Professor Louise Heathwaite CBE
Biography
Louise Heathwaite is a hydrochemist who combines field and geospatial modelling research to understand the environmental impact of land use on freshwater quality. Her work on nutrient runoff from agricultural land informs our understanding of eutrophication in rivers and underpins diffuse pollution models worldwide.
She is a distinguished professor in the Lancaster Environment Centre and is currently executive chair of the Natural Environment Research Council and chair of the Science Advisory Council of the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). She previously served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Scottish Government for Rural Affairs, Food and Environment.
Louise originally graduated from the University of East Anglia with a first-class degree in Environmental Sciences and has a PhD in Hydrochemistry from Bristol University. She was awarded a CBE in 2018 for services to scientific research and scientific advice to government. She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2023 and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2015.
Professional position
- Distinguished Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
- Executive Chair, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Chair, Science Advisory Council
The Science Advisory Council (SAC)’s chair is responsible for:
- providing expert independent advice to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s Chief Scientific Adviser
- helping to guide Defra’s scientific priorities and planning