Our People

Collective climate action

The Earth Edinburgh Initiative supports an inspiring community of academics from across the natural, physical, and social sciences, professional services staff, and students with a range of expertise essential in delivering on the vision of the Earth Initiative.

Our team

Our core team is responsible for developing and delivering on the vision of the Edinburgh Earth Initiative alongside key partners across the institution and globally.

Professor Lindsay Jaacks

Lindsay Jaacks is a Professor of Global Health and Nutrition at The University of Edinburgh in the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems and Director of the Edinburgh Earth Initiative. She leads the University of Edinburgh wide programme to increase investment in interdisciplinary research on climate, environment and sustainability; promote context-appropriate solutions to global climate and environmental challenges; and support staff and students in their efforts to accelerate progress towards international climate commitments.

Lindsay’s research aims to understand how to sustainably achieve food and nutrition security. This is important because the foods we eat account for nearly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, and, reciprocally, climate change is already affecting our ability to produce food in the UK and around the world. Examples of her team’s current projects include leading national diet assessments on behalf of Food Standards Scotland, a cluster-randomised controlled evaluation of the health effects of organic farming in India, and an Analytics Hub to support the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act. Lindsay has published over 150 articles in leading health journals including The Lancet and PLoS Medicine and served as a commissioner on The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition, and Climate Change. She has worked with the Scottish Government, the Ministry of Women and Child Development in India, and the Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh state governments in India.

eeidirector@ed.ac.uk

Lucy Young, Director of Operations

Working with the Director, Lucy supports the Edinburgh Earth Initiative’s planning process and leads the delivery and review of the strategic plan. She also provides leadership and management of the staff team, and directly delivers high priority programmes to support our core objectives for the University of Edinburgh.

l.young@ed.ac.uk

Annabel Cooper, Communications Co-ordinator

As part-time Communications Co-ordinator, Annabel works collaboratively with colleagues and key University of Edinburgh partners to lead the delivery of Edinburgh Earth Initiative’s communications strategy to amplify and showcase climate research and activity across the University of Edinburgh.

Annabel is also Communication Officer at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, a leading centre for research, teaching, policy and practice for climate action, and a centre of excellence within the School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.

annabel.cooper@ed.ac.uk

Chloe Francis, Earth Fellows Programme Manager

As programme manager Chloe oversees the delivery of the Earth Fellows programme from developing projects and recruiting Fellows, right through to showcasing achievements at the end of Fellowships. She also develops the programme so that it improves year on year and contributes robustly to the Edinburgh Earth Initiative’s objectives.

Prior to joining the University, Chloe worked as a programme manager for science education programmes. She worked with primary and secondary teachers across the UK and Ireland to support and improve science teaching.

chloe.francis@ed.ac.uk

Sarah Gibbens, Earth Enterprise Officer

As Earth Enterprise Officer for both the Edinburgh Earth Initiative and Edinburgh Innovations, Sarah engages and supports current students and recent graduates on their entrepreneurial journey. Sarah has a particular focus on sustainable innovations and is involved in the development and running of competitions and workshops, to encourage the creation and development of these ideas.

Prior to taking on this role, Sarah worked as programme co-ordinator at a sustainability social enterprise, running their workplace climate challenge programme. This involved developing modules for the programme and supporting the programme participants in creating their sustainable solutions. Sarah also has experience in working in tax accounting for entrepreneurs.

sarah.gibbens@ei.ed.ac.uk

Patrick Kilduff, Head of Enterprise & Innovation

As Head of Enterprise & Innovation for the Edinburgh Earth Initiative Patrick is responsible for ensuring that the University of Edinburgh is strategically developing, embedding and growing programmes,

propositions and partnerships focused on climate, environment and sustainability entrepreneurship and innovation activity.

Prior to taking on this role Patrick was the University’s Executive Partnerships Manager, supporting the Senior Vice-Principal and members of the University’s Senior Leadership Team to devise and deliver strategies, partnerships, and projects of significant strategic, impact, or financial value.

patrick.kilduff@ed.ac.uk

Dr Áine Ryan, Head of Research Engagement

As Head of Research Engagement, Áine works with colleagues across the University to strategically grow climate and sustainability related research activity, income, outputs, and impact. Our support for research will be focused on the strategic growth or expansion of research communities that are aligned to our core research themes, or that offer new connections across them.

Previously, Áine was based in Edinburgh Research Office, as International Research Funding Manager, where she led the University’s EU & International research funding portfolio team (formerly the ‘Europe Team’). Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, Áine held research management roles at both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow. Before moving to a career in research management, she worked as a postdoc in the Department of Chemistry at the University of York.

aine.ryan@ed.ac.uk

Heather Stewart, Trusts & Foundations Manager

As Trusts & Foundations Manager, Heather works jointly across the Edinburgh Earth Initiative and the Development & Alumni team. Heather’s focus is to increase the amount of funding coming into the university specifically for climate, environment and sustainability related activities and for the Edinburgh Earth Initiative directly.

h.stewart@ed.ac.uk

Dr Kate Symons, Senior Research Partnership Manager – Scotland Beyond Net Zero

Kate Symons leads on the programme management of all aspects of the Scotland Beyond Net Zero partnership. Kate has experience working with the Scottish Government on evidence to support net zero and just transition policy, particularly focussing on local government, business and industry, and green economic growth.

Kate has a PhD in global development and has worked on research and teaching partnerships in Kenya, Uganda and Mozambique, as well as Scotland.

k.symons@ed.ac.uk

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.

Maria Garcia-Blanes Martinez

Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Coastal carbon baselining

Maria is currently an Environmental Protection and Management MSc student at the University of Edinburgh. As an Earth Fellow she is supporting the Coastal Carbon Baselining project. She has previously undertaken a Biochemistry BSc and worked within several research groups under this discipline before deciding to bring this expertise to the extensive task that is the characterisation of climate change effects and carbon mitigation.

Mary Joboson

Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Carbon impact of software

Mary is a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute, where she is pursuing an MSc in Data, Inequality and Society, with a focus on artificial intelligence, ethical data practices and sustainable futures. Prior to joining the University, Mary practiced law at a leading law firm, providing legal advisory and regulatory support to multinational corporations, government agencies, and international NGOs. With a comprehensive background in data analysis, environmental law, policy, and project management, coupled with a strong commitment to sustainability, she brings a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to the Edinburgh Earth Initiative. As an Earth Fellow, researching the carbon impact of software, she seeks to contribute to the University’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions.

Jennifer Salmon

Postgraduate Earth Fellow: Learning for a Sustainable Future at COP

Jenny is a George Moore Scholar at the University of Edinburgh where she is pursuing an LLM in Global Environment and Climate Change Law. She graduated from Law LL.B in Trinity College Dublin.

Jenny is the outgoing UNFCCC Climate Youth Delegate for Ireland where she was part of Ireland’s National Climate Delegation and the Youth Climate Negotiators Fundamental Cohort for COP28. Prior to COP28 she surveyed Irish youth and wrote these findings into Ireland’s negotiating priorities. She represented Irish youth at COP27 in Egypt with NGO Concern Worldwide as their inaugural Youth Climate Ambassador – advocating for climate justice and amplifying the voices of those directly impacted by climate change.

As an Earth Fellow, she hopes to continue to contribute to demystifying the UNFCCC international climate process through working on two MOOCs: ‘Learning for a Sustainable Future’ and ‘Learning for a Sustainable Future: Live at COP29’.

Katherine Taylor

Postgraduate Earth Fellow: University engagement with COP

Katherine is a PhD researcher within the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh researching compound drought and heatwave events and whether these can be reconstructed over the last millennium to understand future climate risks.

In her role as an Earth Fellow, Katherine will be ensuring that the University is able to engage effectively with both Biodiversity and Climate COP by identifying links between the University research areas and the priorities for both meetings.

Prior to starting her PhD, Katherine worked in a variety of roles across the Civil Service developing her interest in climate policy and governance.

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.

Alumni

Meet our Earth Fellows Alumni – undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students at the University of Edinburgh who have worked on impactful, short term, paid climate related projects and research with Edinburgh Earth Initiative since 2022.

Find out more

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.