Meet the Earth Fellows: Spring Cohort

Earth Fellows Programme: What is it?

The Earth Fellows Programme kicked off in 2022 with an aim to bring together students from across the University of Edinburgh to work on a range of climate and sustainability projects created in collaboration with university-wide academics and partners. Since the programme’s inception, we have provided part-time, paid opportunities to two cohorts of Earth Fellows, and we recently welcomed our third cohort in February, bringing our total number of Fellows to 34.

Spring Semester Cohort

The spring semester cohort is comprised of 8 Postgraduate Earth Fellows and 10 Advanced Earth Fellows, some of them continuing their excellent work from the previous year. Staying true to the pattern, our Earth Fellows represent the three constituent colleges of the university, setting the tone for a truly interdisciplinary approach to climate and environmental action.

The next few months will be very exciting and rewarding for the Earth Fellows. From working closely with academics and key partners on specific projects, to developing actionable solutions and amplifying the communication around climate change and sustainability across the university and beyond – our Earth Fellows are all set to take the baton forward and lead the charge on climate action. They will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of personal and  professional development activities while working with us, including our new Earth Mentorship programme.

Postgraduate and Advanced Earth Fellow Projects:

Energy@Ed  

A multidisciplinary research group, Energy@Edinburgh collaborates with local and global partners to address climate change and decarbonization by providing access to clean, affordable, secure and affordable energy. They are currently working on a broad range of themes that align with the Energy Trilemma and the United Nations Sustainable Goals, and our Earth Fellows, Jauza Khaleel and Charlegne Rambanapasi, will assist them in achieving these goals.

International Sustainable Campus Network

Postgraduate Earth Fellows, Christelle Kwizera and Sophie Zych-Watson, will be working with the International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN) to support strategic planning in membership development, funding, and sponsorship. With nearly 100 members in over 30 countries, including the University of Edinburgh, the ISCN empowers higher education institutions to exchange ideas and best practices for facilitating meaningful action towards sustainable development.

Climate and Sustainability Training

Joining forces with the Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, our Postgraduate Earth Fellow, Natalie Meiklejohn, will help develop and deliver the climate and sustainability training to the staff and students at the university. They will also foray into the university’s environmental commitments and climate strategy.

Medical Waste and Sustainability

Buckling down on the issue of medical waste and sustainable diagnostics, Earth Fellows Marie-Louise Wohrle and Sophie Scrimgeour are working with Dr Alice Street (School of Social and Political Science) on boosting the institutional basis for research on environmental sustainability in medical practice. They will also work towards establishing insightful links across the colleges, schools, and research units – uniting them over their shared interests in research into the circular economy and medical waste.

Low Voltage Living

The Offgrid Studio at the School of Design is currently engaged in critically speculating on Scotland’s Just Energy Transition, aided by a recent internal funding from the Challenge Investment Fund. Our Earth Fellows, Eloise Bevan and Ki Tong, both PhD student in the School of Engineering, are working with Dr Arno Verhoeven (School of Design) to develop a series of critical narrative workshops which engage participants in co-creating and co-constructing new energy futures.

Adapt.Ed

Partnering with the Centre for Adapting to Changing Environments, our Postgraduate Earth Fellows, Alys Daniels-Creasey, Sarah Manning and Jauza Khaleel, will produce narratives supported by data and interviews to highlight work in the area of climate adaptation across disciplines where there is impact for societal good, and identify opportunities where the university can collaborate or support community or stakeholder organisations working in the adaptation space.

UNHCR Climate Vulnerability Assessments 

Advanced Earth Fellows, Martin del valle Menendez and Rachel Grant, are continuing on the second phase of a consultation project with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to develop a climate vulnerability framework for refugee communities in Jordan.

FossilFuel.Ed

FossilFuel.Ed is a campus-wide teaching and research programme that is centred around student-led research projects probing into The University of Edinburgh’s historical relationship to fossil fuels. Picking up from the previous semester, the current cohort of Earth Fellows, led by Sofie Illemann Jaeger, will be conducting interviews with key partners to bolster conversations around how Schools and departments are engaging with their historical ties to fossil fuels to inform curriculum transformation efforts.

Communications and Events

Our work at the Edinburgh Earth Initiative is underpinned by an inspiring and dynamic series of events and engagement activities, now supported by Postgraduate Earth Fellow, Shivani Arulalan Pillai. Over the next few months, Shivani will be using her skills from the School of Literatures, Languages and Culture, to work with the Edinburgh Earth Initiative team and colleagues across the University of Edinburgh to amplify the incredible climate action work by our academics, research groups, partners, students and alumni.

Watch this space to hear more about our incredible Earth Fellows and their projects. If you have any questions about our current Earth Fellows projects, please email earth@ed.ac.uk.