Climate Change and Diversity & Inclusion

Dr Komang Ralebitso Senior

Associate Dean (Diversity and Inclusion) for the Faculty of Science and Senior Lecturer in Microbial Ecology, Liverpool John Moores University

Komang is AMI Global Ambassador for the UK and also the current Associate Dean (Diversity and Inclusion) for the Faculty of Science. She oversees the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the University’s EDI Strategy and Action Plan and facilitates and supports the embedding of diversity and inclusion principles into teaching, learning, research and enterprise for an equitable experience for staff and students. Komang has held post-doctoral positions with: BioMEMS Laboratory of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; and NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Oxford (now Wallingford).

As Senior Lecturer in Microbial Ecology, Komang's research interests in microbiome science and technology are to understand and exploit complex interacting microbial communities. This is achieved by applying molecular techniques for the analysis of ecosystems that are impacted by decomposition, biochar, pollutants and waste products.

Professor Laura Bishop

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University

Laura is Professor of Palaeoanthropology and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Science. Her research explores the environmental contexts of the evolution of human behaviour in Africa. She focuses on interpretation of the dynamic aspects of hominin evolution, particularly behaviour and ecology, within accurate environmental settings. She has conducted extensive field research in eastern and southern Africa following initial archaeological training in Europe.

Dr Karin Garrie

Principal Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University

Dr Garrie works together with the Head of Department as part of the departmental management team to implement and deliver key objectives. She leads on the accreditation of eleven Honours courses by the Royal Society of Biology.  Dr Garrie has an interest in transition, integration and successful employment of students during and after their studies with an interest in social mobility and social justice.

Dr Lucy Harper

Chief Executive, Applied Microbiology International

After completing a BSc in Medical Biochemistry at Birmingham University, Lucy worked in hospital laboratories and university departments across the West Midlands. In 2003 she completed a PhD titled: Renal Dopamine and Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and continued her research career, completing several postdoc projects. During this time, she was offered the honorary editorship of Microbiologist magazine and when her postdoc contract ended, she took the position of Communications Officer for Med-Vet-Net, the EU FP6 project on zoonotic disease. Lucy began working for SfAM in June 2006 and in 2010 was awarded an MBA with distinction. Lucy was appointed as Chief Executive of AMI in November 2014.

: @lucyharper

Professor Jason Kirby

Director of the School of Biological and Environmental Science and a Professor in Physical Geography, Liverpool John Moores University

Jason is the Director of the School of Biological and Environmental Science and a Professor in Physical Geography. His research Interests include sea-level changes and coastal evolution, micropalaeontology, sediments in coastal systems, vegetation history, palaeoecology, and the use of fungal spores as indicators of herbivory.

Jason also regularly gives lectures on environmental change and coastal management in the area of physical geography and environmental science.

 

Dr Alice McCloskey

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, Liverpool John Moores University

Dr McCloskey is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics and co-lead of the Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics research group. She is a registered pharmacist of the GPhC and PSNI with a range of experience working across the three main sectors of pharmacy- clinical practice, academia and industry. Upon successful completion of her pre-registration training Dr McCloskey returned to Queen's University Belfast and completed a PhD in pharmaceutics where she developed 'Self-assembled Peptide Nanomaterials for the Prevention of Biomaterial Infection'. This was followed by an industry-academia collaborative post-doc between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI, Dublin) and the Galway-based nebuliser company Aerogen, a global leader in aerosol delivery. 

Professor James McEvoy

Head of Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London

James is the Head of Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has research interests in both microbiology and pedagogy, and is a member of the HUBS Bioscience Awarding Gap network. He has held various leadership roles in teaching and learning at Royal Holloway and is a Senior Fellow of the HEA. James joined Royal Holloway in 2010 from Regis University, a liberal arts college in Denver, Colorado. Before that he was a post-doctoral researcher at Yale University and graduated from the University of Oxford.

Dr Caroline Orr

Associate Professor, Teeside University

Caroline’s expertise and interests include application of microbial ecology theory to a range of diverse environments. Specialising in anaerobic environments, Caroline uses a range of sequencing applications to identify changes in microbial community composition and activity. This information, coupled with studying changes in environmental parameters, gas production and other biotic factors, allows understanding of the impact changing microbial communities have on their environments and vice versa.

Dr Christine Spencer

Tutor in Applied Environmental Geology, Cardiff University

Dr Spencer is a tutor in Applied Environmental Geology and researcher in biogeotechnics at Cardiff University, with expertise in soil mechanics, geomicrobiology and geochemistry. For the past six years Christine's research has focussed on biocementation, as a means of improving properties of geomaterials. 

Dr Anastasios Stavrou

Lecturer in Biocehmistry, Nottingham Trent University

Dr. Anastasios Stavrou is a Lecturer in Biochemistry at Nottingham Trent University. In previous roles he supported EDI teams as an early career researcher representative. He is interested in how diversity can be used to enhance teaching and learning, research and workplace culture, using it as an asset/strength rather than viewing it as a tick-box or an obstacle. Additionally, he is interested in how we can support and give students the keys to their own success.

Dr Gemma Wattret

Senior Lecturer, University of Liverpool, UK

Gemma is a Senior lecturer and the Programme Director for the BSc Microbiology in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool. Gemma is on a Teaching and Scholarship pathway and has experience of teaching across all years of study. Gemma’s research interests are in Skills Development, Inclusivity and Widening Participation.

Professor Caroline Wilkinson

Institutional Lead for Forensic Research Strategy, Liverpool John Moores University

Caroline Wilkinson became the Institutional Lead for Forensic Research Strategy in 2022, after almost 8 years as Director of Liverpool School of Art & Design. Caroline is a chartered forensic anthropologist Level I (craniofacial specialism) by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) and is an experienced forensic practitioner.

Caroline is Director of Face Lab, a LJMU research group that carries out forensic/archaeological research and consultancy work including craniofacial analysis, facial depiction and forensic art. Craniofacial analysis involves the depiction and identification of unknown bodies for forensic investigation or historical figures for archaeological interpretation. Face Lab research relates to facial identification, craniofacial reconstruction, preserved bodies and facial animation.

Caroline is a graduate of the University of Manchester, where she also led the Unit of Art in Medicine 2000-2005 and received a NESTA fellowship to develop a 3D computerised facial reconstruction system for use in forensic and archaeological depiction. In 2014, she moved to LJMU from the University of Dundee, where she was Head of Human Identification in the award-winning Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification. She has a background in art and science and her research sits at the forefront of art-science fusion and includes subjects as diverse as forensic art, human anatomy, medical art, face recognition, forensic science, anthropology, 3D visualisation, digital art and craniofacial identification.