Core team

Kathryn Arnold
Project Lead
Professor of Ecology and Environmental Management at the University of York with over 20 years’ experience spanning academia, policy, and applied research. She leads the YCEDE consortium’s work on inclusive doctoral education and has a strong track record in mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and developing pathways into environmental research.
Alison Dyke
Project Co-Lead
Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) York, specialising in political ecology, citizen science evaluation, and the integration of social values into environmental governance. Her work bridges research, policy, and practice, with a focus on strengthening public participation in biodiversity monitoring and environmental decision-making.
Sarah Veale
Project Manager / Research Associate
With expertise in food, health, inequality, and sustainability, she specialises in qualitative research and plays a central role in project management, administration, and logistics to ensure effective collaboration and delivery across the project.
Luqman Muraina
Research Associate
With a background in critical qualitative research and decolonisation studies, his work examines alternative development epistemologies in Nigerian universities to rethink teaching and learning beyond Eurocentric frames. Within the project, he specialises in qualitative methods and contributes to analysis and delivery across activities.
Smriti Safaya
Research Associate
An interdisciplinary social scientist with two decades of experience in experiential education pedagogy in international schools and universities, citizen science and public engagement. As a research associate at the Stockholm Environment Institute (York), she works on projects which have tangible socio-environmental impact at the heart of their research objectives.
Katy Brooke
Project Coordinator
Project Coordinator at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in York, supporting delivery of CAREERS by helping to organise meetings, workshops and events, administering project finance and expenses, supporting students and interns with travel and logistics, and liaising with NERC and project partners.

Leadership

Ayo Barley
EDI Specialist
Leading race equity strategy and inclusive hiring practices.
Gemma Harper
Chief Executive at JNCC
Overseeing national environmental policy and biodiversity evidence.
Niki Newton
Senior Biodiversity Evidence Specialist
Part of the JNCC’s Ecosystem Analysis team.
Donald Palmer
Associate Professor at Royal Veterinary College
Co-founded Reach Society & Minoritised in Life Sciences
Michael Pocock
UKCEH’s Public Engagement lead
Expert in citizen science campaign design.
Parvathy Venugopal
Bat Conservation Trust Coordinator
Specialising in biomonitoring, community science and citizen science.
Yash Wilson
Undergraduate Environmental Geography Student
Member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Board.

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Department of Environment and Geography
University of York
Heslington
York
YO10 5NG

Funded by

This project is supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) as part of its commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in environmental research.

Note: We use the terms People of Colour and Students of Colour respectfully, while recognising the limitations and complexities of these terms. We value the importance of acknowledging, respecting, and celebrating the cultural and ethnic identities of individuals within the broad categories they describe.