Biography
I am a postgraduate researcher based in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, working with Prof. Pippa Chapman to investigate soil benefits and wider public goods associated with agroforestry in the UK. I previously completed an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge. My work experience includes data analysis and international development research for a London-based think tank; and research and project coordination for The Besom, a charity bridging the gap between givers of money and time and those in need of help. Long-time musician, sometime runner and lapsed cricketer, maintaining a keen interest in the outdoors.
Qualifications
MPhil Engineering for Sustainable Development (Distinction), University of Cambridge (2021)
BA, MSci Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge (2015)
Research Interests
- Spatial distribution of benefits and trade-offs linked to agroforestry design strategies
- Context-driven aggregation of ecosystem benefits at plot and landscape scales
- Rural land system complexity, feedbacks and points of leverage
- Policy approaches to land stewardship and delivery of public goods
Project Title
Agroforestry, soil health and delivery of public goods
Supervisors
- Professor Pippa Chapman
- Dr. Marcelo Galdos
- Professor Joseph Holden
Funding
Panorama NERC DTP, 2021
Project outline
Agroforestry, or ‘farming with trees’, is widely-practiced around the world for its resource use efficiency and circularity; like other agroecological methods it is associated with multiple benefit delivery, reconciling objectives for food production and ecological renewal. Continued weakening of terrestrial ecosystem service provision in the UK has prompted a reframing of the goals of land use, with new opportunities to support food systems, soil function, biodiversity, natural flood management and climate mitigation. Agroforestry has been cited as a strategy capable of reconciling these outcomes, however for benefits to be realised and effectively leveraged, work is needed to uncover system-level synergies and trade-offs specific to UK geographies. My research aims to characterise these dynamics at plot and landscape scales, building detail necessary for practitioners to maximise benefits within local constraints, whilst supporting the delivery of sustainable public goods.