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Meet the Team

The QUENCH Network is facilitated by an interdisciplinary team from Lancaster University and The University of Liverpool, and supported by a team of external mentors.

  • Professor Jess Davies

    Network lead Jess Davies is a Professor of Sustainability at Lancaster Environment Centre and Director of the Centre for Global Eco-innovation. She studies terrestrial biogeochemical cycles and leads a range of interdisciplinary projects relating to sustainable soils, land use and urban environments. Jess brings to the network a broad understanding of environmental processes and experience of working with policy makers, businesses, and third sector organisations.

  • Professor Jo Knight

    Network co-investigator Jo Knight is an applied data scientist with expertise in the use of routinely collected health data and works in partnership with a number of local NHS trusts and councils. She is also Lancaster University Research Director for the Eden project tasked with catalysing research in partnership with Eden Project International.

  • Dr Charlotte Hardman

    Network co-investigator, Charlotte Hardman is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology. She brings a wealth of knowledge, methodological skills, and networks in health-related behaviour change and psychological wellbeing. She currently leads research teams on major interdisciplinary projects (UKRI and EU-funded). She co-ordinates the North-West network of the UK Association for the Study of Obesity, is Communications lead for the British Feeding and Drinking Group, and is a founding member of the Liverpool Food Growers Network.

  • Dr Mark Green

    Network co-investigator, Mark Green is a Senior Lecturer in Health Geography at the University of Liverpool who brings expertise in applying data science techniques for studying the social and spatial determinants of health inequalities. They currently are PI and Co-I on three UKRI grants, including the UK-PRP funded GroundsWell project which is exploring how urban green and blue spaces affect health.

  • Dr Andy Yuille

    Network Associate Andy Yuille is an interdisciplinary social scientist whose research focuses on the relationships between society and environment. He specialises in public participation in decision-making about environmental change and his research builds on ten years’ experience working with environmental NGOs, policy makers and public-private partnerships. He bridges the gap between academics and practitioners with an emphasis on impact-oriented research.

  • Dr Rachel Marshall

    Network associate, Rachel Marshall is an interdisciplinary researcher specialising in local food systems. In her role as a Future Places Centre fellow she is delivering the Rurban Hope Spots project examining data opportunities and challenges to support community land mapping in both urban and rural spaces. She brings experience of facilitating spaces for the co-design of projects that address critical challenges in creating sustainable and fair urban environments.

  • Martin Grimshaw

    Network facilitator, Martin Grimshaw from Thriving Planet, is a facilitator, organisational consultant and trainer working professionally and freelance for a decade. With a focus on sustainability-driven contexts, his work ranges from strategy development, to self-organising and peer-peer co-learning, working in both in-person and virtual settings.

QUENCH Team Videos

Watch the QUENCH Team contributions to the 'Methods and Needs' exchange and learn why we're interested in the networks themes.

QUENCH videos

The QUENCH mentors

The process of developing and refining ideas for the five proof-of-concept studies was supported by five mentors, who contributed a wide range of academic expertise, practical experience, wisdom and enthusiasm.

Rosie Hails

Professor Rosie Hails MBE FRSB is an ecologist and Nature and Science Director at the National Trust, holding honorary chairs at Exeter and Cranfield Universities.

Her role is to develop the Trust’s nature strategy, research portfolio and advise on science evidence relevant to Trust decision-making. She is a member of Defra’s Science Advisory Council, Council member of the RSPB, Chair of the Woodmeadow Trust Steering Group and Trustee of the John Innes Foundation. Formerly she was the Science Director for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Science at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology.

Rosie Hails

Piran White

Piran White is Professor of Environmental Management at the University of York. His research focuses on the management of ecosystems to enhance biodiversity, sustainability, and human health.

Current projects include ‘Connected Treescapes’ in the UKRI Future of UK Treescapes programme; a NERC iCASP project on transforming environmental research into evidence on health and wellbeing benefits of green and blue space; and an ESRC Network+ project on the benefits of green and blue space for improving the health of people with serious mental illness.

Piran White

Charlotte Russell

Charlotte Russell leads the education and leadership programmes for Eden Project International.

In the 11 years she has worked with Eden Project she has run a number of major projects, including establishing degree programmes at Eden Project in Cornwall and the development of a highly regarded leadership course ‘Nature of Leadership’ under the brand of HotHouse. She also leads the science engagement strategy at Eden and specialises in food, farming and agronomy. She is an experienced organic farmer, running a 700 acre organic farm in Cornwall for most of her career.

Charlotte Russell

Kate Irvine

Dr Katherine Irvine is a senior researcher in conservation behaviour/ environmental psychology focusing on people-environment relationships.

Kate draws on an interdisciplinary background in molecular biology, natural resource management, conservation behaviour and environmental psychology to investigate the interface between people and their environmental settings (for example, natural, built, home, office) with an aim to develop bridges between issues of ecological quality, health/wellbeing and sustainability.

Kate Irvine

Rich Fry

Dr Rich Fry is an Associate Professor in GIS and Health Geographies in the Population Data Science Team at Swansea University.

He is the lead of the Environment and Health Research Centre (ENVHE) which uses advanced data analysis techniques to understand the factors that influence health and wellbeing. ENVHE brings together geographers, epidemiologists, statisticians, and data scientists who work with the routine health and social care data held within the SAIL Databank to produce policy-relevant insights.

Richard Fry