Transparency data

Defra’s Science Advisory Council: register of interests 2023 to 2024

Updated 26 February 2024

This register records declarations made by members in respect of interests they have that are relevant to the remit of Defra’s Science Advisory Council (SAC).

There is also an opportunity for SAC members to declare, at the beginning of a meeting, any conflict of interests relating to meeting agenda items. Members will withdraw from discussion of matters in which they feel that they cannot act impartially. Where this occurs, it will be reflected in the official record of the meeting.

The guidance by which SAC members have provided information on their interests is included below. The SAC Secretariat will review and maintain the register on a regular basis, publishing revised details on the SAC website as they occur.

Professor Louise Heathwaite (Chair)

• University of Lancaster (current employer)
• Pro-vice-chancellor Research and Enterprise, Lancaster University since 2019
• Fellow of the Royal Society 2023 (elected)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 2015 (elected)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology 2009 (invited)
• Member of the Royal Society Global Environment Research Committee since 2019
• Director, Lancaster University Business Enterprises Ltd since 2019

Professor Richard Bardgett

• University of Manchester (current employer)
• President of British Ecological Society (2017 to 2019)
• Member Academia Europaea 2015 (elected)
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand 2006 (elected)
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology 2011 (invited)
• Journal of Ecology, Executive Editor since 2020
• Member Royal Society’s Newton International Fellowships Committee since 2019, International Exchanges Review Committee since 2017, and Biological Sciences Grants Panel since 2014
• Chair, BBSRC Biological Diversity Expert Working Group (2023 to present)
• Former Chair BBSRC Committee E (2013 to 2018) and member BBSRC Research Advisory Panel (2013 to 2018)
• Former member UK Status, Change and Projections of the Environment Programme Advisory Group (2021 to 2023) and Board of Directors Rothamsted Research (2009 to 2019)
• Holder of grants from NERC, BBSRC and ERC
• Previous employers: University of Lancaster

Professor Lisa Collins

• University of Surrey (current employer)
• Pro Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation, University of Surrey since 2023
• Director, University of Surrey Seed Fund since 2023
• Director, Innovate Surrey Ltd since 2024
• Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (invited) since 2016
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (invited) since 2016
• Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (elected) since 2020
• Trustee of the British Society of Animal Science since 2023
• Member of the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre Board since 2022
• Member of the Finance Committee for the Learned Society of Wales since 2021
• Member of the BBSRC Committee E since 2018
• Member of the RESAS Scientific Advisory Board since 2022
• Current funding from BBSRC, EU
• Previous employers: University of Oxford, Compassion in World Farming, Queens University Belfast, University of Lincoln UK, University of Leeds

Professor Peter Cox

• University of Exeter (current employer)
• Holder of grants from NERC, EU, ERC
• Current and recent committee service for NERC Science Board, Max Planck Institute Meteorology, Research Excellence Framework 2014 panel for Unit of Assessment 7, former co-chair of Analysis Integration and Modelling of the Earth System project of Future Earth
• Lead-author on IPCC 4th, 5th, and 6th Assessment Reports (Working Group 1)
• Previous employers: NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Met Office

Professor Lin Field

• Rothamsted Research (Emeritus Fellow)
• University of Nottingham (Honorary Professorship, School of Life Sciences)
• Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society
• Fellow of the Society of Biology
• Member of BBSRC Committee E

Professor Rosemary Hails

• National Trust (current employer)
• University of Exeter Honorary Chair
• University of Cranfield Honorary Chair
• Research and co-ordination currently funded by NERC, BBSRC, AHRC, ESRC
• Recent Committee work for Defra: Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (chair until 2019); for NERC: Science Board; for UKRI: Global Challenge Research Fund; for the British Ecological Society (Vice President, Chair of grants committee)
• Membership of Societies: British Ecological Society; Royal Entomological Society; Royal Society of Biology (Fellow)
• Previous employers: Imperial College, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
• Chair of the Biodiversity Expert Committee for Defra

Professor Nick Hanley

• University of Glasgow (current employer)
• Holder of current research grants from the Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, ESRC, MRC, NERC and BBSRC
• Working with EFTEC on current project for DEFRA on economic benefits of biodiversity conservation
• Member of advisory group, Scottish Biodiversity Programme Board, Nature Scot
• Editor, Ecological Economics
• Assistant editor, Resource and Energy Economics; Q Open
• Memberships (work): European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Agricultural Economics Society
• Memberships (personal): John Muir Trust, National Trust for Scotland
• Previous employers: Universities of St Andrews, Stirling, and Edinburgh

Professor Rowland Kao

• University of Edinburgh (current employer)
• Research funded by BBSRC, ESRC, NERC, DFID, Defra, Scottish Government
• Contributor to the Defra Animal Health Modelling Services framework
• Member of SPI-M (the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Modelling Group, currently advising UKHSA)
• Member of the scientific advisory board for the APHA led Genomics for Animal and Plant Disease Centre
• Member of the Bovine Tb Partnership
• Previous employers: University of Glasgow (Associate Academic)

Professor Susan Owens

• Professor of Environment and Policy (Emerita), University of Cambridge, Department of Geography
• Fellow Emerita, Newnham College, Cambridge
• Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS)
• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)
• Chair, Social Science Expert Group (Defra SAC sub-group) from 2021 (member since 2015)
• Independent member of the Board, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) from 2023
• Chair, Programme Advisory Board, ESRC ACCESS project (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science) from 2022
• Member, Evidence Advisory Board, Natural Resources Wales from 2020
• Chair, Science Advisory Council, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) from 2015 (member since 2012)
• Member, Management Board, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge from 2014
• Previous Defra-related commitments: member of Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (2013 to 2022) and Independent Review Panel on Highly Protected Marine Areas (2019 to 2020)

Professor Felix Eigenbrod

• University of Southampton (current employer)
• Holder of grants from ERC and EPSRC
• Member of Defra Environmental Land Management Modelling Expert Panel (E.L.M. MEP)
• Member of XR Scientists, the Extinction Rebellion science community
• Holder of grants from NERC and EPSRC and ESRC; past holder of grants from ERC and UKRI

Professor Marian Scott

• University of Glasgow (current employer)
• Research funded by EPSRC, NERC
• Fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh (elected)
• Chartered statistician and member of the Royal Statistical Society
• Chair of the EU Scientific Committee on Health , Environment and Emerging risks (SCHEER) (renumerated)
• Member of the NatureScot Science Advisory Committee (renumerated)
• Former member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Former non-executive director James Hutton Institute
• Member of the UKRI UK-SCAPE advisory board
• Board member of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences
• Member UKRI NERC Net zero Digital Research Infrastructure steering group
• Member of the NERC Science committee
• Co-chair of the UKRI-NERC digital research infrastructure group

Annex A

Guidance for SAC members

It is your responsibility to ensure that your entry in the SACs register of members’ interests is accurate and up-to-date.

You should declare any financial or other interests, or any personal connections that arise during your term of appointment including those that could be seen as providing a conflict of interest – real or perceived – between your public duties and private interests.

When considering what interests should be declared, you should ask yourself whether a member of the public, acting reasonably, would consider that the interest in question might influence your words, actions, or decisions. The examples given below are not exhaustive.

SAC member interests may relate to

Financial interests

These can include:

• directorships
• shares or share options
• consultancies
• research grants and fee-paid work. In particular, the following should be declared:
• current research commissioned directly by Defra for which you are Principal or co-investigators
• current applications for research commissioned directly by Defra for which you are Principle or co-investigators

Non-financial interests

These can include non-financial private links with outside organisations or a high level of political activity. 

Additional examples include:

• current positions in your institution that could benefit from information gained through the SAC
• current positions in the wider research community that could benefit from information gained through the SAC
• research interests of close family or colleagues who may benefit from information gained in SAC discussion
• board positions with other organisations that might be influenced, or influence information gathered from and shared with the SAC