Glensaugh Climate-Positive Farming Initiative

Professor Alison Hester FRSB FRSGS is a senior scientist and Baillie Gifford Entrepreneurial Research Fellow at the James Hutton Institute, UK. She did her Degree at King’s College University of London, PhD at Aberdeen University/CEH and a Royal Society Postdoctoral Fellowship at CSIRO Western Australia. Alison has over 30 years research experience (with c200 scientific publications and contract reports) and an international reputation in biodiversity, conservation and land management. Much of her research forms an integral part of large, interdisciplinary projects and she works closely with scientists, land managers, communities and policy-makers in different parts of the world. In recent years she has taken a lead role in bringing together and managing diverse teams of scientists in the highly interdisciplinary research area of natural capital and Ecosystem Services, both within the institute and through a range of international collaborations.
 

Mark Wilkinson is a senior research scientist in catchment hydrology. He is Co-director of the Climate-Positive Farming Initiative (CPFI) and leads the Hydrology and Biogeochemistry group within the Environmental and Biochemical Science department. Mark’s research focuses on the use of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) for mitigating and adapting to hydrological impacts of extreme events. This particularly focusses on floods, in which context NBS is also commonly referred to as Natural Flood Management (NFM), but more recently also includes droughts. Related research interests include hydrological process understanding at multiple catchment scales, which is fundamental to better understand the hydrological risks and effectiveness of NBS. He also explores the wider multi-purpose benefits associated with NBS, such as for ecosystem health (e.g., water quality and temperature). As part of his research, Mark employs integrated modelling and monitoring approaches which include novel sensing techniques in order to attain detailed empirical evidence (e.g., new approaches in rainfall observations and using new cosmic-ray sensors for soil moisture estimates). To ensure effective design and uptake of NBS, his work involves close collaboration with stakeholders and colleagues from different disciplines. Further information on Mark’s research and publications can be found on ResearchGate.