and nature conservation in the Western Isles. He previously worked in the arts and in the environmental sector with a focus on sustainable food systems. He worked as the Sus+ Network Support Officer, working with the network of social scientists for sustainability at Edinburgh.
Alys Daniels-Creasey
Advanced Earth Fellow: Natural Capital
March – August 2024
Alys is a PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh working in collaboration with the Scottish Land Commission. Her research focuses on how investments in Scotland’s natural capital are impacting local communities and asks how these processes can align with visions of justice. This research complemented her work as an Earth Fellow, which involved investigating the socioeconomic costs of environmental inaction in the Scottish context.
Georgia Dillon
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Future Skills in the Curriculum
October 2023 – July 2024
Georgia is an LL.M. Candidate at the University of Edinburgh, studying Global Environment and Climate Change Law. As an Earth Fellow, she worked on the Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum project with the Future Skills Working Group, exploring skills development, attainment and recognition for University of Edinburgh students.
Rania Djojosugito
Earth Fellow: The Future of Energy Research Engagement
September 2023-June 2024
Rania is a (space) Law PhD student researching 3 key ideas: the end-of-life cycle of satellites, sustainability, and pollution from space to Earth. As an Earth Fellow, she was supporting the implementation of The Future of Energy and Energy@Ed and helping to raise awareness of each initiative. She is always keen to connect with new people and is curious about humanity’s ingenuity in working towards a better, more sustainable future.
Elliot Fisher
Earth Fellow: Sustainable Land and Seas Research Engagement
September 2023-June 2024
Elliot Convery Fisher is a PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh and Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh. His research examines fire-use in grasslands and savannahs and the effect of fire on rare plants. He uses this work to inform conservation efforts in endangered fire-driven ecosystems, and employed this knowledge to engage with new sustainable land and seas research in his role as an Earth Fellow.
Erin Flattley
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum
October 2023 – April 2024
Erin is a second year Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health MSc student, originally from Middlesbrough. She graduated with a BSc in Zoology with animal behaviour from Bangor University in 2022. For her undergraduate dissertation, she looked at the impact climate change has on primate behavioural plasticity. As an Earth fellow, she continued to research climate change and sustainability through this fellowship alongside her degree.
Rebecca Foody
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum
October 2023 – July 2024
Rebecca is a recent student in the MSc Carbon Management program. She recently graduated from Cornell University, where she studied climate science and climate change. As an Earth Fellow, she worked with the Curriculum Transformation Project, the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, and the Edinburgh Earth Initiative on climate change and sustainability curriculum.
Grace Garland
Advanced Earth Fellow: Climate Justice
February-July 2023
Grace is a PhD student researching ‘Biodiversity vs Humans in the Ecological Crisis: Trade-offs, Interests, and Horizons of Solidarity’. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she worked with the Edinburgh Earth Initiative and partners to develop a Climate Justice manifesto for the University of Edinburgh.
Rebecca Grant
Advanced Earth Fellow: Climate Vulnerabilities
November 2022-May 2023
Rebecca is completed her PhD researcher in the School of GeoSciences in 2023. Her research examines opportunities, risks and barriers to a just transition to renewable energy driven electrification in Rwanda. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she worked with the UNHCR to develop a Climate Vulnerability Index to examine the impacts of climate change on refugee populations in Jordan.
Charlotte Haley
Earth Fellow: Communications and Events
October-December 2023
Charlotte is a writer who recently completed an MSc in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh, and she now works as Events Administrator at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, as well as being a freelance copywriter and proofreader. She previously worked in PR at a gallery in Switzerland and as Media Officer at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, which provided her with valuable communications experience.
Laura Higham
Advanced Earth Fellow: Regenerative Agriculture
March-July 2023
Laura is a PhD student at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems studying antimicrobial use and animal welfare in agricultural supply chains, with a particular interest in actionable sustainability solutions in food supply chains. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she worked with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability to carry out an analysis of introducing regenerative agriculture into the food systems at the University of Edinburgh.
Henry Ibitolu
Advanced Earth Fellow: Earth Data Hub
June 2022-January 2023
Henry Ibitolu is a PhD candidate in Future Cities Engineering. PhD Topic – ” Towards mitigating urban warming and building energy-use with sustainable earthen materials: A multi-scale analysis”. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, he led the foundational work for our Earth Data Hub project to create a public facing interface of the University of Edinburgh’s earth data.
Sofie Illemann Jaeger
Advanced Earth Fellow
October 2022-July 2023
Sofie is a PhD candidate in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies. Her current research looks at different formats for public engagement with climate change discourse and policy-making with particular interest in environmental sociology, public engagement, deliberative democracy, AI & Society and climate activism. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she led both the continuing work on the Fossil-Fuel.Ed work and supported Dr Annette Davison in developing a community of researchers connected to climate, energy and audio-visual media.
Dzaui Jansen
Earth Fellow
June-July 2022
Dzaui Jansen graduated from the International Relations and International Law programme in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Fossil-Fuel.ed and Community projects, and led our review of climate and sustainability related projects, placements at the University of Edinburgh as well as our competitor benchmarking analysis.
Henry Kadzuwa
Advanced Earth Fellow: Climate Vulnerabilities
November-December 2022
Henry is a PhD candidate in Geography with a focus on forest management, estimating forest biomass, carbon emissions and sinks. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, he worked with the UNHCR to develop a Climate Vulnerability Index to examine the impacts of climate change on refugee populations in Jordan.
Joanna Keel
Earth Fellow: The Future of Energy Research Engagement
September 2023-June 2024
Joanna is a current postgraduate at the University of Edinburgh studying MSc Environmental Protection and Management. As an Earth Fellow, she provided communications, engagement and event planning support for the Future of Energy research theme, including for the Energy@Ed research group.
Jauza Khaleel
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Project Support
February-May 2023
Jauza graduated from the MSc in Environment and Development 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported Energy@Ed in developing their communications, engagement and events strategy with researchers and external audiences. She is also supporting the Fossil-Fuel.Ed research project.
Christelle Kwizera
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: ISCN
February-May 2023
Christelle graduated from the MSc Climate Change Finance and Investment programme in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the International Sustainable Campus Network, of which The University of Edinburgh is a member, to develop a refreshed membership engagement strategy for the global network.
Jamie Larson
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum
October 2023 – April 2024
Jamie is an MSc History student with an interest in Environmental History.
Zachary Li
Earth Fellow
June-July 2022
Zachary Li graduated from Ecological and Environmental Science in 2023. As an Earth Fellow he supported the Climate Research and Impact project and lead on research to establish a clearer understanding of the University of Edinburgh’s current enterprise activity with relation to climate, environment and sustainability.
Yi Liu
Advanced Earth Fellow: Medical Waste
October-December 2022
Yi is a graduate student from the MSc Management of Bioeconomy, Innovation and Governance with research interests in the social, political and policy dimensions of medical science and technology. As an Advanced Earth Fellow he worked on the Medical Waste project, working with Dr Alice Street to investigate the UK’s regulatory history of plastics use in single-use diagnostic devices.
Sarah Manning
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Project Support
October 2022-May 2023
Sarah graduated from the MSc in Environment and Development in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Fossil-Fuel.Ed, Energy, Climate Change and Audio-Visual Media, UNCOVER and Adapt.Ed projects, in addition to our wider communications and engagement work.
Maria Marabito
Earth Fellow: Health and Climate Research Engagement
September 2023-June 2024
Maria is a postgraduate student in the MSc in Environmental Sustainability Program. Before coming to the university, she worked in journalism and health communications in the United States, which was invaluable experience for her role as Health and Climate Research Engagement Fellow. She previously studied at the University of Edinburgh as a visiting student in undergrad and is excited to be back for a postgraduate degree programme!
Natalie Meiklejohn
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate & Sustainability Training
February-June 2023
Natalie Meiklejohn graduated from the MSc Carbon Management in 2023. As a Postgraduate Earth Fellow she worked with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability to develop and deliver the University of Edinburgh’s accredited carbon literacy and biodiversity training for students and staff.
Martín del Valle Menendez
Advanced Earth Fellow: Climate Vulnerabilities
November 2022-May 2023
Martín is a PhD candidate in Agriculture and Food Systems. He is currently researching food governance structures in Chile, with a particular focus on the role of the agricultural sector in improving access to sustainable diets for the most vulnerable population. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, he worked with the UNHCR to develop a Climate Vulnerability Index to examine the impacts of climate change on refugee populations in Jordan.
John Mutua
Advanced Earth Fellow
June 2022-April 2023
John Mutua is a PhD student using earth observation combined with local ground truth data to estimate livestock feed composition in East Africa. These will then be used to support more robust estimates of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from the livestock sector in East Africa. As an Advanced Earth Fellow he has worked on multiple projects, including our Climate Research Impact project to understand the scope and opportunities for climate and sustainability related research across the University of Edinburgh, and mapping the climate technology landscape in Scotland for Scottish Enterprise.
Ernesta Mwacha
Earth Fellow
June-July 2022
Ernesta Mwacha completed here degree in Sustainable Development in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Fossil-Fuel.ed and Community projects and lead the Circular Economy project, working with University of Edinburgh staff to scope out opportunities for creating a university wide platform for repair.
Henry Myers
Advanced Earth Fellow: Work in a Warming World
May-August 2023
Henry is a PhD candidate in Human Geography at University of Edinburgh. His PhD research primarily involves ethnographic study of the politics of indigenous recognition, tenure reform, and forest governance in Indonesian Borneo where her has been working with indigenous Dayak Lebo and Basap communities since 2016 studying their struggles for forest rights. As an Advanced Earth Fellow he worked with Dr. Amir Anwar on the Working in a Warming World project, conducting systematic literature review to identify opportunities for research on impacts to global work and livelihoods from climate change.
Solace Okeyi
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Communications and Events
October-December 2022
Solace graduated from the MSc in Africa and International Development in 2022. As an Earth Fellow she supported our communications work by developing content for our website, social media channels and campaigns.
Racheal Okori
Earth Fellow: Communications and Events
September 2023-June 2024
As one of the Communications and Events Earth Fellows, Racheal brought a wealth of experience in communication and event coordination to our team. With a background in Journalism and Communication from Makerere University, Racheal is dedicated to advancing our mission of communicating the important work of researchers and ensuring that the message of climate action is heard, understood and appreciated by audiences.
Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, Racheal served as a Communications Assistant for organisations championing climate action, health and sustainability. She also volunteers with national NGOs in Uganda to promote environmental awareness, education and action. Racheal is currently pursuing a MSc in Africa and International Development at the University of Edinburgh under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
Sonakshi Pandit
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Climate and Sustainability in the Curriculum
October 2023 – July 2024
Sonakshi Pandit is a postgraduate student studying a Master of Architecture (MArch). Her research interests focus on prototyping low-carbon materials for the built environment, particularly mycelium and earth-based construction materials.
Shivani Arulalan Pillai
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Communications and Events
February-July 2023
Shivani completed an MSc in Literature and Modernity: 1900 to the Present in 2023, she is now completing a PhD at the University of Oxford in memory studies. As our Communications and Events Earth Fellow, she was responsible for content creation for our website, social media channels and events, as well as supporting communications for other research projects with the wider Earth Fellows team.
Charlegne Rambanapasi
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Project Support
March-May 2023
Charlegne graduated from the MSc in Carbon Management in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported Energy@Ed in developing their communications, engagement and events strategy with researchers and external audiences. She is also supporting the Fossil-Fuel.Ed research project.
Immi Saleem
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Graphic Design
May – December 2023
Immi graduated from MA Graphic Design in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she has worked with students and staff to develop a visual brand for EEI’s student-led project – Fossilfuel.Ed – which examines the University of Edinburgh’s historic relationships with the fossil fuel economy. She also used her design skills to support EEI’s communications and those of the research groups working on climate, environment and sustainability at the University.
Chitra Sangtani
Advanced Earth Fellow
January-March 2023
Chitra is a PhD student in Social Anthropology entitled ‘Between the Life and Death of a River: Contested Knowledge in a Toxic Commons’. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, worked with Professor Jamie Cross to create a short documentary film exploring the use of heat sources in India as part of the Cool Infrastructures project.
Lila Sakata
Earth Fellow
June-July 2022
Lila Sakata graduated with a degree in Environmental Geoscience in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Earth Data Hub and Climate Research Impact projects and led our review of climate and sustainability related projects, placements at the University of Edinburgh as well as our competitor benchmarking analysis.
Sophie Scrimgeour
Advanced Earth Fellow: Medical Waste
October 2022-March 2023
Sophie is a final year Veterinary Medicine and Surgery student. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she worked for the Medical Waste Project run by Dr Alice Street. The focus of her work is to strengthen the community of practice for research on circular economy and medical waste through a focus on the impact and reduction of waste flows, in particular in relation to waste from medical diagnostics.
Shubhi Sharma
Advanced Earth Fellow: Fossil-Fuel.Ed
June-July 2022
Shubhi Sharma completed her PhD on the social impact of a REDD+ project on the Khasi forest community of Meghalaya, India. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she led our Fossil-Fuel.ed team, producing foundational work for the student-led research project examining the University of Edinburgh’s historical involvement with the industrial revolution and fossil fuels.
Talia Shoval
Advanced Earth Fellow
July-August 2022 and February-July 2023
Talia Shoval is a PhD student whose research focuses on the interplay between environmental ethics and the ethics of war. As our first Joint Advanced Earth Fellow she worked with Professor Toby Kelly in the School for Social and Political Science to develop a literature review which explored the relationship between environmental degradation and violence. She is currently working with the Edinburgh Earth Initiative and partners to support the development of a climate justice manifesto for the University of Edinburgh.
Elizabeth Simmons
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Project Support
October-December 2022
Elizabeth graduated from MSc in Environmental Sustainability in 2022. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Fossil-Fuel.Ed, Climate, Energy and Audio-Visual Media and Highland Rewilding projects.
Saraswati Thapa
Advanced Earth Fellow: Urban Flooding
May-August 2023
Sara is a PhD student researching the impact of sediment transport, anthropogenic activities, and climate change on river morphology change and flooding in Nepali and Scottish rivers at the School of Geosciences. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she worked with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability on a project to investigate cost-effective engineering solutions to reduce urban flooding due to intense rainfall and recommend the most impactful technologies to the university to include in climate strategy plans.
Aurora Tin
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Project Support
October-December 2022
Aurora completed her MSc in Carbon Management in 2023. As an Earth Fellow she supported the Earth Data Hub and Highland Rewilding project, and led our communications and engagement work with the Energy@Ed research group.
Ki Tong
Advanced Earth Fellow: Low Voltage Living
February-July 2023
Ki is a PhD student in Integrative Studies. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she worked with Dr Arno Verhoeven in the School of Design on the Low Voltage Living project. She will be working in a team to deliver workshops with researchers to challenge predominant sociotechnical narratives regarding social behaviour, technical emancipation and the role of critical infrastructures in energy production, storage and distribution.
Ian Watt
Advanced Earth Fellow: Energy Demand Research Centre
January – July 2024
Ian is a final year PhD researcher specializing in geological storage of CO2 by engineered mineralization. His academic background is in physics, marine geophysics, and Earth sciences. As an Advanced Earth Fellow he was working with Dr Faye Wade in the School of Social and Political Science to conduct a policy analysis on the government’s green jobs programmes for the UKRI funded Energy Demand Research Centre.
Lucy Wells
Advanced Earth Fellow: Highland Rewilding
September-December 2022
Lucy is a PhD candidate in the School of Geosciences and part of the NERC SENSE Earth Observation CDT. Her research examines the response of savannas and dry forests to global change, with a focus on areas of conservation concern using remote sensing. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she led the project with Highlands Rewilding which evaluated the availability of earth observation methods and technologies to quantify and model the carbon stocks of Beldorney estate, Aberdeenshire, in the context of generating verifiable carbon offsets.
Marie-Louise Wöhrle
Advanced Earth Fellow: Medical Waste
October 2022-April 2023
Marie-Louise is a PhD student researching biosecurity and the understanding of infectious diseases amongst conservation staff and experts in Scotland. As an Advanced Earth Fellow, she worked for the Medical Waste Project run by Dr Alice Street, investigating plastic waste in COVID-19 lateral flow testing.
Emma Yule
Advanced Earth Fellow
June-July 2022
Emma Yule is a PhD student researching extreme weather and climate events, their causes and consequences and how organisations are approaching risk management and adaptation decision making. As an Advanced Earth Fellow she led our Community Project, scoping out the existing opportunities for students to get involved with climate, environment and sustainability projects at the University of Edinburgh and the local area.
Sophie Zych-Watson
Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Nature-Based Learning
September 2023 – March 2024
Sophie completed her MSc Outdoor Environmental and Sustainable Education in 2024. She’s particularly passionate about are transformational learning in the outdoors, and a systems-based approach to sustainability that is good for people and for the planet. As an Earth Fellows she coordinated the Earth Initiative’s pilot programme on nature-based learning and hopes to see this type of education become sustainably integrated into the curriculum long term.
You can find out more about the project at earth.ed.ac.uk/outdoor-nature-based-learning
Secondments
Beth Christie
Beth Christie is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Education, Teaching and Leadership in the Moray House School of Education.
Beth is Senior Lecturer Outdoor and Environmental Education, Programme Director MSc Learning for Sustainability, Academic Lead MOOC Learning for a Sustainable Future, Academic Lead MOOC Learning for a Sustainable Future: Live at COP28 and Partner Learning for Sustainability Scotland (UN Regional Centre of Expertise in ESD (Scotland)).
Dr Lars Schewe (Alumni)
Dr Lars Schewe, Reader in Operational Research at the School of Mathematics, was seconded to the Edinburgh Earth Initiative in 2022/23, helping to foster connections between the School of Mathematics, other Schools across the University, and external partners – a collaboration that can potentially translate to large funding bids in the future.
Talent
Join our growing community through our Talent Directory of PhD students who are working on climate, environmental and sustainability related research projects at the University of Edinburgh and interested in opportunities and paid short-term work focused on research and partnerships. We welcome interest from all disciplines and backgrounds.
Find out more