In Autumn 2024 we appointed our final round of Champions who will focus on four areas: Policy, Bioeconomy, Carbon Financing, and Just Transition & Citizen Engagement.
Year 3 Champion - Just Transition and Citizen Engagement
Dr Rounaq Nayak is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Agri-Food Systems at Bournemouth University and an ESRC Policy Fellow at the Wales Centre for Public Policy. Their expertise centres on involving lived experience to co-create Just Transition interventions that promote social and environmental sustainability in agri-food systems.
Year 3 Champion - Carbon Financing
Zainab is a Research Social Scientist at Rothamsted Research Net Zero and Resilient Farming Department. She is a trained agricultural economist with experience in applying behavioural approaches to designing and fostering mechanisms to incentivise adoption of net zero innovations.
Year 3 Champion - Policy: Impact & Synthesis
Elta Smith is an independent researcher, writer and consultant. She is an experienced leader in making better policies for our food systems. Her research focuses on the intersection of food, the environment and human health. She has directed and managed studies for UK, EU and international organisations covering issues not only from ‘farm to fork’, but from ‘lab to fork’, particularly the role of science and technology in transforming the food chain.
Year 3 Champion - Policy: Food Systems Nutrition and Health
Ali is a Registered Public Health Nutritionist (RNutr) working at the intersection of health and sustainability. For the last 15 years, she has worked on advocacy and policy to deliver changes that are a win-win for people and planet. Ali is passionate about the opportunities that arise from drawing the dots between health and sustainability.
Year 3 Champion – Policy: Land, Agriculture and Carbon
Emily has 25 years’ experience in the food and farming sector. Her career has taken her from family business to global PLC, with time spent in Brussels and across the UK. Emily is the founder of Farm Foresight Ltd, a strategic advisory service for the land management sector, working with farmers, investors, politicians and businesses on rural policy and emerging trends.
Year 3 Champion - Bioeconomy
Ifeyinwa has a love of nature and is passionate about engineering solutions to address global challenges such as food system sustainability. She is the Founder and CEO of IntelliDigest Ltd, leading it on a mission to empower food system sustainability through technology innovation and capacity building, thereby delivering access to good food for more people; improving health and restoring the environment.
