Maximiliano Bello
MSc Natural Resources Management, 2006
Policy Advisor at Mission Blue, International Fellow at The Wilson Centre, Policy Advisor at Island Conservation, and Advisor for International Advisory Panel Ocean Leaders at the University of Edinburgh
Ocean policy expert who has worked in the environmental field for over two decades to advance marine conservation priorities. He has worked for non-governmental organizations in Chile and the United States including The Pew Charitable Trusts, Oceana, World Wildlife Fund, Island Conservation and the Blue Whale Center. Maximiliano has worked with a wide array of international fora including the United Nations and was instrumental in the creation of more than two million km squared of marine protected areas around the world. His work at Mission Blue is focused on elevating marine conservation targets and engaging governments in protecting their waters.
Charlie Bunce
PhD Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, 2021
Head of Geospatial Technology at Trade in Space
Specialist in geospatial technology, remote sensing, and geospatial software development. Charlie’s PhD research is focused on ice-ocean interactions and the response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to climate change. She has conducted fieldwork and research in Greenland, Svalbard, and Iceland. Charlie is currently Head of Geospatial Technology at Trade in Space, a company that uses space-data, machine-learning and blockchain technology to inform and facilitate the trade of agricultural commodities.
Susan Cheyne
BSc Zoology, 1998
Lecturer in Primate Conservation at Oxford Brookes University, Founder and Co-Director at the Barito River Initiative for Nature Conservation and Communities and Co-Director at Borneo Nature Foundation International
Susan has worked for wildlife conservation in Southeast Asia since 1997. She focuses on primate ecology and conservation, looking into the illegal pet trade of gibbons, rehabilitation, and reintroduction successes of these threatened apes. She is also carrying out research to inform actions for small ape conservation. As a Co-Director of Borneo Nature Foundation International, she works for conservation of primates and wild cats using camera trap technology to understand their behavioural ecology. She is passionate about conservation education and outreach and has a deep interest in the conservation of wild cats across Indonesian Borneo.
Michael Clout
BSc Ecological Science, 1972
Professor of Conservation Ecology at the University of Auckland
Michael gained his PhD from the University of Auckland in 1978, and then worked as a research scientist for the New Zealand government. In 1993 he became an academic at the University of Auckland and extended his research into biosecurity and invasive species management. He was the founding Chair of the Invasive Species Specialist Group of IUCN, which he led from 1995-2008, and chaired the Kakapo Recovery Group for 25 years. Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and has won several awards for conservation and ecological research. He has longstanding interests in ecology, conservation, and sustainability.
Kerrie Craig
BSc Geography, 2015
Offshore Consents Manager at SSE Renewables
Kerrie has worked in offshore wind since 2016. She started at Scottish Natural Heritage and later worked as Environmental Consultant with Royal HaskoningDHV. Currently, she works as Offshore Consents Manager at SSE Renewables working on what will be the world’s largest offshore windfarm, Berwick Bank. Kerrie’s role involves considering potential environmental impacts from offshore windfarms, working collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure projects are developed sustainably whilst helping to tackle the climate emergency and reach net zero. Kerrie was winner of the IEMA Future Sustainability Leader Award 2020.
Kirsty Duncan
PhD Geography, 1993
Member of Parliament in House of Commons of Canada
Kirsty taught environment and climate change at universities in Canada, consulted to the Government of Canada, and served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She has been elected five times to federal office: She has served as Minister of Science, the Deputy Leader of the Government, and now Chairs the inaugural Standing Committee on Science and Research in Parliament. Throughout her academic and parliamentary career, she has fought tirelessly for climate science, action, and a better future for all.
Sam Gardner
BSc Ecological Science (Ecology), 2000
Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at Scottish Power and Former Acting Director at WWF Scotland
For the last 20 years Sam has worked in climate and environmental policy across the public, private and voluntary sectors in Scotland. During his 12 years at WWF, Sam worked on the 2009 Climate Change Act and in many other policies areas spanning from the decarbonisation of power, transport, heating to the protection of the marine environment. He served on the Boards of Scotland's environmental and climate coalitions and has participated in multiple Scottish Government advisory groups. In his role at Scottish Power Sam is leading the work across the UN SDGs and the delivery of the long-term climate ambitions.
Anna Gebruk
MS Marine Systems and Policies, 2017 and PhD Environmental Sciences, 2021
Scientific Project Manager and Changing Oceans Group
Anna has recently graduated with a PhD from the School of GeoSciences looking at dynamics of seafloor ecosystems in the Arctic and suggesting improvements for monitoring frameworks. As a first or second author, Anna has published six peer-reviewed publications over the course of her PhD, providing new data on microplastics, invasive species, and biodiversity. Anna is now working as a Scientific Project Manager at the University of Edinburgh, overseeing the delivery of a range of projects from establishment of a new marine protected area in the Atlantic, to assessment of Atlantic marine ecosystems.
Laura Getts
MA International Relations, 2010
Business Development Manager at San Isabel Electric Association and Former Biologist and Wilderness Ranger
Former Biologist and Wilderness Ranger at the Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, the Californian Sierras, Southwestern Colorado, and Utah’s Mojave Desert. Laura worked as Young Leader in Climate Change for the National Park Service’s Climate Change Response Program in Rocky Mountain National Park. She also served Colorado as Pueblo County’s Energy Coordinator. Laura is currently working as Business Development Manager in energy sector.
Adriana Gutierrez
MSc Carbon Management, 2014
Consultant at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Columbia and Markets Coordinator at the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean
After her graduation, Adriana was accepted as Climate Change Branch Intern at the United Nations Headquarters. Later on, she started working in her country Colombia, developing climate change plans for different cities. In 2018, she began her work at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, showing great results that led to her current position as Environmental Consultant and Negotiator. She now also works as Markets Coordinator for the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC) negotiation group.
Baihuiqian (Vera) He
PhD Environmental Chemistry, 2020
Atmospheric scientist and Co-producer at NoSuchClimate podcast
Atmospheric scientist who won the Science and Sustainability Award as part of the British Council Study UK Alumni Awards in China. This award recognises individuals who have distinguished themselves through their career and achievements in the world of science and sustainability. She is Co-Founder of NoSuchClimate, a chart-topping Chinese speaking podcast on climate and atmospheric sciences which aims to empower and inspire people to combat climate change. She is also a certified popular science creator at Zhihu, the largest Q&A platform in China. Her research interests lie in urban-scale air pollution modelling.
Ulfath Ibrahim
MSc Environment and Development, 2020
Assistant Director (Climate Change) at the Special Envoy Office for Climate Change
Environmentalist working for the Government of Maldives as Assistant Director (Climate Change) on environment and sustainable development policies and projects. Ulfath’s career began as a Protocol Assistant for the Maldives’ President. When the Maldives’ new administration announced that climate change would become a key pillar of their foreign policy, Ulfath expressed interest to be involved, which steered her towards a career in international climate negotiations. In 2021, she represented the Maldives at COP26. Through the Marine Conservation Society, she shared her MSc research on the mitigation potential of blue carbon resources with MPs at the House of Commons.
Derek Ip
MSc Carbon Finance, 2015
Director of Sustainable and Impact Investing at UBS
Derek has extensive experience consulting banks and investment managers on environmental risks, primarily focusing on climate change. During 2017-2018, he acted as External Policy Adviser on green finance at the City of London Corporation in parallel to his role of Senior Research Analyst at S&P Trucost. Prior to his experience in Europe, he worked for RESET Carbon in Hong Kong, providing supply chain sustainability analysis and engagement services to major international brands. He currently holds a position of Director, Sustainable and Impact Investing with UBS, a global firm providing financial services in over 50 countries.
Christopher Librie
MBA Business Administration, 1985
Director at ESG, Applied Materials
Chris has worked in sustainability leadership for nearly 15 years. He developed the scope 3 carbon footprints at three major US companies such as SC Johnson, Hewlett Packard and, most recently, Applied Materials. Under his direction, each company set and achieved stretching carbon emissions targets across their value chains. Chris currently leads Applied Materials’s efforts to achieve 100% renewable energy globally by 2030 and since 2019, Applied has reduced its scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 31%. By the end of 2022, the company will set 2030 science-based targets for scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Stella Linnekogel
MSc GeoEnergy, 2021
Research Associate at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Stella is a greenhouse gas and soil carbon specialist. During her studies at the University of St Andrews, she was awarded the Tupper Prize of the Geologists' Association for the best undergraduate student of Geology at a UK university. Stella is currently working as Research Associate within the Plant-Soil Interactions Group at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Her work uses a mix of field and lab-based approaches to study patterns of greenhouse gas emissions from soils and the role that soils play in greenhouse gas removal. Her particular focus lies on N2O, CO2 and CH4 emissions.
Will McBain
MA Geography, 1992
Associate Director at Arup
Will has spent the majority of his career with international consultants Arup. As Chartered Scientist and Chartered Water and Environmental Manager, he has specialised in the appraisal, planning and design of capital projects that respond to the climate emergency. These include schemes to reduce river and coastal flood risk, as well as projects to restore wetland, river and estuarine habitats and ecosystems. He has extensive experience of assessing and mitigating the impacts of new rail, road, nuclear, wind farm and hydropower infrastructure projects on the water environment.
Paula McGregor
MA Geography, 2018
Project Manager at Space Intelligence
Paula manages commercial and innovation projects at Space Intelligence, the world’s leading provider of data to support Nature Based Solutions and sustainability-linked financial instruments. Prior, Paula worked at Ecometrica, where she was involved in the Forests 2020 initiative, working with 7 tropical forest nations to help protect and restore tropical forests using advanced applications of satellite data. Paula focused her efforts on supporting forest monitoring in West Africa, driving forward adoption of high quality land-use maps for the cocoa sector as well as designing a programme for land-use map creation in cocoa producing states in Nigeria.
Daisy Narayanan
MSc Design, 2005
Head of Placemaking and Mobility at the City of Edinburgh Council
Daisy was formerly Director of Urbanism for Sustrans, where her role involved interweaving policy, public realm design and broad integration of key place principles to help create liveable towns and cities. In 2021, she joined the City of Edinburgh Council where she currently works as the Head of Placemaking and Mobility. Daisy was awarded MBE for her services to inclusive urban planning and sustainability. She is a member of the Edinburgh Climate Commission and Scotland's Climate Assembly's Evidence Group where she contributes expertise to support the zero carbon goals.
Pauline Op De Beeck
MA International Relations, 2015
Head of Sales (Europe) at Carbon Trust
In her career at the Carbon Trust, Pauline has supported many organisations on their journey to net zero. She is the Carbon Trust's apparel sector expert, acting as the spokesperson on issues of apparel sector decarbonisation. She led the Trust’s engagement with several global fashion companies to set science-based decarbonisation targets and implementation plans. Her work on this was recognised in the Forbes 30 under 30. She opened the Carbon Trust's European Headquarters in Amsterdam and grew its team of three to 20. She leads the sales team responsible for accelerating corporate alignment to net zero in Europe.
Rani Pooran
MSc International and European Politics, 2002
Programme Lead, Diversity Equity and Inclusion at International Finance
Rani was a Senior Advisor on social sustainability issues at the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Financial Group where she worked with the Inclusion and Sustainability Teams. Prior to joining BMO, Rani worked in the professional services industry in the UK, US, and Canada. In 2019, she completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies at the Graduate Institute Geneva in Environmental Policy and Governance where her research focused on just transitions. She was the Former Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). Currently, she works as Programme Lead, Diversity Equity, and Inclusion at the International Finance Corporation.
Hannah Ritchie
BSc Environmental GeoScience, MSc Carbon Management and PhD
Head of Research, Our World in Data at the University of Oxford and Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford
Hannah is a Senior Researcher and the Head of Research at Our World in Data at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the assessment of global food systems and their capacity to address malnutrition and environmental sustainability simultaneously. Hannah also works as a sustainability consultant advising companies and organisations on how to reduce their environmental impact and promote a more sustainable business model. She publishes on the global energy system, climate change, biodiversity, and global health.
Helen Senn
PhD Evolutionary Biology, 2009
Head of Conservation and Science Programmes at the Royal Zoological Society Scotland
Helen is a specialist in conservation genetics who works on species conservation strategies and action plans across the globe. Since 2011, Helen has been working for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). She currently manages the RZSS Conservation department, including the RZSS WildGenes lab. She has particular interests in the management of reintroductions, the detection and management of hybridization, relationship between taxonomy and conservation, strategic planning and capacity building. Her academic research work mainly focuses on arid-land ungulate species, wildcats, beaver, and other mammals. Her PhD research centred on the hybridisation of red and sika deer in Scotland.
Win Sim Tan
MSc Environmental Protection and Management, 2020
Manager at Carbon Market Product and Market Development
Win Sim is currently part of the team developing the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Exchange in Malaysia, launching in December 2022. The VCM Exchange will enable private finance to be channelled to fund local climate-friendly projects and accelerate Malaysia's transition to a low carbon economy. Previously, he worked for Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation assisting corporate clients with greenhouse gas accounting and mitigation. He developed Malaysia Climate Action Simulator, which is a tool that allows users to explore how different mitigation options might affect Malaysia's greenhouse gas emissions and chart a pathway to a low carbon future.
Simon Tett
BSc Mathematical Physics, 1987 and PhD Physics, 1992
Chair of Earth System Dynamics and Modelling at the University of Edinburgh
Simon is a climatologist working at the University of Edinburgh. He is the Chair of Earth System Dynamics and Modelling and a former research scientist at the Hadley Centre where he, with others, showed that human emissions of carbon dioxide were likely to be responsible for 20th century warming. He managed a team of scientists who created datasets of historical climate change from the atmosphere, sea and land surface and the sub-surface ocean with comprehensive uncertainty estimates. He also carried out and analysed simulations of the climate of the last 500 years. He is winner of several science awards.
Joseph Varghese
PGD Environmental Sustainability, 2008
Managing Trustee at Kaushal Edu-tainment Youth and Society Trust
Joseph runs Kaushal Edu-tainment Youth and Society Trust, a volunteer based public organisation educating youth and communities on sustainability, climate change and work in disaster areas. His expertise and input were instrumental during Kerala floods when he assessed and identified a solution for clean drinking water post disaster and informed authorities. 11,100 families in Kerala have now clean drinking water access for the next decade through a solution that was procured. Joseph also worked with migrant labour communities in New Delhi during the Covid-19 pandemic, post flooding in Bihar with Madhubani community and post Cyclone Fani in Puri, Odisha.
Susie Weeks
MSc Environmental Protection and Management, 1998
Executive Director at Mount Kenya Trust
In 1999, Susie got a job working for the African Environmental Film Foundation helping a well-known wildlife documentary maker, Simon Trevor, make conservation education films for local communities in their own languages. Now she runs the Mount Kenya Trust, an organisation that helps to protect the integrity of Mount Kenya’s forests and wildlife. Before joining the Mount Kenya Trust, Susie worked as Director of African Operations for the Blue Heron Wildlife Films.
Read more from our 75
Meet our founders and our entrepreneurs. Our Innovation category features visionary alumni who are creating new spaces by integrating technology, research and the experiences of those directly impacted by our changing climate. They are creating our future.
Meet the alumni who are working to inform, to challenge and to educate. From policy and advocacy, to activism and agenda setting, our Awareness category is filled with individuals who push beyond echo chambers and who work with and through others to achieve lasting impact.
By sharing these fragments of a much bigger picture we hope to inspire and hopefully motivate. There is no single solution but millions of different ones which, when pieced together, give us hope for a better future.
So, let's start with 75 and we can take it from there. If you know of any University of Edinburgh alumni who should feature in a future version of Climate 75, please email alumni@ed.ac.uk and tell us about how they are making a difference.