Welcome to the Walker Update, bringing you up to speed with our latest news.
Events
Convergence 2025
The end of March brought the commencement of the 2nd edition of Convergence, a cultural initiative fostering dialogue among people from diverse backgrounds at the Corpus Christi College in Oxford.
The Walker Institute Director, prof. Rosalind Cornforth, joined a panel discussion alongside Prof Sir Brian Hoskins FRS, and Dr Ben Wilson with the title: Nothing in this world is indifferent to us: the quest for an integral ecology. The session explored the human dimension of climate change and fostered valuable discussions.
| Find out more |
Research Networks
UK-Central Asia Research Network
The UK-Central Asia Research Network , initiated by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, aims to enhance collaboration among researchers from the UK and Central Asian countries to address the climate-water-energy-food nexus. Central Asia faces significant challenges due to water scarcity and climate change, necessitating cross-disciplinary research and collaboration.
The Walker Institute is proud to host this network with Walker Associate Maria Shahgedanova acting as point of contact. This network aims to offers resources for ongoing projects, new opportunities, and connections among researchers and institutions.
| Read more |
Himalayan University Consortium 18th Anniversary
We congratulate the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) on their 18th anniversary!
As part of the “My Climate Risk” initiative, the Walker institute are actively collaborating with the Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) to address climate resilience and sustainable development in the Himalayan region..
| Find out more |
Assoc. Prof., Dr. Yan Ren
Assoc. Prof., Dr. Yan Ren, a Himalayan University Consortium (HUC) Fellow is a Visiting Scholar here at the Walker Institute and has written a blog about her experiences at the institute. She shares some of her highlights including her work with COPCAS.
Yan joins our new HUC-Walker Women Leaders in Science Interdisciplinary Network set up to promote global mobility and exchange of early-mid career scholarship between the Hindu Kush Himalaya and the University of Reading’s MCR Global Regional Hub at the Walker Institute
| Read her blog here |
Community
‘My Climate Risk’ Community
The Early Career Researcher group is excited to announce a presentation series organised by the WCRP lighthouse activity My Climate Risk and the Young Earth System Scientists community, which will take place over the next couple of months under the title of “Bottom-up methods for climate information”.
The purpose of this seminar series is to bring together different approaches and methods implemented in MCR hubs across different disciplines.
MCRILG April Session
Solar power feeling the heat: How solar power efficiency is declining due to climate change ️?
In our upcoming MCRILG, we are looking forward to welcoming Assoc. Prof., Dr. Emmanuel Essah and exploring together the paradox on how solar energy offers significant potential to reduce emissions and combat climate change, whilst its effectiveness could be undermined by the changing climate, that it seeks to address.
| Read more |
Walker Associate Highlight: Emmanuel Essah
Assoc. Prof., Dr. Essah, is the Interim Head of the School of Construction Management and Engineering.
His professional journey reflects a significant dedication to advancing the application of sustainable energy practices and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between academia and industry.
His research interests encompass optimizing the application of Photovoltaic systems in the built environment, energy management in buildings, indoor environmental quality, and the impact of Biophilia on occupants’ wellbeing.
Emmanuel will be discussing some of his work as part of the April MCRILG Session: Solar power feeling the heat: How solar power efficiency is declining due to climate change.
If you are interested in partnering with the Walker Institute as an Associate, please contact, Konstantina Pratta on k.pratta@reading.ac.uk
What happened across the world this week?
Prof Virginia Murray and her team at Public Health England have produced the weekly Global Hazards Weekly Bulletin, archived by Prof Richard Allan.
All the best!
The Walker Institute Team