RECLAIM Network Plus Conference

Professor Prashant Kumar - University of Surrey

Prof Prashant Kumar is a founding Co-Director of the pan-university Institute for Sustainability, Professor & Chair in Air Quality and Health, founding Director of the internationally-leading research centre Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) and lead PI on the UKRI (EPSRC, NERC, AHRC) funded RECLAIM Network Plus at the University of Surrey, UK. He is the founder of successfully running Guildford Living Lab, a Trustee at Zero Carbon Guildford (ZERO), an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; and a Guest Professor at Southeast University, China.

Professor Lisa Collins - University of Surrey

Prof Lisa Collins assumed the role of Pro Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey in October 2023, tasked with advancing its research and innovation agendas. Previously, she held various leadership positions at the University of Leeds and academic roles at prestigious institutions including the University of Oxford and Royal Veterinary College. Lisa is renowned for her contributions to animal health, welfare, and smarter agricultural systems. Notably, she leads a £6M UKRI grant project, FixOurFood, focusing on regenerative agricultural methods. Lisa's influence extends to national and international advisory and funding councils, including roles within Defra and the Scottish Government. She's recognized for her science communication, having received prestigious awards such as the British Science Association Charles Darwin Award. Lisa's expertise is further acknowledged through her fellowship with the Learned Society of Wales and her tenure as the British Science Association Section President in Food and Agriculture from 2020 to 2022. 

Dr Issy Bray - University of West England

Issy Bray (IB) is an Associate Professor in Public Health (Epidemiology) with an interest in population mental health. With a background in medical statistics, much of her work has involved the analysis of secondary data. Recent work has focused on the role of exposure to green and natural environments, such as a Welcome-funded review of the role of green spaces and natural environments in preventing anxiety and depression among young people in urban settings. 

Dr Sofie Roberts – Bangor University

Dr Sofie Roberts is a Research Officer at Bangor University. Her recent work has been evaluating community perceptions and involvement in climate projects aiming at low carbon emissions and environmental sustainability, and she has a background in the low carbon sector. She is particularly interested in community engagement with climate matters, and her research is primarily concerned with Wales-based study. Sofie completed her PhD in Media at Bangor University in 2022, analysing Welsh cinema of the last thirty years through the prism of postcolonial theory. She is a management board member of the Places of Climate Change Research Centre at Bangor University and is a Welsh speaker from the foothills of Eryri. 

Professor Prashant Kumar and Nidhi Rawat - University of Surrey

The Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey is a world renowned, multi-disciplinary centre focused on improving indoor and outdoor air quality. Well-equipped with diverse experimental and modelling facilities, the centre has an experienced team focused on carrying out cutting-edge research. We translate these complex scientific findings into simple solutions, practical guidance and tools for use by the public and practitioners to reduce the adverse impacts of air pollution on health and the environment. 

Ben McCallan - Zero Carbon Guildford

Ben is the Engagement Lead for the Greener Futures group at Surrey county Council, with the aim of driving engagement and behaviour change across strategic energy, climate change and natural environment projects. He is also the former Chair of Surrey charity Zero Carbon Guildford, who run an award-winning community-led climate hub, 'ZERO', and have just received £350,000 of TNL Community Funding to continue their work on providing opportunities for the significant majority of  residents who want action on climate and environment. Ben moved to the UK to study geography at Royal Holloway and has stayed in Surrey ever since, and has a large focus on driving collaboration across communities through shared interests in restoring the local environment and improving access to green space. 

Dr Eleanor Starkey - Northumbria University

Eleanor is a Hydrologist with expertise in flood risk management, citizen science, community engagement, and nature-based solutions. She has been involved in a range of catchment-based participatory projects, both inside and outside academia. Eleanor completed her PhD in Civil Engineering at Newcastle University which demonstrated the value of citizen-collected datasets in areas at risk of flash flooding. She has also worked at the National Green Infrastructure Facility, where she led a research programme in an outdoor SuDS laboratory. Based at Northumbria University in Newcastle, Eleanor is currently a research lead for the Defra-funded community-led SuDS+ innovation project. 

Louise Purnell - Trees for Cities

Louise brings together a range of skills developed through a varied career to inform her current role as Senior Engagement Manager at Trees for Cities. Having started working in television production she became a camera operator and later qualified as a primary school teacher. She also has a firm horticulture grounding and enjoys growing in her own allotment. At Trees for Cities Louise oversees the schools and community engagement programmes across London and the UK. This delivery includes running workshops, training sessions, creating education materials, consulting communities and delivering planting events and festivals across the UK. 

Jason Williams - Cloud Gardener UK

Jason Williams, an aspiring entrepreneur, discovered the therapeutic benefits of balcony gardening during the pandemic, leading him to found Cloud Gardener UK. Through his brand, he advocates for urban gardening, emphasizing its mental health benefits and positive impact on urban wildlife. With a strong online presence and over 40k social media followers, Jason has become a leading voice in the balcony gardening niche. His achievements include winning awards at prestigious flower shows and contributing to urban space improvement initiatives in Manchester. As an Ambassador for Thrive Charity, he passionately promotes mental health awareness. Currently, Jason designs installations for the RHS Urban Show and tours the UK as a keynote speaker on small space gardening and well-being. Website: www.cloudgardeneruk.com.

Beth Parker - Neath Port Talbot Council

Beth Parker is the Green Infrastructure Project Manager at Neath Port Talbot Council, working to make South West Wales greener, one biodiverse urban project at a time. With a background in tackling climate change and pollution in the water industry, Beth and her colleagues in the wildlife team are at the forefront in Neath Port Talbot, driving re-greening initiatives within local government. 

Felicity Harris - Portsmouth City Council

Felicity Harris works for Portsmouth City Council providing strategic leadership for the council's Greening Strategy, which focuses on Resilient Biodiversity; Effective use of nature-based solutions and Equitable access to nature and the benefits from nature (or put simply, better lives where nature thrives). She has spent 25 years working in the nature / people / health space including as Programme Director for Green Space for Health at the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and Head of Participation and Learning at Plantlife International. Her interest in climate resilience builds on working in international development with a focus on trees and rural livelihoods. 

Anna Perks - Falkirk Council

After graduating in Maths and Philosophy at Leeds University, Anna completed an MSc in Environmental Management at Stirling University. She now works as Biodiversity Officer for Falkirk Council and has over 25 years’ experience delivering biodiversity conservation within local government. Recent projects include: 

• Delivering the Falkirk Area Biodiversity Action Plan; 
• Sustainable management and enhancement of Falkirk Council’s parks and greenspaces to benefit people and nature; 
• Nature Network development; and 
• Nature restoration projects across an array of habitats from coastal wetlands to meadows; post-industrial brownfields to woodlands.  

Anna currently chairs the Scottish Biodiversity Officers Network. 

Gonzalo Herrero Delicado

Gonzalo Herrero Delicado is a curator, educator and architect. His work explores the impact of the climate crisis and digital technologies on the world around us through design, architecture and art practices. He is Project Curator at Serpentine, and Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins, UAL. He was the Director of the Ecocity World Summit 2023 at the Barbican Centre. From 2016 to 2021, he was the Curator of the Architecture Programme at the Royal Academy of Arts. Previously, he held different curatorial positions at the Design Museum and The Architecture Foundation.  

Robin Chaddah-Duke

Robin Chaddah-Duke is a photographer and filmmaker who works with a grassroots documentary approach. His work revolves around exploring the experiences of marginalised and minority communities within Britain.  The work is grounded in historical contexts and aims to inspect how notions of Britishness are changing. 

 

Alicia Bruce

Alicia Bruce is an award-winning, working-class photographer, community collaborator, and activist. Her first monograph ‘I Burn But I Am Not Consumed’ (Daylight Books, 2023) documents sixteen years of Donald Trump’s impact on a coastal Scottish community. 

Her photographs have been exhibited and published internationally including BBC, British Journal of Photography, Financial Times, Harpers, Le Monde and The Times. Her images are in several collections including MoCP (Chicago), National Galleries of Scotland, St Andrews University, UK Parliament, Martin Parr Foundation (Bristol) and Royal Scottish Academy. Alicia is a Teaching Fellow at Edinburgh College of Art and is represented by Women Photograph. www.aliciabruce.co.uk 

Alistair Debling

Born and raised in Bristol, UK, artist Alistair Debling is currently based in Cumbria, where he is an Associate Artist with Grizedale Arts. Unexpected equivalences—between Tudor fortresses and nuclear power stations, disco balls and hellfire missiles, gay bars and wild elephants—often lie at the heart of Debling's practice. He investigates diverse fields, from queer nightlife and ecology to militarism and its architectures, to explore how rural and urban landscapes are shaped by competing definitions of survival. His work has been presented by the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Hauser and Wirth (Somerset) and the National Theatre of Great Britain (London).