This group includes core academics from across our partner institutions and key stakeholders who are significantly engaged with our major research areas.
Anna Taylor
Executive Director
Food FoundationAnna joined the Food Foundation as its first Executive Director at the beginning of June 2015 after five years at the Department for International Development (DFID). At DFID Anna led the policy team on nutrition and supported the delivery of the UK’s global commitments to tackle undernutrition. Before joining DFID Anna worked for a number of international organisations including Save the Children and UNICEF and has been at the forefront of international leadership on nutrition for several years, supporting programmes in a wide range of contexts in Africa and South Asia. Anna has also worked for the UK Department of Health. In 2014 she was awarded an OBE for her work to address the global burden of undernutrition. She did a MSc in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1994. In May 2017 Anna became a member of the London Food Board to advise the Mayor of London and the GLA on the food matters that affect Londoners. She is a Board member for the Emergency Nutrition Network, the International Food Policy Research Institute based in Washington DC, Veg Power and Biteback 2030. She is currently serving as Chief Independent Adviser to Henry Dimbleby for the development of the National Food Strategy.
Find out more
Professor Kate Pickett
Deputy Director of the Centre for Future Health & Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity
University of YorkKate is Professor of Epidemiology, Deputy Director of the Centre for Future Health and Associate Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity, all at the University of York. She is co-author, with Richard Wilkinson, of The Spirit Level (2009) and The Inner Level (2018). Kate’s research focuses on the social determinants of wellbeing and inequalities.
Follow her at @ProfKEPickett.
Find out more
Professor Peter Ball
Professor of Operations Management
University of YorkPeter Ball is Professor of Operations Management at the University of York Management School where he leads on business and community engagement. He researches at the interface between academia and industry. His passion is addressing research challenges and opportunities in manufacturing, especially sustainability. Peter uses modelling and simulation techniques to understand performance as well as working on practices that underpin performance. Through a management lens, he seeks to understand how processes in industry work and how they can be improved. His work includes circular economy, peer-to-peer learning between companies, barriers and enablers for advance and more generally addressing manufacturing productivity. Beyond FixOurFood, his recent projects include mapping manufacturing food waste in Yorkshire, environmental practice sharing in brewing, digitally enhanced services for domestic appliances to enhance asset life, the development of digital twins in production, developing low cost digital in aquaculture, circularity in low value consumer products and peer-to-peer learning for sustainability practices in the food and drink industry. He is a member of the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding LEP’s Carbon Neutral and Circular Economy Steering Group and Chair of the EPSRC Circular 4.0 Steering Board. He has the privilege of serving on the IET’s Design and Production Sector Executive as their sustainability lead. He has led and supported numerous funded interdisciplinary, multi-university research projects.
Email: peter.ball@york.ac.uk
Find out more
Dr Adrian Williams
Reader in Agri-Environmental Systems
Cranfield UniversityAdrian’s career started with research into waste management and progressed into a wide range of experimentally-based agri-environmental research including: biological treatment systems, silage conservation, gaseous emission measurement and control, and improved manure management methods. He later concentrated on mathematical modelling, initially using process models, leading to work in whole-farm agri-environmental and systems modelling, and environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
After moving to Cranfield, he developed the systems-based LCA work, which expanded rapidly. This addressed subjects from individual commodity production, packaging to extend product life and consumption to livestock health national dietary change. He is part of the team that improved and delivers the UK agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory. More recent work focussed on the LCA of GHG removal (or net emissions technology – NET), particularly soil management, along with contributing to multi criteria assessments of agriculture and the valuation of the environmental impacts of scientific activities.
His research interests include: Development and application of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for agricultural and horticultural commodities and the food system; Whole system agri-environmental modelling, Effects of dietary change on the environment; More environmentally benign waste management; Modelling and measuring ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from agriculture; Multi stakeholder and ecosystem services evaluation; Water use and impacts in agriculture and food.
Find out more
Mark Blakeston
Grow Yorkshire Lead
York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise PartnershipMark is the Grow Yorkshire lead at the York and North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership.
Mark has vast experience in supply chain strategy and providing consultancy for tech businesses. He has held director and MD positions in telecommunications businesses as well as being involved in business start-ups. Mark is a trustee with a local Men in Sheds charity, and is involved in several voluntary organisations including the Driffield Agricultural Society. He is an active Councillor and is currently Deputy Mayor of Driffield (2021/22).
Find out more