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OUR WORK

We believe that working together will help drive results.

Scotland Beyond Net Zero is a coalition designed to catalyse research collaboration, empower our communities and inform the policymaking and action Scotland needs to reach its ambitious targets.

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Our Research themes

Scotland Beyond Net Zero’s partner universities, will work to combine our research strengths to build interdisciplinary collaborations around six core themes: Built Environment, Energy, Finance, Food, Natural Systems, and Transport. Read more about each of these themes and meet the related researchers via the quick links below.

Built Environment

Built Environment

From research in modern architecture, urban planning, and civil engineering to the design of energy-efficient buildings and the use of sustainable construction materials, our researchers are considering how the world that we have forged around us holds the potential to accelerate our race to achieving net zero.

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Energy

Energy

Energy is perhaps the most obvious research area that springs to mind when considering our goal of achieving net-zero emissions. From increased understanding of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power to improving energy efficiency and storage capabilities, research into energy is fundamental to achieving our goal of reaching net zero emissions.

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Finance

Finance

Finance is closely linked to the climate crisis – how can and should global and local financial flows support sustainable technologies, institutions and practices? How to pay for the transition required to mitigate and adapt to climate change? Academic research can highlight the ways that investment practices can align with sustainability objectives. Financial investments could channel efforts towards low-carbon and climate-resilient projects to help accelerate the transition to a net zero carbon economy.

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Food

Food

Almost a third of greenhouse gas emissions are associated with our current food systems. To understand the role food production plays in achieving net zero, we’re bringing together interdisciplinary research that looks at the impact and opportunities across multiple stages of the food supply lifecycle, including issues of justice and fairness in access to sustainable and good food across society.

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Natural Systems

Natural Systems

Through research into ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural processes, we can unlock the knowledge to develop strategies that harness nature’s potential to sequester carbon, and mitigate and adapt to climate change. Nature-based approaches to climate change can also create opportunities for community benefits and sustainable local development, while also revealing how Scotland’s nature, land and environment is a product of its history. 

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Transport

Transport

With a wave of new developments and advancements in environmental technologies, it’s an exciting and pivotal moment in the transportation sector. Further research aims to understand how cutting-edge technologies can not only mitigate the transport sector’s traditional environmental impacts, but shape the future of how we get around in ways that are fair, accessible and affordable.

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Food systems

In more recent years, due to wider societal awareness and coverage in the media, the significance of food production within the context of our emissions is becoming more widely known. But with around 21-37% of total greenhouse gas emissions connected to food systems, it remains a mammoth contributor to the climate crisis, with multiple challenges and opportunities at every stage of the supply chain.

It’s important to note that emissions stemming from the food system are also the most changeable, as shifts in agricultural practices, advancements in technology, dietary patterns, and improvements in waste reduction strategies are more changeable and fluid.

Our research

Our research into more sustainable agriculture practices explores new, innovative methods to reduce carbon emissions and enhance overall efficiency in food production. The complexities of this research theme come from the multiple stages or touchpoints of the entire food lifecycle. From land-use to transport to food waste, there are many opportunities for our food systems to have an environmental impact, and our research looks at each of these in isolation.

We’re facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations involving nutritionists, environmental scientists, and policymakers, in an effort to bridge knowledge gaps and identify new research opportunities. Our role in undertaking academic research in this area will be instrumental in shaping policies and practices that align with the net-zero objectives, fostering a more sustainable and resilient food system for the future.

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Our Researchers

Meet the researchers involved with studies on food systems, and its role in combating the climate crisis.

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Peter Alexander

Senior Lecturer in Global Food Security
peter.alexander@ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Prof. Liz Baggs

Professor of Food and Environmental Security
liz.baggs@ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Hannah Boast

Chancellor’s Fellow in Environmental Humanities
hannah.boast@ed.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Prof. Emilie Combet

Professor of Human Nutrition
Emilie.CombetAspray@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Prof. John Crawford

Professor in Strategy and Technology Management
john.crawford@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Prof. Jamie Cross

Director, Glasgow Changing Futures
jamie.cross@ed.ac.uk

Glasgow Caledonian University

Dr. Mohamed Elgenedy

Lecturer in Power Electronics and Electrical Power Engineering
mohamed.elgenedy@gcu.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Isabel Fletcher

Senior Research Fellow
I.Fletcher@ed.ac.uk

The University of Dundee

Prof. Claire Halpin

Professor, Plant Sciences
c.halpin@dundee.ac.uk

Glasgow Caledonian University

Dr. Karin Helwig

Senior Lecturer
Karin.Helwig@gcu.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Prof. Lindsay Jaacks

Personal Chair of Global Health and Nutrition
lindsay.jaacks@ed.ac.uk

Glasgow Caledonian University

Professor Tahseen Jafry

Director of the Mary Robinson Centre for Climate Justice
t.jafry@gcu.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Dr. Matt Jones

Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biosciences
matt.jones@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Joe Kennedy

Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
jkenned5@exseed.ed.ac.uk

The University of Dundee

Dr. Sarah McKim

Principal Investigator Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences
smckim@dundee.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Jason Matthiopoulos

Jason.matthiopoulos@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Prof. Dominic Moran

Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics
dominic.moran@ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr Diego Oyarzún

Reader in Computational Biology
doyarzun@ed.ac.uk

Glasgow Caledonian University

Prof. Ole Pahl

Professor of Environmental Technology
o.pahl@gcu.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Eugenia Rodrigues

Lecturer in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies
eugenia.rodrigues@ed.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Prof. Deirdre Shaw

Professor of Consumer Ethics and Sustainability
Deirdre.shaw@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

George Tarvit

Director of the Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN)
george.tarvit@ed.ac.uk

The University of Edinburgh

Dr. Darren Watt

Business Manager, Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
Darren.watt@ed.ac.uk

The University of Dundee

Prof. Mel Woods

Chair of Creative Intelligence
m.j.woods@dundee.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Dr. Siming You

Senior Lecturer in Systems, Power and Energy
Siming.You@glasgow.ac.uk

The University of Glasgow

Dr. Abraham Zhang

Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and Technology
Abraham.Zhang@glasgow.ac.uk

EXPLORE OTHER RESEARCH THEMES:

Built Environment

Energy

Finance

Natural Systems

Transport

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