Artwork created for Sustainable Earth 2017 by Heather Nunn, Print Maker www.heathernunnprintmaker.com
Professor Jerry Roberts, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Plymouth
Professor Jerry Roberts is Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Enterprise at the University of Plymouth. Prior to this appointment, in February 2017, he was at the University of Nottingham where he was Director of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) AgriFood Advanced Training Partnership and of the University of Nottingham’s BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership.
Jerry’s primary research interests are focused on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for regulating cell separation processes in plants. He has published in excess of 100 papers in international peer reviewed journals and his work has led to the application and granting of a number of patents.
Professor Iain Stewart, Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute, University of Plymouth
Iain is Professor of Geoscience Communication at University of Plymouth and Director of its Sustainable Earth Institute. His long-standing research interests are in interdisciplinary investigations of geological hazards (earthquakes, volcanism, tsunamis) and abrupt environmental change, and more recently in the communication of ‘contested geoscience’ to the public. As part of his geo-communication he regularly presents Earth science programmes for BBC television, including Earth: The Power of the Planet; How Earth Made Us, How To Grow A Planet, The Rise of the Continents and, most recently, Planet Oil.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley, Chair, UK Government Review on Antimicrobial Resistance
Lord O’Neill of Gatley chaired the independent review on antimicrobial resistance, which was launched by the former Prime Minister, David Cameron in July 2014. Lord O’Neill worked for Goldman Sachs from 1995 until April 2013, spending most of his time there as Chief Economist. He chaired the Cities Growth Commission in the UK until October 2014 when it provided its final recommendations. He has both a BA and MA degree in economics from Sheffield University, and a Ph.D degree from the University of Surrey.
Professor Tom Hutchinson, Professor of Environment and Health Sciences, University of Plymouth
Tom is a Professor in Environment and Health Sciences and is the lead of the Environment, Food and Biotechnology research group at University of Plymouth, and the lead for International Student Recruitment in School of Biological Sciences. His research looks at environment and its impact upon human health, including the use of chemicals in agriculture, the impact of pesticides on the environment, and the search for less harmful alternatives. Tom is an Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and of the Linnean Society, and is a Member of the British Toxicological Society (BTS) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC).
Dr Matthew Upton, Associate Professor in Medical Microbiology
As well as being an Associate Professor at Plymouth, Matthew is also the Co-founder and Director at Spectromics Ltd. Matthew's current research focuses on the area of antimicrobial resistance, where he and his team work to understand the inner workings of bacterial pathogens, and run a programme of natural product screening for discovery of bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides produced by bacteria. Matthew has a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology and a PhD Microbial Ecology from the University of Newcastle. Following on from his PhD studies, he completed a number of postdoc projects in Aberdeen, Antarctica, Bristol, Liverpool and New Zealand.
Dr Victoria Hurth, Associate Professor in Marketing, University of Plymouth
Victoria is an Associate Professor in Marketing in the Faculty of Business and Faculty Lead for Student Satisfaction. Victoria is passionate about how businesses can be catalysts and innovators of solutions to societal issues. She is currently researching the role of 'purpose-driven organisations’ in creating societal change and business success. Victoria is also focused on the role marketing has to play in developing and leading a transition to a more sustainable society – and has published a framework for evolved marketing which she is developing with practitioners. She is a regional board member for the Chartered Management Institute, a Chartered Marketer, a UK Lead Expert on Sustainable Development for ISO (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and a board member of the Fleming Policy Centre.
Meaghan Ramsey, Partner, Brunswick Group
Meaghan Ramsey helps businesses and brands shape their operations and organisations in a way that delivers both positive social change and business growth. She is a partner in the Business in Society Practice at the Brunswick Group. With her origins in nutritional science, Ramsey has worked across FMCG, health as well as food and beverage sectors, and she has consulted to pharmaceutical, media, agricultural, tech start-ups, charities and non-government organisations. Prior to joining Brunswick, Ramsey was the Global Director of the Dove Self-Esteem Project at Unilever in London. In her role, she developed global education programs and mass-media campaigns that encouraged the participation of millions of young girls and women around the world to improve individual confidence.
Owen Gaffney, Director of International Media and Strategy at Stockholm Resilience Centre
Owen Gaffney is director of international media and strategy at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and he is also a communications consultant for the new ten-year research programme Future Earth. Owen trained as an astronautic and aeronautic engineer and he is a qualified journalist, filmmaker and writer. For a decade he has worked in Earth system science communication. His work focuses on understanding, communicating and visualising humanity's impact on the planet through concepts such as the Anthropocene and planetary boundaries, and transformation processes. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the BBC and the world’s leading academic journals Science and Nature. His work on visualisations with Felix Pharand Deschenes have been shown at the UN Rio+20 Summit and the World Economic Forum, Davos.
Professor Hugh Montgomery, Head, Centre for Human Health and Performance, University College London
Professor Montgomery was educated at Plymouth College and qualified as a medical doctor in July 1987 from the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London. He leads a research group in cardiovascular genetics which has published over 100 publications including original research papers in journals such as Nature, The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has been awarded the title of London Leader by the London Sustainable Development Commission for his work in climate change and health under the auspices of Project Genie; he was also a founding member of the UK Climate and Health Council and one of the co-authors of the UCL-Lancet Commission" in 2009.
Dr Jane Grose, Senior Research Fellow, University of Plymouth
Jane Grose is a Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health, Education and Society at University of Plymouth. Jane is a nurse with clinical experience in psychiatry and sexual and reproductive health. Her current research has focused on sustainable procurement and how the potential loss of some basic raw materials will affect service delivery and patient experience. She has managed multiple research projects focusing on sustainability. Jane has over 40 years health-related experience working both nationally and internationally on issues ranging from community development (India and North Yemen), HIV/AIDS (Addenbrookes Hospital UK), sexual and reproductive health (WHO, IFRCRCS Geneva) health planning and management (MBA [Health] University of Keele) and neurological long-term conditions (Peninsula School of Medicine and Dentistry UK).
Dr David Pencheon, Director, NHS Sustainable Development Unit
Dr Pencheon is the Director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit (SDU). The SDU helps organisations across health and care embed and promote sustainable development in order to reduce emissions, save money and improve the health of people and communities. Prior to this role, he was Director of the NHS Eastern Region Public Health Observatory from 2001 to 2007, serving the East of England. He has worked as joint Director of Public Health, a Public Health Training Programme Director in the East of England, with the NHS R&D programme, and in China in the early 1990s with Save the Children Fund (UK). Prior to that he was clinician in secondary care.
Dr Rupert Jones, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, University of Plymouth
Rupert Jones is a Physician with special interest at Derriford Hospital chest clinic and Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the Peninsula School of Medicine, Plymouth. He has been involved in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) policy including the national Outcomes Strategy for COPD and clinical lead for the National COPD Audit in Primary Care. His current research interests are in severe asthma, COPD and pulmonary rehabilitation. Working with many international collaborators, he runs global health projects funded by Horizon 2020 and MRC / Wellcome and DFIID relating to lung disease in Uganda, Vietnam, Greece and Kyrgyzstan. He developed the Lung Information Needs Questionnaire and the DOSE Index for COPD severity assessment, and now the Severe Asthma Quality of Life Scale. He has published over 60 papers and several books.
Professor Chris Rapley, Professor of Climate Science, University College London
Prior to joining University College London, Professor Rapley was the Director of the British Antarctic Survey from 1998 to 2007. He was appointed Director of the Science Museum in 2007, stepping down in 2010. In 2008 he was awarded the Edinburgh Science Medal – “For professional achievements judged to have made a significant contribution to the understanding and well-being of humanity”. Chris has been the Chair of European Space Agency (ESA), Director General's High Level Science Policy Advisory Committee since 2014. He is the Chair of the UCL Policy Commission on the Communication of Climate Science, and Chair of the London Climate Change Partnership, which seeks to ensure that London is the capital city best prepared for the impacts of climate change. His early research career was devoted to developing and utilising space-borne instruments to study the cosmos, the Sun, and the Earth.
Dr Tim Daley, Deputy Director of the Sustainable Earth Institute, University of Plymouth
Prior to joining University of Plymouth, Tim was Climate Change Adaptation Co-ordinator for North West England at the Environment Agency. His research interests cover climate science, climate-carbon cycle interaction and climate change adaptation. Tim’s personal research mission is to creating better understanding of the Earth System to help solve some of society's most pressing problems. Tim is a member of the Quaternary Research Association (QRA), the European Geosciences Union (EGU), the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Professor Chris Balch, Professor of Planning, University of Plymouth
Chris is a Professor of Planning at University of Plymouth and the Course Leader MSc Planning. Chris has had a career in planning and development consultancy working in both public and private sectors. He is Chair of the Royal Town Planning Institute South West Branch and is on the UK Planning and Development Board of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He is Non Executive Chairman of Hilson Moran, and a Supervisory Board Member of Ecorys BV.
Lord Matthew Taylor, Visiting Professor, University of Plymouth
Lord Matthew Taylor (Lord Taylor of Goss Moor) advised both the last Labour government and the coalition on planning and housing policy, publishing the landmark Living Working Countryside review in 2008, and leading the creation of the government's new National Planning Practice Guidance in 2014.
He chairs the St Austell Eco-Town partnership and provides consultancy on other sustainable development and new community projects. He completed his term as Chair of the National Housing Federation in September 2015. In January 2015 he published with Policy Exchange his report, Empowering localism to solve the housing crisis through Garden Villages, and he continues to actively engage with government on planning policy and housing delivery. He was formerly the Liberal Democrat MP for Truro and St Austell from 1987 to 2010.
Speakers are subject to change. Images and biographies will be updated during the lead up to the conference. Keep checking back for more information.
