Dr Ben Caldecott is the founding Director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group at the University of Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment. At the University of Oxford, he is the inaugural Lombard Odier Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow of Sustainable Finance, the first ever endowed professorship of sustainable finance, and a Supernumerary Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford. Ben is also the founding Director and Principal Investigator of the UK Centre for Greening Finance & Investment (CGFI), established by UK Research and Innovation in 2021 as the national centre to accelerate the adoption and use of climate and environmental data and analytics by financial institutions internationally.
Department/Institute: School of Geography and the Environment
Professor Malhi explores the functioning of the biosphere and its interactions with global change, including climate change. He has a particular fascination with and love for tropical forests, though he has recently been spotted in ecosystems ranging from savannas, the Arctic, tropical coral reefs and Oxfordshire’s woodlands and floodplain meadows.
Yadvinder is the Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery
I am a Senior Researcher and NERC IRF Fellow and lead the Functional Biodiversity and Remote Sensing group of the Ecosystems Programme at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford.
My research is deeply rooted in the exploration of tropical forest dynamics, utilising advanced remote sensing technologies to understand biodiversity patterns and their resilience against climate change. In my group we integrate trait-based ecology with forest dynamics to assess the impacts of environmental changes on forest ecosystems globally.
Throughout my career I have contributed to the scientific community with innovative projects that bridge field ecology and satellite remote sensing. My work emphasises the importance of understanding ecological processes through a spatial lens, where I have developed novel methods for mapping and analysing the functional diversity and resilience of forest ecosystems. These efforts are crucial for predicting how these ecosystems might shift in response to climate and land-use changes, providing valuable insights for conservation strategies.
The research conducted in my lab at Oxford not only furthers scientific understanding but also nurtures the next generation of environmental scientists. I am committed to mentoring young researchers, especially those less represented in academia, as those from the Global South, overseeing a vibrant team that investigates various aspects of ecological resilience, from pollinator distributions influenced by climate change to the socio-ecological dynamics of forest ecosystems. My lab serves as a hub for collaborative research, fostering an environment where interdisciplinary approaches lead to groundbreaking discoveries in biodiversity conservation and sustainable environmental management.
By focusing on the intersection of ecological theory, remote sensing technology, and practical conservation efforts, our work exemplifies the role of science in addressing some of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Our research not only enhances our understanding of global biodiversity patterns but also contributes directly to the development of strategies aimed at preserving the integrity and functionality of ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.
Feel free to get in touch if you are interested in the work we do at the ‘Functional Biodiversity and Remote Sensing’ lab and want to discuss research and supervision opportunities!
Jonathon is a cultural, environmental, and urban geographer from Newcastle upon Tyne. His research examines how understandings of nature are produced and contested across geographical contexts and why this matters for more-than-human social, political, and economic life.
His research experience stretches from biophysical modelling in the areas of ecosystems, forestry and agriculture to economics, finance and integrated assessment, and he works across ECI’s research themes.
Jim Hall FREng is Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks in the University of Oxford and Director of Research in the School of Geography and the Environment. Before joining the University of Oxford in 2011 to become Director of the University’s Environmental Change Institute, Prof Hall held academic positions in the Newcastle University and the University of Bristol. Prof Hall is internationally recognised for his research on risk analysis and decision making under uncertainty for water resource systems, flood and coastal risk management, infrastructure systems and adaptation to climate change. Professor Hall is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology, is a Commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission and is Vice President of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He was a member of the UK independent Committee on Climate Change Adaptation from 2009 to 2019 and was Chair of the Science Advisory Committee of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) from 2020 to 2022.
Mark is Research Fellow in Environmental Social Science who is interested in addressing inter-linked social and environmental challenges through interdisciplinary research. He is broadly engaged with research that investigates issues of well-being, inequality and justice with respect to climate change and natural resource governance. He is interested how different values and knowledges interact with institutional and cultural contexts in driving the governance decisions which underpin environmental and social change across a range of scales.
John’s interests are in the conceptual framing of food systems; the interactions among the many actors involved and their varied activities, and the outcomes of their activities for food security, livelihoods and environment; and food system resilience. He has designed and led regional food system research projects in Europe, south Asia, southern Africa and the Caribbean and has conceived, developed and/or led a range of major international research initiatives. He has had substantial interaction with FAO, UNEP and CGIAR and many other international organisations, with national departments and agencies, with NGOs, and with businesses in the food sector, helping to establish research on the links between food security and environment through the analysis of food systems. In addition to leading the food systems research group within ECI, he also leads the multi-university post-graduate Interdisciplinary Food Systems Teaching and Learning’ programme (IFSTAL) and coordinates the UK Global Food Security programme Resilience of the UK Food System. He is an Associate Professor in Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, and Senior Research Fellow at Somerville College.
I am the Communications and Events Manager for the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery.
I’m passionate about the natural world, and enjoy finding new ways of communicating the impactful scientific research being carried out across the Centre. I enjoy convening workshops and hosting events, and am particularly keen to support capacity development wherever I can. I’m delighted to have arranged many training and outreach events, specifically designed to promote the role of women and non-binary scientists and the research they do.
Richard Grenyer is a biologist and conservationist who is interested in the fundamental position that space and geographical processes occupy in biodiversity science and modern conservation strategy. He was appointed to an Associate Professorship in Biodiversity and Biogeography at the School of Geography and the Environment at the University of Oxford in August 2010. He is also Fellow and Tutor in Physical Geography at Jesus College.