Our Team

Meet the people that make the Walker Institute what it is.

Our people come from a wide range of backgrounds and areas of expertise, but they all have one thing in common. They’re committed to using scientific research to help the people who are most at risk from the impacts of climate change.

Walker Core Team

Rosalind Cornforth

Rosalind Cornforth

Walker Institute Director

Celia Petty

Celia Petty

Strategic Livelihoods Lead

Pen Cabot

Pen Cabot

Business Development Director

Ted Shepherd

Ted Shepherd

Grantham Professor of Climate Science

Marah McGuire

Marah McGuire

Operations Support Officer

Harley Pope

Harley Pope

Research Fellow and Walker Academy Lead

Konstantina Pratta

Konstantina Pratta

Walker Academy Support Coordinator/Facilitator

Elena Saggioro

Elena Saggioro

Research Fellow

Cathie Wells

Cathie Wells

Research Fellow

Research Students

Will Shields

Will Shields

Research Student - PhD - EITTA Programme

Fiona Spuler

Fiona Spuler

Research Student

Robert Muthami

Robert Muthami

Research Student - PhD in Law - EITTA Programme

Ambassadors and Associates

Andrew Ainslie

Andrew Ainslie

Associate Professor - Agriculture and Development

Peter Gibbs

Peter Gibbs

Chair of Board. Former BBC Weather Forecaster & Journalist

Andrew Bennett

Andrew Bennett

President of the Tropical Agricultural Association

Virginia Murray

Virginia Murray

Consultant in Global Disaster Risk Reduction at Public Health England

Aondover Tarhule

Aondover Tarhule

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Illinois State University

Lord Crisp

Lord Crisp

Co-Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health & Former CEO of NHS

Aida Opoku-Mensah

Aida Opoku-Mensah

Former UN Economic Commission for Africa Chief of Staff to the Executive Secretary & Special Advisor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ICT

Manuela Gonzalez-Suarez

Manuela Gonzalez-Suarez

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Vanessa Lawrence

Vanessa Lawrence

Former Director General and CEO, Ordnance Survey, Great Britain’s national mapping agency working globally in the application of Space, Geospatial and AI

Chris Hilson

Chris Hilson

Professor of Law

Valerio Lucarini

Valerio Lucarini

Professor of Statistical Mechanics

Lisa Methven

Lisa Methven

Professor of Food and Nutritional Sciences

John Methven

John Methven

Professor of Atmospheric Dynamics - Meteorology

Richard Nunes

Richard Nunes

Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design

Deepa Senapathi

Deepa Senapathi

Senior Research Fellow - Sustainable Land Management

Joy Singarayer

Joy Singarayer

Professor of Palaeoclimatology - School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences, University of Reading

Stefan Thor Smith

Stefan Thor Smith

Associate Professor in the School of Construction Management and Engineering & Research Division Lead - School of the Built Environment, University of Reading

Karen Lawrence

Karen Lawrence

HR Advisor

Ashley Burke

Ashley Burke

International Partnership Manager

Emma Robinson

Emma Robinson

Research Accountant

Anne-Marie West

Anne-Marie West

Finance Business Partner