Erica Rowan

Lecturer in Classical Archaeology, Member of the Food Group

Themes: Biodiversity and natural capital, Greener futures, Thriving communities

Expertise: I am passionate about creating a greener and more sustainable planet for human, plant, and animal communities

My work on ancient diet and fuel consumption contributes to our understanding of past human/environment relationships and provides future solutions for sustainable food production and consumption. My current AHRC project, Negotiating the Modernity Crisis: Globalization, economic gain and the loss of traditional and sustainable food practices in Turkey (AHRC AH/V000454/1), aims to articulate and find solutions to local and globalising pressures by studying the dynamics of both ancient and modern sustainable foodways in the province of Manisa, and especially the agency of women.

I am also one of the founding members of The Food Group at RHUL where I have co-organised and participated in our two sustainability events, Inedible, Unpalatable and Indigestible and Food and Drink on the Brink. I enjoy discussing and sharing the findings of my research with the public through a variety of media, including blogs and podcasts.

Hyemi Shin

Lecturer in Responsible Management

Themes: Greener futures, Thriving communities

Expertise: Corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability governance, corporate communication, stakeholder engagement

I have worked on exploring corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability as an emerging field at multi-levels as management researcher. My work focuses on how the CSR/ sustainability field has emerged in different contexts by examining CSR/sustainability governance, CSR/sustainability reporting, the role of governments, and professional CSR/sustainability organisations, and how CSR/sustainability professionals work and implement CSR/sustainability policies. My experience includes working with CSR/ sustainability professionals and serving as consultant to business actors (both social enterprises and for-profit organisations) that implement CSR/ sustainability (e.g., UN SDGs) in Slovenia and the UK and as researcher to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to investigate the emergence of the CSR/sustainability function at organisations. I would like to work with various stakeholders that contribute to the field, particularly such as the government, CSR/sustainability professionals, and entrepreneurs.

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David Simon

Professor of Development Geography and Director of External Engagement, School of Life Sciences and Environment

Themes: Greener futures

Expertise: Development–environment relations in theory, policy and practice; cities and climate change; transdisciplinarity; participatory and co-production methods

My abiding concerns focus on understanding the complex interplay between development and environment in diverse contexts and scales, from the global to the local. This is necessarily both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. I have always been passionate about making a positive difference through applications of research ideas and results to policy and practice. Concerns over the limitations of conventional academic research in meeting practical needs, I have in recent years – and especially during and since my period as Director of Mistra Urban Futures (2014-19) – explored the potential of transdisciplinary research teams to engage the beneficiary groups and institutions actively in the research so that it becomes tailored to needs and thus easier to implement the results.

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Laura J Spence

Professor of Business Ethics

Themes: Greener futures, Reducing health inequalities

Expertise: Business ethics, corporate social responsibility, small business social responsibility, sustainability

My research focuses on a range of issues at the intersection of business, society and the environment. In particular I have worked with business intermediaries and policy makers to advise on the small business perspective, such as in the UK parliament, the International Labour Organization, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the United Nations Global Compact.

I would like to deepen these collaborations at the national, European and global levels, for example through the framework of support for NetZero, and continue to influence support for responsible business practice which is relevant to small and medium sized enterprises.

Helen Tregidga

Professor of Accounting

Themes: Greener futures, Biodiversity and natural capital

Expertise: Accountability, stakeholder engagement, sustainability reporting

How we currently live is unsustainable. As a social and environmental accountant I am interested in the role of accounting and accountability practices in contributing to this current unsustainable state, as well as imagining new forms of accounting and accountability practices which might play a role in the transition towards sustainability. I consider both how organisations account for and discharge accountabilities relating to sustainability (oftentimes through reporting), and also what is needed to create action. With this in mind, I am particularly interested in working with academics, social movements and others in countering or resisting organisations in an attempt to advance sustainability.

Prof Sigrun M Wagner

Professor in International Business and Sustainability

Themes: Greener futures, Thriving communities

Expertise: Environmental sustainability for business, carbon literacy training

I’m interested in environmental sustainability for businesses and other organisations. I’m currently a pro bono advisor to a regional creation care action group in London which equips, empowers and inspires church eco-champions through events and communication to work with their communities towards net zero.

In 2021 I introduced carbon literacy training to Royal Holloway and am keen to explore opportunities to offer this in other contexts to work towards greener futures and thriving communities.

Dr Tom Wainwright

Reader in Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Themes: Greener futures, Thriving communities

Expertise: Real-estate and sustainability, entrepreneurship and digital innovation

My work focuses on innovation and the built environment. Both are central to the enablement of thriving communities, and the real-estate sector is increasingly open to disruption in order to become more sustainable and to reduce its carbon impact.

I believe entrepreneurial innovation is key to affecting positive change in the built environment. I often work in partnership with external organisations to contribute to, and influence, ongoing debates and change. In the past, this has included government departments and banks, and more recently, organisations such as the Open Data Institute and Real Estate Data Foundation.