December 2023 7 New appointments, from APGC to NESBiP We have a number of new appointments here at the Hutton. Dr Robert Hancock has been appointed as Deputy Director of the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC). Dr Hancock has been closely involved with the development of the project since its inception and played a key role in developing the phenotyping platform whilst working with the UK academic community through PhenomUK. As the new Deputy Director, Dr Hancock brings his expertise as a plant physiologist and biochemist with a notable track record in industry collaborative research, focussing on resource use efficiency and response to abiotic stress in crops, primarily potatoes and soft fruit. A project development officer has been appointed to help drive forward the Hutton’s HydroGlen project. Niamh Carr, who recently graduated with an MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of Aberdeen, through a scholarship with TotalEnergies, will help convert the Hutton’s Glensaugh research farm into a green hydrogen-powered demonstration site. The North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (NESBiP), based at and supported by the Hutton, has a new coordinator. Liam McAllan, who is based at the Hutton’s Aberdeen campus, is now supporting the partnership of 40 organisations in driving “joined-up” approaches to conservation and tackling threats to biodiversity across North-East Scotland. Liam is a recent University of Aberdeen conservation biology graduate, where he led the university’s conservation volunteers, and grew up on a farm near Aberdeen. Pioneering scientific research by The James Hutton Institute into Scotland’s globally important peatlands has been recognised at the leading Scottish nature conservation awards. The Hutton’s work to put “peatland on the map” won the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Conservation Science Award during a prestigious awards ceremony in Edinburgh in November. Over the last 10 years, the team has driven deeper understanding of the importance of Scotland’s peatland to the conservation of the natural environment and their role in contributing to, or mitigating, greenhouse gas emission. Through the production of a wide body of research, the Hutton’s interdisciplinary peatland team has enabled direct action, informing restoration and protection efforts of peatlands. Dr Rebekka Artz, who leads the Restoration and Adaptive Management team at the Hutton, says, “We’re honoured to be recognised for this award amongst such a selection of impactful conservation science teams. The peatland research team at the Hutton is a truly fantastic group of people focused on delivering scientific evidence with integrity and impact. “Our work has contributed significantly to understanding the effectiveness of peatland restoration, the condition that peatlands – which form a quarter of our land mass – are in, the greenhouse gas emissions damaged peatlands emit and the mitigation potential and other ecosystem function gains that can be achieved through their restoration.” In other awards, Roz Corbett, a human geography PhD student at the Hutton and University of Aberdeen has won the Scottish Land Commission’s National Student Award for 2023. Roz will use the £1,000 grant award to undertake stakeholder participation research into her doctoral thesis on community landownership and agricultural transitions in Scotland. This will focus on areas of the Commission’s work including governance models. such as exploring community ownership, new entrants to agriculture and gaining insight into the impact of different policy mechanisms. The Macaulay Development Trust’s (MDT) Green Finance Fellowship has been awarded to new Hutton staff member Dr Umar Farooq. Nature of Scotland Award for putting peatland on the map Dr Robert Hancock Roz Corbett Umar Farooq Niamh Carr Liam McAllan The fellowship will look at green finance and how it can drive environmental progress alongside economic interests. It will see Hutton research carried out into how finance can accelerate environmental and social sustainability. This will include evaluating the benefits of green finance and exploring innovative financial strategies that drive environmental and social progress while safeguarding economic interests.
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