Our people and the pandemic
Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Our people and the pandemic Our people and the pandemic reports on Grantham Centre activities and impact 2020-21 with a focus on our people. Like any other group, we were unevenly affected by the pandemic. Everyone at the University of Sheffield (TUoS) got the work from order in early 2020 (and many are only now returning to campus). For some this was a relief, for example allowing them to manage disabilities better. For others it meant they had no space to work or felt isolated. Parents had no childcare. Some of us had loved ones die or get seriously ill. Many had friends and partners working on the frontline. Our overseas students had to watch from afar as the pandemic hit their home countries. Many had to focus on surviving, but others were able to respond. Like Grantham Scholars Philippa Hughes and Nicole Kennard who worked for a food charity throughout lockdown. Or Rohit Chakraborty who measured air pollution changes. Our Kristin Bash paused her PhD and went back into public health. Centre Director Tony Ryan started a PPE project at Zaatari refugee camp. Our Operations Team moved the Grantham Centre online and worked tirelessly to support the Scholars. Others adapted and kept their research going. Scholars Maria Wang Mei Hua, Oscar Morton and Tavengwa Chitata all published important work in 2020-21. And they weren’t alone, so keep reading to find out what else our people got done during the pandemic.
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Professor Tony Ryan, Centre Director
Professor Tony Ryan OBE in his lab. Photo by Dora Damian.
Tony Ryan has been our director since the beginning of the Grantham Centre. In this role he oversees our strategy, leads on communications for sustainability issues, builds interdisciplinary teams to develop research funding opportunities, as well as supervising a number of Grantham Scholars. Plus he has brought 2 special plastics projects and work at Zaatari refugee camp into the Centre.
Research
Pandemic and PPE
In 2021, Tony published a ‘call to arms’ to researchers on the war of plastics through an invited review on polymer upcycling in the journal Science. In the Nature Reviews, Tony was one of the authors (another being Grantham Scholar Harry Wright) who wrote about hydroponics at the Zaatari refugee camp.
During the pandemic, Tony started the £800k UKRI People’s PPE project, which was reported on in national media. Using the connections of our Zaatari refugee project, the People’s PPE gave people living in Zaatari the opportunity to take on jobs producing reusable masks, shields and gowns.
Tony is co-lead of the Many Happy Returns project, which carries on the work of Plastic: Redefining Single-Use. Keen on outreach, Tony regularly appears in the media. Notably this year he, along with colleague Sarah Greenwood, appeared on the BBC’s Extinction Compendium.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Dr Rachael Rothman, Centre Co-Director
Co-Director Dr Rachael Rothman in her electrochemical engineering lab where she investigates carbon dioxide utilisation.
Dr Rachael Rothman became our co-director in 2020 (she was Associate Director before this) and is a senior lecturer in chemical and biological engineering. Alongside this, she is one of the leads for Many Happy Returns and supervises a number of the Grantham Scholars. Plus she is Academic Lead for Sustainability at TUoS and led development of the University Sustainability Strategy that was launched in November 2020.
Embedding sustainability locally and globally As Academic Lead for Sustainability at TuoS Rachael is pushing through changes to make the university more sustainable from an evidence-based perspective. Currently, the focus is on mapping out scope 3 emissions, sustainable procurement, buildings standards and academic travel. Plus Rachael set the net zero targets for TUoS: to be net zero by 2030 for scope 1 and 2 emissions and by 2038 for scope 3. Regionally, Rachael is working with the South Yorkshire MCA and local authorities to develop a regional net zero strategy. They recently got approval from Research England to submit the full business case for a South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre that aims to provide the evidence base and interdisciplinary collaborations necessary to help South Yorkshire achieve a sustainable future. Nationally, Rachael is a member of the COP26 University Network, a group of universities aiming to influence the key topics of COP26, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and the N8 Net Zero North project.
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Equality, diversity and inclusion Rachael firmly believes that diverse, inclusive teams make the biggest impact towards a sustainable future. In response to the Black Lives Matter movement Rachael worked with Deborah Beck and Grantham Scholars to develop a workshop on co-production which all Scholars now do as part of their training.
Pandemic During the pandemic Rachael juggled home life (she has 2 young children and a hospital doctor husband) with her role at the Centre, her work as Director of Student Support in Chemical Engineering and her sustainability research. As the world moves into a ‘new normal’ she is taking the opportunity for change and initiating reduce-reuse-recycle projects across the university, to embed sustainable thinking in the whole community.
Deborah Beck, Centre Manager
Deborah Beck, Centre Manager. Photo by Dora Damian.
Deborah Beck oversees Grantham Centre operations, coordinates our special projects, the Scholar training programme and Scholar outreach.
Policy Deborah brings policy expertise from her time in the Civil Service to the Centre. For example, Deborah has facilitated a working relationship between the Centre and POST (the UK’s parliament’s inhouse source of analysis). As a result, multiple publications from POST have been authored or added to by Grantham Scholars. Plus Scholars David Rapley, Joe Llanos and Nicole Kennard have been interns or fellows at POST. For Plastics: Redefining Single-Use Deborah cultivated relations with government bodies such as Defra, HM Treasury and BEIS. This led to team members giving expertise on a HM Treasury working group about the taxation of plastics. Additionally Deborah identifies relevant government inquiries and consultations and supports Grantham Scholars and academics to submit responses.
Equality, diversity & inclusion (EDI) Deborah has spearheaded EDI at the Grantham Centre. This was reflected in her choice of theme for our 2020 Symposium: the links between racial and climate justice. Plus Deborah has integrated EDI into Centre operations. For example, all events have a diverse range of speakers and are timed so people with caring responsibilities can take part. EDI is always considered when recruiting staff and students. Recently, Deborah’s EDI work was recognised in a ‘Name & Acclaim’ campaign from TUoS’s Think Ahead team.
In 2020, Deborah, Rachael Rothman and a Scholar set up a ‘decolonising the curriculum’ working group with staff from across TUoS. The group created a workshop which received excellent feedback, and may be rolled out across TUoS.
Hope for the Future Charity HfTF have long provided our Scholars with training in policy influence. In 2020, Deborah became a trustee for HfTF. One result of this is the publication of a report about sustainable cement which a Scholar consulted on (see section on Laura Stefanini). For our 2021 Symposium the HfTF director, Sarah Robinson, will be a panelist.
Pandemic During the pandemic, Deborah provided pastoral support for the Scholars. As her daughter was at university she felt this gave her insight into how the pandemic affected people unequally. Recognising that our people were in a variety of situations, Deborah got in touch with every Grantham Scholar in order to support them as fully as possible. Plus, along with Jana Green, Deborah moved Centre operations online. Everything from team meetings to Scholar training and outreach were re-timetabled and re-imagined so that Scholars still got the most out of their time with us. 5
Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Dr Richard Bruce, Chief Business Advisor
Dr Richard Bruce is our Chief Business Advisor, and a lecturer in Management Accounting and Supply Chains in the Management School. After a successful career in global agri-food supply chains, he joined TUoS in 2012. Alongside his teaching in 2020, Richard was awarded a PhD in supplier-retailer relationships in the UK grocery sector. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.
Dr Richard Bruce, our Chief Business Advisor.
Business relations and the Grantham Ambassadors Richard is secretary to and convenor of the Grantham Ambassadors, whose members include senior colleagues from industry, research and the professions. The Ambassadors are linked to the most appropriate academic department or research institute within TUoS, and contribute to the work of the Centre through participation in projects, giving guest lectures, and mentoring our Scholars. Richard is involved in Many Happy Returns and is associated with a number of sustainability projects for local and national companies keen to improve their environmental and sustainable credentials. Following the publication of a critique of supply chain finance in The Conversation, Richard was invited to give evidence to the Commons Treasury Select Committee, alongside Lords Myners and Macpherson, and was quoted in the final report. He has made a number of appearances on BBC radio talking about supply chain issues.
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Our research stimulation fund Richard manages our entrepreneurial and innovation fund, the GO Fund. The Go Fund is designed to stimulate research that is otherwise difficult to fund. A new round of the fund will be launched in early 2022, offering early stage career researchers and more seasoned campaigners the opportunity to pitch for a share of the fund, or to respond to a call to join an established research team to further develop new ideas.
Pandemic During the pandemic, Richard’s expertise in supply chain management was in great demand and he wrote articles and gave many radio interviews about supply chain issues during this period. In 2020, Grantham Ambassador Chris Tyas was appointed to lead the Defra Food Industry Forum that worked to ensure that food supplies continued to reach the country’s population. Chris Tyas was awarded an OBE in recognition of this work.
Jana Green, Centre Administrator
Jana Green with some of her home grown vegetables. Photo by Jana Green.
Jana Green has been our Centre Administrator for 2 years, joining us a few months before the pandemic started. She’s made a big impact and her role has been upgraded as a result.
Green Impact Gold
Pandemic
Green Impact is a student led organisation that works to encourage people to make their workplaces more sustainable. In 2020, Jana started a Green Impact team with a group of Grantham Scholars. They started two initiatives: to reduce waste on campus and to encourage more people to grow their own food.
Alongside Deborah Beck, Jana worked throughout the pandemic - and especially the UK lockdown - to move Scholar training and outreach activities online. As Scholars tried to adapt and faced a great deal of uncertainty, Jana also provided pastoral and technical support. Plus she undertook technical training to help her deliver high quality and enjoyable online events.
For the food project (SHEFF-Yield), Jana created a website that now has over 4.5k visitors and she set up a series of webinars. For the webinars, Jana made use of expertise within the Grantham Centre and got a range of our people to lead them. Jana also published a blog series with advice on growing food, sustainable food recipes and other information.
Jana says the pandemic brought some positives into her life. Through her Green Impact projects she learnt a lot about growing vegetables, and because of lockdown had the time to do so in her own garden. Plus she got to spend a lot of time with her dog (a work colleague she will dearly miss when she’s back in the office!).
Jana’s projects won a Gold Award from the national Green Impact scheme and Jana herself won a Sustainability Hero Award. 7
Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Claire Moran, Communications Officer Claire Moran, Communications Officer for the Grantham Centre. Photo by Dora Damian.
Claire’s interview series with the Scholars was our most popular content 2020-21 (as it was 2019-2020). Over the last year Claire interviewed Oscar Morton, Philippa Hughes, Maria Wang Mei Hua, Mira Lieberman and alumni Dr Cecilie Dyngeland. Using technical knowledge of content creation, social media and SEO Claire ensures these interviews and our other stories reach a wide audience. As a result, we have thousands of people visit our website and journalists from around the world get in touch to work with us. Plus we have a large global audience, especially in America and Southeast Asia.
Pandemic Claire Moran joined us 4 years ago and has grown both the role communications has within the Centre and its impact. Alongside this, Claire provides one-on-one expert guidance and support to the Scholars as they work with the media or create their own sustainability communications.
As Scholar outreach - such as the 2021 sustainability webinar series and Jana Green’s Green Impact webinars - moved online, audiences grew. Now the videos of these events are on our YouTube channel, broadening our reach. Online events have the added benefit of making our work more accessible to most people. Going forward Claire will try to maximize on lessons learned during the pandemic about remote working and online events to maintain this accessibility.
Professor Bhavani Shankar joins our Management Board Research projects Professor Bhavani Shankar who has recently joined our Management Board.
In 2020, Professor Bhavani Shankar joined our Management Board. Bhavani has expertise in food, health and environmental sustainability. Among other roles, Bhavani is a Professorial Research Fellow in Food and Health at TUoS. Plus he is an editor for PLoS One, review editor for Frontiers in Sustainable Food and serves on the editorial advisory boards of Global Food Security and Food Policy.
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Among a number of externally funded research projects, Bhavani has just completed MINI, a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and DfID. Set in India, Bangladesh and Ghana, MINI looked at how governments can support food markets to deliver healthy and sustainably produced food to the poor. Based on MINI, Bhavani and his team aim to set up a research facility to support government of India policy in this area. Also in policy, Bhavani is part of Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (funded by the Wellcome Trust). This project aims to support policymaking for sustainable food systems in India, South Africa and the UK.
Symposium and the pandemic Bhavani spoke at our 2020 Annual Symposium about global hunger. Linking his work to the pandemic, he explained how Covid-19 had made child hunger worse. Further, a lack of food and nutrition will have a lasting negative impact on those children affected.
Other new members to management board Dr Solomon Brown from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering also joins the management team. And Andrew Harris joins us from TUoS alumni services.
Professor Vanessa Speight Professor Vanessa Speight, from TUoS Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, is an expert on water and sits on our Management Board. She also supervises Grantham Scholars.
How sewage helped during the pandemic
Professor Vanessa Speight is on our Management Board.
At our 2020 Symposium Vanessa presented her latest research on water systems and how it was being used to help pandemic efforts. Specifically, Vanessa worked on techniques to interpret data collected from sewage samples as part of international networks monitoring wastewater to support Covid research. The aim was to identify the level of infection in a community without the need for testing individuals. Her results helped create a more accurate map of how the virus is spread. As part of this Vanessa attended an international summit with the US Water Research Foundation.
Sarah Greenwood: plastics, packaging and reuse Sarah is a packaging technology expert with degrees in Physics and Polymer Science from TUoS. With over 20 years’ experience in the plastics and packaging industries, Sarah joined the Centre as a consultant on Plastics: Redefining Single-Use. After the success of that project, she stayed on for its successor: Many Happy Returns.
Engagement Among other media appearances last year, Sarah appeared on BBC radio (during which the presenter described the Grantham Centre as ‘an X Men mansion for the environmentalists of tomorrow’. And Sarah was interviewed for Plastic and the Pandemic: Consumer Priorities in a Changing World from The Grocer. Plus she spoke at GRIPS (a UKRI, KTN and UK Circular Plastics Network conference) and took part in a video campaign from WRAP.
Sarah Greenwood is a packaging expert and an expert fiddle player.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Many happy returns (for plastic packaging)
The Many Happy Returns team trying out the new reuse system on TUoS campus. Photo by Thomas Webb.
In 2020 we announced our new plastics project, Many Happy Returns (MHR). This £1.2 million project is funded by UKRI as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. MHR seeks to enable reusable packaging systems.
Reuse and plastic waste
Stakeholders and outreach
Recycling has become the norm for addressing plastic waste, but reuse is often more sustainable. As a result, MHR explores ways to keep packaging material in circulation for as long as possible.
MHR has stakeholders across industry, food production and supermarkets. Together with a major UK supermarket they have produced a Life Cycle Assessment of the differences between plastic and paper bags.
Experts from across TUoS will explore the role of language in encouraging reuse and the technical and scientific basis for making reusable packaging. Plus they are working closely with manufacturers, designers, brand owners, retailers and policy makers.
The team have also worked with WRAP to produce a series of films about plastic packaging and are part of the UK Plastics Pact.
Publication
To learn more about the potential of reuse systems for takeaway food and drinks, academics from MHR are working with campus cafes. As a result, TUoS is now trialling a system from VYTAL that allows people to reuse containers for takeaway. If successful, it will be extended.
In July 2021, the team published their 1st paper: Many Happy Returns: Combining insights from the environmental and behavioural sciences to understand what is required to make reusable packaging mainstream. The paper found that reusable containers outperform single-use plastic containers on most measures of environmental impact. However, people prefer recycling to reuse.
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Reuse on TUoS campus
Milking sustainability TUoS is set to significantly reduce its plastic waste by 87,000 single-use bottles per year, by switching to milk churns from a local dairy farm to supply its cafes on campus. This project began life during a meet up of our Plastics: Redefining Single-Use team and stakeholders.
Kristin Bash: Grantham Scholar returns to public health during the pandemic
Grantham Scholar Kristin Bash who paused her PhD to work in public health during the pandemic.
School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR)
Kristin Bash researches public health interventions aimed at the reduction of meat consumption within lower socioeconomic groups. This work reflects her dedication to work that looks at links between food, health and the environment.
Public health and the pandemic
Food systems
Kristin has a professional background in public health, and during the pandemic she paused her PhD to work as a public health consultant for what is now the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) (previously Public Health England).
While away from her PhD, Kristin has continued her work with food systems and strategy. Within her role at OHID she has overseen the development of a healthier and resilient food network across Yorkshire and Humber.
As a public health consultant with the Yorkshire and Humber Health and Wellbeing Team, Kristin helped to support the response to Covid and its impacts on health inequalities across a range of areas, and supported the delivery of Covid updates to regional partner organisations.
This network brings together public health practitioners and food partnerships from across the region to support and facilitate development of local food strategies across a range of issues, including food insecurity and sustainability. Kristin also chairs the Faculty of Public Health’s Food Special Interest Group, which provides expertise and advocacy for issues related to the overlap between food systems and population health.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Nicole Kennard: pickles, policy and the pandemic
Grantham Scholar Nicole Kennard volunteering at Foodhall during the UK lockdown. Photo credit Nina Weatherburn.
Grantham Scholar Nicole Kennard researches the sustainability and resiliency of urban food systems. Alongside her research, Nicole has taken up policy opportunities within the Grantham Centre and volunteer work at a local charity. Somehow she even found time to set up a not-for-profit business.
Pandemic and food poverty Nicole and fellow Scholar Philippa Hughes volunteer at Foodhall, a community kitchen in Sheffield. In response to food shortages experienced by many vulnerable people during the pandemic, Foodhall transformed into a delivery system. Meals were prepared onsite and delivered across Sheffield, usually by bike. Presenting at the 2020 Symposium, Nicole drew attention to the social side of Foodhall’s work: many users of Foodhall reported no other human contact than the volunteers during lockdown.
UK parliament fellowship In October 2021, Nicole completed a fellowship at POST (UK parliament’s source of analysis of public-policy issues). While at POST Nicole wrote a parliamentary briefing about pesticides, health and regulation in post-Brexit Britain. 12
For this work she gathered evidence from government departments and expert committees, regulatory agencies, academics, NGOs, and industry groups. One of the largest reports of its kind, Nicole has been interviewed by the BBC about this work and it has been reported in local and national papers. During her fellowship, Nicole also worked with the House of Commons Library to respond to enquiries from MPs on specific scientific topics.
Pickle business In 2020, Nicole co-created Social Pickle, which connects people with the joys of foraging, fermenting and pickling. This venture uses local, surplus or foraged food from Sheffield. Each product also showcases a Sheffield artist. All profits from Social Pickle’s flexible pricing system go to Foodhall.
Rohit Chakraborty: air pollution, lockdown and the media
Grantham Scholar Rohit Chakraborty and his air pollution sensors. Photo by Dora Damian.
Grantham Scholar Rohit Chakraborty researches air pollution and creates low-cost air pollution sensors. Since September 2020, Rohit has been part of a collaboration with Doncaster and Rotherham councils to monitor air pollution during school run - one of the biggest studies on this type of pollution. He has also worked with the Department of Digital, Cultural, Media and Sport (a Ministerial department of the UK government) to assess the safety of indoor events. This is a big study across multiple universities for which Rohit deployed sensors, as well as site monitoring and analysis.
Sheffield:Air For Sheffield:Air Rohit brought together air quality enthusiasts and researchers from public health, engineering, natural and social sciences to collaborate on world-class research. For this project, Rohit has created a website that displays live air quality readings for Sheffield.
In the media Rohit’s research is providing data driven insight into pollution caused by using wood stoves, both inside the home and in the surrounding community, and this has gained a lot of media attention. And during the pandemic, Rohit was in demand to speak about the results of his measurements of air pollution changes during lockdown. Over the last year Rohit has been on major UK TV shows and channels, such as the BBC’s One Show and ITV news. And he’s been interviewed and quoted in national newspapers such as The Guardian and The Daily Mail.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Grantham Scholar Maria Wang Mei Hua is rethinking rubber
Grantham Scholar Maria Wang Mei Hua on TUoS campus. Photo by Dora Damian.
In early 2021, Maria Wang Mei Hua worked with the NGO Mighty Earth to create a report on agroforestry. This report demonstrated that rubber agroforestry is more sustainable than industrial plantations. Plus agroforestry has the capacity to withstand shocks to the market and climate change.
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Sustainability at TUoS
Pandemic
For many years, Maria has been fundamental to sustainability efforts at the TUoS. She was one of a group of Scholars whose work became the basis of the TUoS Sustainability Strategy. And she was a member of the Energy Switch Group, which successfully campaigned for a switch to green energy.
The pandemic meant Maria’s plans to do fieldwork in her home country in Malaysia were cancelled, which prevented her from fulfilling her ambition to support sustainability efforts on the ground. Now that she is close to finishing her PhD, she plans to make up for this missed opportunity after she climbs the tallest mountain in Malaysia.
Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez helps children to breathe
Grantham Scholar Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez measuring air pollution in Sheffield town centre. Photo by Dora Damian.
Grantham Scholar Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez is lead researcher on BREATHE, a project that uses nature based solutions to protect children from air pollution. Originally from Mexico City, Maria was inspired to work on air pollution mitigation due to her own childhood experiences when air pollution levels were so high children had to stay indoors. For BREATHE, Maria has created a living wall of plants wrapped around playgrounds in Sheffield and Buenos Aires. In 2020 Maria published findings from this work that showed how effective plants can be at mitigating air pollution, both physically and chemically. Maria was also one of the 5 Scholars published in Springer’s Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. BREATHE has won awards, and during the last year Maria has been interviewed by the BBC and CNBC.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Oscar Morton and wildlife trade controversy
Grantham Scholar Oscar Morton was thrust into the limelight in 2020 when he published a meta-analysis of wildlife trade sustainability research. Contrary to what some conservationists argue, Oscar’s work showed there isn’t enough evidence to say if wildlife trade is sustainable or not. There is, in fact, a shocking lack of data about the impacts of wildlife trade. This work was picked up by newspapers in the UK such as The Guardian and the Daily Mail. In an interview with us, Oscar also explained how should wildlife trade be banned, some of the world’s most vulnerable people would be badly impacted. Further, bans on wildlife trade can result in land clearance and subsequent losses for biodiversity.
Opportunities in the pandemic Oscar’s wildlife trade meta-analysis wouldn’t have happened if not for the pandemic, which prevented Oscar from doing fieldwork. Instead, he worked on his metaanalysis of existing data, showing that travel isn’t always necessary for ground-breaking work. Oscar also adopted a dog during lockdown as he and his partner now both work from home.
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More publications and outreach In 2020, Oscar also published a paper that showed how implementing forest restoration and protection schemes can secure a trifecta of successes. These are increased carbon storage, maintained habitats and increased income security for rural smallholders. Oscar was part of our Scholar outreach webinars program in 2021. Together with other Scholars he helped create an online seminar and discussion about soil health featuring experts and a live audience.
Dr Cecilie Dyngeland: social protection and policy
Grantham Scholar Dr Cecilie Dyngeland on fieldwork with smallholders in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
In 2014, Cecilie Dyngeland was in the first cohort of Grantham Scholars. Her research focused on Brazilian smallholders, food security and policy and after she completed her PhD she continued working in this area. We stayed in touch with Cecilie, and in 2020 she approached us for funding. The result was one of the largest studies on the sustainability implications of social protection. And Cecilie also worked with us and the University of Manchester to write a policy brief on the same subject.
Policy
Future forests
Importantly, Cecilie’s study demonstrates that social protection programs can have unintended environmental consequences that aren’t taken into account because the program is only evaluated around its main goal. Further, negative environmental consequences are more likely to impact poorer people (the people that social protection programs are usually put in place to help). To mitigate this, Cecilie recommends that policy makers should take all SDGs into account when drawing up policy in any one area.
In 2021, Cecilie became part of TaigaClimate, a research project about future forests led by Inland Norway University of Life Sciences. Plus she is a member of the Grazing in Carnivore Forests project which looks at the sustainable production of food, timber and biodiversity.
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
More from the Grantham Scholars
Tavengwa receives his award for Outstanding Oral Presentation by a Young Water Scientist.
Tavengwa Chitata As well as publishing 7 papers since our last Annual Report, Tavengwa was awarded Outstanding Oral Presentation by a Young Water Scientist at the 20th Waternet/WAFSA/ GWP-SA Symposium held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Marta Crispo Marta is a student commissioner with the EAUC climate commission. Together they have created a student statement to present at COY (the official route for youth representation at COP26). The statement includes 9 demands to address sustainability issues within the education sector. Marta has also had 2 soil science papers published this year.
Manasi Mulay Manasi wrote a blog about student life during the pandemic, which was widely read. She was also part of our award-winning Green Impact team and has been published this year. Manasi is one of the Scholars going to COP26.
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Murk Memon, Florentine Weber and Phebe Linette Bonilla Prado All 3 were featured in a series of films from Curious Earth. The films showcased 20 female scientists and asked them, ‘what advice would you give your younger self?’. Florentine and Phebe were both part of our Green Impact team. As part of her 4th year placement Phebe Linette Bonilla Prado worked at Research Retold where she collaborated on a visual summary about the end-of-life of wind farms. Plus she helped create ‘breathable homes’ about indoor ventilation as a link between health and reducing CO2 emissions. Florentine Weber was highlighted in Physikerin der Woche (female physicist of the week), an important initiative for women in STEM by the German Physical Society.
Jocelyne S Sze In August 2021, Jocelyne presented the work of her multiinstitutional team that estimates the costs of a global Conservation Basic Income at Post-growth Perspectives on Biodiversity Conservation organised by the University of Amsterdam. Jocelyne also helped create the webinar What lies beneath? The hidden world in soil that feeds our planet for our Scholar outreach program 2021.
Vibhuti Patel, Martin Appleby and Nicole Kennard
Suma Mani, David Rapley and Joe Llanos
All 3 have chapters in the prestigious Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals from Springer. They join Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez and George Asiamah who were published in the encyclopedia in 2019.
All contributed to policy influence through their work at POST (see section on Nicole Kennard for more on POST). Suma Mani contributed to a POSTnote which summarises sustainability issues around the creation of woods in the UK. Plus she will be one of the Scholars attending COP26 in 2021. David Rapley is about to begin a placement at POST. And Joe Llanos wrote a POSTnote on the UK food system.
Laura Stefanini Laura worked with the charity Hope For The Future (HfTF) to produce a policy brief that looks at decarbonising cement production. HfTF are experts in working with the public to influence and inform their MPs on climate change.
Dr Monica Ortiz Grantham Scholar and alumni Dr Monica Ortiz is an interdisciplinary researcher on climate change and food security. In 2021 Monica became part of the Manila Observatory team as a Senior Research Fellow. Also in 2020, Monica returned (virtually) to the Centre to talk to current Scholars about her experiences since leaving the Grantham Centre. This was part of a series of events to keep past Scholars involved in the Centre. Other alumni who took part in these events were Emma Stevens, Fiona Graham, James Thackery, and Rob Hardie.
Dr Emanga Alobwede Grantham Scholar Vibhuti Patel is the 5th Scholar to be published in Springer’s Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
It was a late holiday present for the whole Grantham Centre team to see Grantham alumni Dr Emanga Alobwede on BBC’s flagship documentary series Horizon in January 2021. For the programme, Emanga explained her research on reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers and improving degraded soils using algae.
Grantham alumni Emanga Alobwede on the BBC’s Horizon.
Grantham Scholar Martin Appleby
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Grantham Centre for Sustainable Future
Our people at COP26 All eyes will be on the UK in November 2021 as COP26 takes place in Glasgow. Already controversial (the UK government has been accused of failing their own sustainability pledges) this COP will be pivotal in the global response to the climate and biodiversity crisis. As in previous years, we’re an official NGO observer for UNFCCC COPs on behalf of TUoS. We’re sending seven Grantham Scholars to COP: Manasi Mulay, Suma Mani, Charles Gillott, Mary Eliza, Maria Wang Mei Hua, Reena Sayani and David Rapley. They represent the fields of built environment, agroforestry, agriculture, energy and soil health.
Plus our director Tony Ryan will be going to take part in the science & innovation session: Innovating to tackle climate change – how science can deliver a decarbonised society. This session has been arranged by Reckitt and will look at the role manufacturers can play in influencing consumers in the products they purchase.
Mary Eliza is one of the Grantham Scholars going to COP26 in Glasgow.
Manasi Mulay is another of our official observers at COP26.
‘I never dreamed I’d get to go to COP, so having this chance is exciting. I am looking forward to using all the different training I’ve had from the Grantham Centre to make the most of it. As a sustainability researcher I need to know how the policy landscape works so I can be more effective’ Mary Eliza
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‘We know how to build better now, but we don’t do it. We’re still just throwing up concrete and steel as we always have. Which is why we need to make a noise about this during COP. For that week, people are more susceptible to these suggestions than they might otherwise be the rest of the time.’ Charles Gillott
‘I am looking forward to hearing from leaders of developing countries (from both government and civil societies). Their needs for finance, past experiences and future opportunities for sustainable development while managing growing economies.’ Reena Sayani
‘I am sceptical that there will be a meaningful change in world leaders’ approach to negotiating (their way out of) climate action commitments. So I’m putting my faith in the people, young and old, who are united in mobilizing for climate action.’ Maria Wang Mei Hua
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Annual Symposium 2020: Racial justice, Covid and the SDGs
Some of our speakers for the Annual Symposium including: Charise Johnson from the British Academy, Olympian Dame Sarah Storey and Grantham Scholar Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez.
Every year our Symposium showcases sustainability research at TUoS, the work of the Grantham Scholars, and invites special guests to talk about the year in sustainability. In 2020 speakers included Former Lord Mayor of Sheffield and world-famous activist Magid Magid; Charise Johnson from the British Academy; and Olympian Dame Sarah Storey OBE. Held online due to lockdown, the pandemic’s impact on sustainability was of course a talking point at the Symposium. However, Covid was only one of the seismic events of 2020 and racial justice was our major theme. During his closing talk, Magid Magid summed up the overall message of the symposium: ‘We need everyone to understand that our racial inequality crisis is intertwined with our climate crisis.’ At the Symposium, Grantham Scholars Naomi Oates, Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez, Nicole Kennard and Philippa Hughes all presented their research. They were joined by Richard Bruce (our Chief Business Advisor), Bhavani Shankar and Vanessa Speight (from our Management Board) and various Grantham supervisors.
Grantham Scholar Naomi Oates presented her work on the politics of water.
Opportunities from the pandemic Though some missed the opportunity to meet physically for the Symposium, holding it online meant our people could join us from all over the world. It also broadened accessibility to the event, as people did not have to travel and could attend alongside other commitments. In 2021 we will have a hybrid Symposium - both online and in person to retain this improved accessibility. Magid Magid was one of our keynote speakers.
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Find out more Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures The University of Sheffield 40 Leavygreave Road Sheffield S3 7RD United Kingdom grantham.sheffield.ac.uk grantham@sheffield.ac.uk /granthamcsf @granthamcsf