Transparency data

Defra’s Science Advisory Council: register of interests 2024 to 2025

Updated 16 May 2025

© Crown copyright 2025

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sac-register-of-members-interests/defras-science-advisory-council-register-of-interests-2024-to-2025

This register records declarations made by members about interests relevant to the work of Defra’s Science Advisory Council (SAC).

There is also an opportunity for SAC members to declare, at the beginning of a meeting, any conflicts of interest related to meeting agenda items. Members will withdraw from discussion of matters if they believe 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. The SAC Secretariat will review and maintain the register regularly, publishing updated information on GOV.UK as changes are made.

Professor Rowland Kao (chair)

  • University of Edinburgh (current employer)
  • Research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Department for International Development (DFID), the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Scottish Government
  • Contributor to the Defra Animal Health Modelling Services framework
  • Member of the Scientific Pandemic Infections Modelling Group (SPI-M), currently advising UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
  • Member of the scientific advisory board for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) led Genomics for Animal and Plant Disease Centre
  • Member of the Bovine TB Partnership
  • Associate of Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland (BioSS)
  • Previous employers: University of Glasgow (Associate Academic)

Professor Richard Bardgett

  • Lancaster University (current employer)
  • President of the British Ecological Society (2017 to 2019)
  • Member of Academia Europaea (elected in 2015)
  • Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand (elected in 2006)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (invited in 2011)
  • Executive Editor of the Journal of Ecology (since 2020)
  • Member of the Royal Society’s Newton International Fellowships Committee (since 2019)
  • Chair of the BBSRC Biological Diversity Expert Working Group (2023 to 2024)
  • Former chair of the BBSRC Committee E (2013 to 2018)
  • Former member of the BBSRC Research Advisory Panel (2013 to 2018)
  • Former member of the UK Status, Change and Projections of the Environment Programme Advisory Group (2021 to 2023)
  • Former member of the board of directors of Rothamsted Research (2009 to 2019)
  • Grants from NERC, BBSRC and the European Research Council (ERC)
  • Previous employers: The University of Manchester

Professor Nicola Beaumont

  • Head of Science, Plymouth Marine Laboratory (current employer)
  • Honorary Professor in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Exeter
  • Honorary Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
  • National Oceanography Centre Science and Technology Advisory Committee
  • Member of the Defra Marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) Advisory Group
  • Member of the Scientific Steering Committee, H2020 BESIDE (Institutional, behavioural, critical and adaptive economics towards sustainable development, management of natural capital and circular economy) project
  • Current funding from NERC, ESRC, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), European Commission Horizons, Agenda Vestlandet, Defra and Garfield Weston
  • Lead for the Society and Regulation pillar, North Atlantic Microplastic Centre (NAMC), funded by Agenda Vestlandet
  • Associate Editor for Coastal Futures
  • Associate Editor for the Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy
  • Registered supporter of the Labour Party

Professor Camille Bonneaud

  • University of Exeter (current employer)
  • Director of the Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter (since 2023)
  • Academic co-lead on the partnership between the University of Exeter and Natural England
  • Editorial board of Molecular Ecology and Molecular Ecology Resources
  • Former member of the Pool of Experts UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) BBSRC (2017 to 2022)
  • Former member of the Royal Society International Exchange funding panel (2017 to 2019)
  • Current and recent committee service for NERC, BBSRC, Irish Research Council, Agence Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique and the Lithuanian Research Council
  • Grants held from NERC, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Newton Fund, Darwin Initiative, the Royal Society, Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Previous employers: France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, Harvard University, University of California Los Angeles, University Pierre and Marie Curie
  • Member of the British Ecological Society
  • Personal memberships: Cornwall Wildlife Trust and Greenpeace

Professor Lisa Collins

  • University of Surrey (current employer)
  • Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, University of Surrey (since 2023)
  • Director of the University of Surrey’s Seed Fund (since 2023)
  • Director of Innovate Surrey Ltd (since 2024)
  • Non-Executive Director of the National Oceanographic Centre (since mid-2025)
  • Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society (invited in 2016)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (invited in 2016)
  • Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (elected in 2020)
  • Chair of the BBSRC Strategic Advisory Panel on Biosciences for Integrated Understanding of Health (since 2024)
  • Chair of the pool for the UKRI Cross Council Responsive Mode panel (since 2024)
  • Member of the Finance Committee, Learned Society of Wales (since 2021)
  • Member of the BBSRC Committee E (since 2018)
  • Member of the Scientific Advisory Board, Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) (since 2022)
  • Member of The Conversation Editorial Board (since 2024)
  • Current funding from BBSRC and Defra
  • Previous employers: University of Oxford, Compassion in World Farming, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Lincoln (UK), and University of Leeds

Professor Felix Eigenbrod

  • University of Southampton (current employer)
  • Member of the Defra Ecology and Ecosystem Services Expert Panel
  • Member of the XR Scientists, the Extinction Rebellion science community
  • Holder of grants from NERC and ESRC. Previously held grants from ERC, EPSRC, and UKRI

Professor Nick Hanley

  • University of Glasgow (current employer)
  • Holder of research grants from the Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, European Commission, ESRC, MRC, NERC, UKRI and BBSRC
  • Working with EFTEC on projects for Defra and the Forestry Commission, focusing on the economic benefits of biodiversity conservation, the value of coastal wildlife, and participation in Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs). Also working with EFTEC on water quality valuation, funded by the Environment Agency
  • Member of the Advisory Group, Scottish Biodiversity Programme Board, NatureScot
  • Editor of Ecological Economics
  • Assistant editor of Resource and Energy Economics by Q Open
  • Professional memberships: European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists and the Agricultural Economics Society
  • Personal memberships: John Muir Trust and the National Trust for Scotland
  • Previous employers: University of St Andrews, University of Stirling, and University of Edinburgh

Professor Chris Hauton

  • University of Southampton (current employer)
  • Head of the School of Ocean and Earth Science
  • Fellow of the Marine Biological Association (nominated in 2019)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (nominated in 2016)
  • Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK
  • Member of BBSRC Panel of Experts Panel A (2022 to present)
  • Member of NERC Peer Review College (2013 to present)
  • Member of the UN International Seabed Authority Intersessional Expert Group on Toxic Threshold Limits (2024 to present)
  • Member of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain
  • Member of the International Society of Developmental and Comparative Immunology
  • Holder of grants from the BBSRC and NERC
  • Previous employers: University of St Andrews and the University of London

Professor Jane Hill

  • University of York (current employer)
  • President and trustee of the Royal Entomological Society (2021 to 2025)
  • Member of Academia Europaea (elected in 2021)
  • Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (elected in 2016)
  • Member of the NERC Science Committee (2021 to present)
  • Member of Defra’s Biodiversity Expert Committee (2024 to 2025)
  • Member of the North Yorkshire and York Local Nature Partnership Board (2024 to present)
  • Chair of the independent Science Advisory Board, Institute of Zoology and Zoological Society of London (2021 to present)
  • Trustee of the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (2019 to present)
  • Member of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Nature Recovery Committee (2021 to present)
  • Director of RES Trading Ltd (2022 to 2025)

Professor Susan Owens

  • Professor Emerita of Environment and Policy, University of Cambridge Department of Geography
  • Fellow Emerita of 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 of the Social Science Expert Group (SAC sub-group) (since 2021) and member (since 2015)
  • Independent member of the board for the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) (since 2023)
  • Chair of the Programme Advisory Board, ESRC ACCESS project (Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environmental Social Science) (since 2022)
  • Member of the evidence advisory board for Natural Resources Wales (since 2020)
  • Member of the management board of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, University of Cambridge (since 2014)
  • Member of the Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee (2013 to 2022)
  • Member of the independent review panel on Highly Protected Marine Areas (2019 to 2022)

Professor Marian Scott

  • University of Glasgow (current employer)
  • Research funded by EPSRC and NERC
  • Fellow of the 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) (remunerated)
  • Member of the NatureScot Science Advisory Committee (remunerated)
  • Board member of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences
  • Member of the 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
  • Vice-chair of the UKRI-NERC EDR-UK project board
  • Former member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
  • Former non-executive director of the James Hutton Institute
  • Former member of the UKRI UK-SCAPE Advisory Board

Glossary of acronyms:

Annex A: Guidance for SAC members

You are responsible for making sure your entry in the SAC register of members’ interests is accurate and kept up to date.

You should declare any financial or non-financial interests, or any personal connections, that arise during your term of appointment. This includes anything that could be seen as a conflict of interest, whether real or perceived, between your public duties and private interests.

When deciding what to declare, think about whether a reasonable member of the public might believe the interest could influence what you say, do or decide in your SAC role.

This list gives examples of interests you may need to declare. It is not exhaustive.

Financial interests

These can include:

  • directorships
  • shares or share options
  • consultancies
  • research grants and fee-paid work

You must declare:

  • research currently commissioned directly by Defra where you are a principal or co-investigator
  • current applications for research commissioned directly by Defra where you are a principal or co-investigator

Non-financial interests

These can include personal, non-financial links with outside organisations, or involvement in political activity at a senior level.

Other examples include:

  • roles at your institution that could benefit from SAC-related information
  • positions in the wider research community that could benefit from SAC-related information
  • research interests of close family or colleagues that could benefit from SAC discussions
  • board roles in other organisations that could influence, or be influenced by, information you access as an SAC member
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