Meet our third ECR board. The Network mentors and invests in early career researchers by appointing a new ECR board annually. ECRs are mentored by senior team members and work closely with our Champions. (In total 22 ECRs have been appointed to this year's board. We are in the process of adding them all to this page.)
Stuart is a Senior Lecturer at Ulster University Business School. His research interests are in just transition, rural development and sustainable land use.
Stuart’s recent projects relate to behavioural change in upland farming in Northern Ireland and just transition in land use in the UK and Ireland.
Rye is a political ecologist pursuing their PhD in sustainable food systems and agriculture at the University of Greenwich and Rothamsted Research funded by the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training.
Their research explores the social, economic and political barriers preventing and slowing down the shift towards less ecologically destructive and extractive agricultural production systems. Rye is particularly interested in human-nature relations and how attention to more-than-human worlds can contribute to the development of an ethics of care for nature within food production systems.
Ryan is a Senior Economist in the Policy and Economics team (PAE) at ADAS, conducting research across a range of environmental and agricultural sectors that seeks to inform and evaluate policy. He has worked as a Lecturer in Economic Policy at Queen’s University Belfast.
He has also worked as an Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) in South Sudan. Most of Ryan’s current work involves the development of bespoke research methodologies and model-building that address specific research needs in a variety of policy areas. Clients include governmental, private, and third-sector organisations. He completed his Ph.D. at Queen’s, which explored the intersection of culture and development, focusing on implications for policy implementation. He has also worked as a Research Economist at the Banc Ceannais na hÉireann (Central Bank of Ireland).
With expertise in sustainability and climate finance, Awais Khan possesses extensive experience in natural capital accounting, nature-based solutions, and regenerative agriculture. He has a strong professional track record as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Plymouth and a Research Fellow at Cranfield University.
He is a former Research and Policy Lead for an FCDO-funded project at WWF, working on environmental accountability, climate finance (biodiversity and carbon), and net-zero supply chains. Currently, he serves as a Programme Manager and co-founder of Biodscan, where he aims to drive innovative solutions for climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and food system transformation.
Joanne is a Principal Scientific Officer and manages the Sustainable Agri-Food research portfolio for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (NI). She also acts as the science/policy contact point for the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems within NI.
She gained her undergraduate and Masters degrees in Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Dundee, Scotland before working for 16 years as a laboratory manager for the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, in Belfast. In this role she performed diagnostics for epizootic, epiphytotic, endemic and production diseases before completing a molecular biology PhD at Queen’s University, Belfast into vaccines for neonatal calves. Joanne is particularly interested in the impact of climate change on food system resilience, land use, diet and nutrition or sustainability in agriculture and believes that policymakers have an integral role to play.
Louise is a Research Associate at SRUC’s Beef and Sheep Research Centre. Her research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions modelling and mitigation, as well as utilising precision livestock farming technologies to improve the sustainability of ruminant production systems.
Louise recently completed her PhD at Bangor University, which explored strategies to reach net zero on Welsh beef and sheep farms.
Arthy is a lecturer in Agronomy at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). She is passionate about sustainable agriculture and all aspects of crop production, focusing on using waste and waste-derived products to improve yields and as plant protection products to combat biotic and abiotic stress.
She is particularly interested in novel fertilisers and crop protectants that are environmentally friendly and help reduce reliance on chemicals in food production. Her current work focuses on biofertilisers and bio/biological control methods. Read more on her SRUC profile page.
Summer is a Food, Environment, and Agriculture Policy Analyst at ICF. With a focus on climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and nature-based solutions she conducts research and evaluations for Defra and the European Commission. Co-leading ICF’s Agricultural Interest Group and directing the Green Team, she champions sustainability initiatives and fosters industry collaboration.
Her interests lie in regenerative agriculture and soil health, reflecting her dedication to advancing sustainable agri-food systems.
Jianhao is currently a PhD candidate in the section of Logistics and Operations Management at Cardiff University. His research interests focus on sustainable food production, particularly the sustainable management and operation of controlled environment agriculture.
He is currently investigating the impact of controlled environment agriculture, including vertical farming, on future sustainable development goals.
Alexandra is a member of the UK Grain Lab and the Yorkshire Grain Alliance. From 2019 to 2024, she ran an artisanal bakery in Wakefield, working directly with farmers and millers to support non-commodity market grains and flours, helping to build resilience in the food system.
She is currently pursuing an MSc in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Her research explores whether bread colour influences sensory enjoyment and consumer perception.
