High level NERC/Defra policy placement fellowship

My research is focused on environmental protection and management, with a special emphasis on how anthropogenic stressors impact natural ecosystems and the services they provide. This research has been conducted in collaboration with government/regulatory agencies and industry and I am a strong believer in enhancing the impact of science by bringing academics, industry and government together to discuss common issues and to reach consensus on the best way forward. Through my very active involvement in the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (former SETAC President and SETAC-Europe President), I have organised international, multi-sector conferences and workshops to address environmental issues and their associated scientific challenges. For example, I organised the SETAC Special Scientific Symposium on ecosystem services in Belgium this February and am organising a joint SETAC/Ecological Society of America workshop on ecosystem services to be held in the USA next summer. I also founded the SETAC Advisory Group on ecosystem services, which brings together environmental scientists and practitioners from academia, business and government to: promote ecosystem-based science; enhance understanding of the impact of stressors on the ability of ecosystems to deliver well-being benefits; support and inform ecosystem service-based policy making and implementation.
I have experience of Defra's policy development and implementation having served on the Advisory Committee for Hazardous Substances and the Advisory Committee for Pesticides (ACP), as well as being chair of the ACP Environmental Panel. I am currently a member of the European Food Safety Authority expert group tasked with defining protection goals for pesticide risk assessment and drafting technical guidance to support the sustainable use of pesticides. We recently published an opinion outlining a framework for using the ecosystem services concept for setting protection goals. My understanding of the chemical industry's needs and constraints has been greatly enhanced during my time as a Scientific Committee member of the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC). There is a clear need to raise awareness and to increase understanding of the role of ecosystem services in business development and environmental protection. ECETOC have set up a task force to explore the implications of an ecosystem services-based approach to risk assessment on business development and stewardship, which I promoted.
Within my own organisation, I have experience of interacting with staff at the highest level, as Head of Department, University Council member and though my membership of strategy groups and committees. I have just stepped down from leading the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Ranked in the world top 50 and 3rd in the UK for research quality, Animal and Plant Sciences is an international centre of excellence with world-class facilities and is a major recipient of NERC funding. Our research focus is on understanding how organisms evolve and function and we use this understanding to address major environmental issues including: climate change, food security and green energy, pollution and nature conservation, urbanization and sustainable cities.
My strong scientific background in environmental biology, coupled with my appreciation of the policy context of research and experience of working with government and industry colleagues, places me in a strong position to enhance the impact of NERC science in environmental policy. My demonstrated commitment to working at the science-policy interface, clear leadership skills and excellent inter-personal, networking and communication skills mean that I would be highly committed and effective in working with the NERC community and Defra teams to deliver the key objectives of this fellowship.