Meet our third ECR board. The Network mentors and invests in early career researchers by appointing a new ECR board annually. ECRs are mentored by senior team members and work closely with our Champions. (In total 22 ECRs have been appointed to this year's board. We are in the process of adding them all to this page.)
Salvatore is a Research Associate at the Centre for Rural Economy at Newcastle University. Salvatore’s research lies at the intersection of international political economy, sustainability and agriculture, European and Chinese studies, and international law.
He is currently involved in the EU Horizon project ‘SafeHabitus’, looking at the impact of climate change on farmers and farm workers. At Newcastle University he has worked on projects on women entrepreneurs in agriculture, exploring the relations between gender norms and legal frameworks in Europe.
Emma is a champion of open innovation and cross-sector collaboration, with a strong focus on building national and international partnerships. She holds a BSc in Environmental Biosciences, a Master’s in Crop Improvement, and a PhD in molecular diagnostics for plant pathogens and soil microbiomes, blending academic expertise with hands-on experience.
Emma is passionate about the next generation of agricultural scientists and is keen on sharing her journey. Before joining the UK Agri-Tech Centre (ATC), Emma worked as an open innovation consultant, supporting Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies through technology scouting and market analysis, fostering global collaborations across diverse sectors. At the UK ATC, she has led open innovation programmes aimed at addressing key agricultural challenges and supporting international export initiatives.
Matt is a research associate at the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development. His research focuses on food systems across sub-Saharan Africa and the UK, working at the interface of social and natural sciences collaborations.
He also works on a UK-CGIAR Science Centre Project working across the UK, Egypt, Kenya and Pakistan on policy, gender, behavioural economics and biotechnology. His PhD was in agricultural technology adoption with Ugandan smallholders.
Stuart is a Senior Lecturer at Ulster University Business School. His research interests are in just transition, rural development and sustainable land use.
Stuart’s recent projects relate to behavioural change in upland farming in Northern Ireland and just transition in land use in the UK and Ireland.
Rye is a political ecologist pursuing their PhD in sustainable food systems and agriculture at the University of Greenwich and Rothamsted Research funded by the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training.
Their research explores the social, economic and political barriers preventing and slowing down the shift towards less ecologically destructive and extractive agricultural production systems. Rye is particularly interested in human-nature relations and how attention to more-than-human worlds can contribute to the development of an ethics of care for nature within food production systems.
Ryan is a Senior Economist in the Policy and Economics team (PAE) at ADAS, conducting research across a range of environmental and agricultural sectors that seeks to inform and evaluate policy. He has worked as a Lecturer in Economic Policy at Queen’s University Belfast.
He has also worked as an Economic Advisor in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) in South Sudan. Most of Ryan’s current work involves the development of bespoke research methodologies and model-building that address specific research needs in a variety of policy areas. Clients include governmental, private, and third-sector organisations. He completed his Ph.D. at Queen’s, which explored the intersection of culture and development, focusing on implications for policy implementation. He has also worked as a Research Economist at the Banc Ceannais na hÉireann (Central Bank of Ireland).
Kelli is a Research Associate for the Bradford Health Determinants Research Collaboration, as part of the University of York’s Department of Health Science. Her research focuses on areas including a just transition to net zero, social and commercial determinants of health and household food insecurity.
Kelli previously held a research post as part of the ‘Understanding family and community vulnerabilities in transition to net zero’ project funded by the Nuffield Foundation; a collaborative project between the University of York, Trinity College Dublin, University of Leeds and the Young Foundation.
With expertise in sustainability and climate finance, Awais Khan possesses extensive experience in natural capital accounting, nature-based solutions, and regenerative agriculture. He has a strong professional track record as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Plymouth and a Research Fellow at Cranfield University.
He is a former Research and Policy Lead for an FCDO-funded project at WWF, working on environmental accountability, climate finance (biodiversity and carbon), and net-zero supply chains. Currently, he serves as a Programme Manager and co-founder of Biodscan, where he aims to drive innovative solutions for climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and food system transformation.
Joanne is a Principal Scientific Officer and manages the Sustainable Agri-Food research portfolio for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (NI). She also acts as the science/policy contact point for the Co-Centre for Sustainable Food Systems within NI.
She gained her undergraduate and Masters degrees in Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Dundee, Scotland before working for 16 years as a laboratory manager for the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute, in Belfast. In this role she performed diagnostics for epizootic, epiphytotic, endemic and production diseases before completing a molecular biology PhD at Queen’s University, Belfast into vaccines for neonatal calves. Joanne is particularly interested in the impact of climate change on food system resilience, land use, diet and nutrition or sustainability in agriculture and believes that policymakers have an integral role to play.
Louise is a Research Associate at SRUC’s Beef and Sheep Research Centre. Her research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions modelling and mitigation, as well as utilising precision livestock farming technologies to improve the sustainability of ruminant production systems.
Louise recently completed her PhD at Bangor University, which explored strategies to reach net zero on Welsh beef and sheep farms.
Leo is a policy fellow at the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics. In this role he has produced policy-oriented research on sustainable food systems, the contribution of rewilded land to the UKs Net Zero target and the role of voluntary carbon markets in increasing land-sector carbon sinks.
Additional research has focused on greenhouse gas removal governance in the UK and globally with a particular focus on monitoring reporting and verification protocols.
Nadia is an unregistered barrister and doctoral researcher whose work explores the intersection of food systems, governance, and consumer protection. She is currently completing a PhD at Brunel University of London, where she is developing strategies to combat food fraud in low- and middle-income countries, using an interdisciplinary socio-legal approach.
Her research focuses on strengthening food safety systems through legal and policy innovation, with particular attention to anti-corruption mechanisms and institutional accountability. Alongside her doctoral work, Nadia has contributed to UNCTAD projects on consumer law and regulatory cooperation, and has expertise on UK and EU consumer protection frameworks. She brings additional experience from legal practice and third-sector communications, and is particularly interested in how inclusive, accountable governance can support more equitable and resilient food systems.
Adewale is a Senior Lecturer in Business at the Royal Agricultural University. Prior to this, he worked as an Agricultural Economist at CABI. His expertise spans food systems, sustainable agriculture, food security, agribusiness, climate change resilience, and youth empowerment.
His research interest is in linking smallholders to high-value markets, evaluating project impacts, enhancing youth employability, and promoting climate change adaptation to support our food systems. University Web page
Maddi completed her master’s in plant biotechnology in 2021 at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and has spent the past four years working as a researcher and consultant for AbacusBio, a global genetics company.
Through her work, she has gained hands-on experience across a wide range of global industries, including apiculture, horticulture, agriculture, and forestry, where a key focus has been on identifying how food production can be made more sustainable through improved breeding and management approaches, whilst also meeting the needs of consumers and growers. She is honoured to be a part of the AFN Network+ ECR board and looks forward to collaborating with inspiring leaders in the industry and academic fields to work towards our shared goal of improving food sustainability.
Arthy is a lecturer in Agronomy at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC). She is passionate about sustainable agriculture and all aspects of crop production, focusing on using waste and waste-derived products to improve yields and as plant protection products to combat biotic and abiotic stress.
She is particularly interested in novel fertilisers and crop protectants that are environmentally friendly and help reduce reliance on chemicals in food production. Her current work focuses on biofertilisers and bio/biological control methods. Read more on her SRUC profile page.
Bethan is a researcher with expertise in agricultural production, food security and the circular economy. Her interests lie in what motivates behaviour change and the evaluation of its impact using quantitative modelling techniques from economics and psychology, as well as systems thinking.
Sarah is a PhD candidate in Health Sciences at the University of York. With a background spanning natural and social sciences, her research focuses on health inequalities, sustainability, and food systems.
Her PhD explores what influences access to nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life in the UK, building on previous work on socioeconomic disadvantage and parental food choices for infants. Alongside her PhD, she contributes to projects on food choice, sustainability, plant-based eating, hospital food systems, and climate adaptation.
Summer is a Food, Environment, and Agriculture Policy Analyst at ICF. With a focus on climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and nature-based solutions she conducts research and evaluations for Defra and the European Commission. Co-leading ICF’s Agricultural Interest Group and directing the Green Team, she champions sustainability initiatives and fosters industry collaboration.
Her interests lie in regenerative agriculture and soil health, reflecting her dedication to advancing sustainable agri-food systems.
Jianhao is currently a PhD candidate in the section of Logistics and Operations Management at Cardiff University. His research interests focus on sustainable food production, particularly the sustainable management and operation of controlled environment agriculture.
He is currently investigating the impact of controlled environment agriculture, including vertical farming, on future sustainable development goals.
Alexandra is a member of the UK Grain Lab and the Yorkshire Grain Alliance. From 2019 to 2024, she ran an artisanal bakery in Wakefield, working directly with farmers and millers to support non-commodity market grains and flours, helping to build resilience in the food system.
She is currently pursuing an MSc in Sustainable Food and Natural Resources at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Her research explores whether bread colour influences sensory enjoyment and consumer perception.
