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What is your role and what does it involve?

I am a Lecturer in Environmental Science and Policy in the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy () at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø. Most of my time is spent working on research topics across decision-making in the urban environment, regularly teach courses on science, engineering and public policy, and work with decision-makers and the public to understand how best to put good work into action in improving urban sustainability.

I have just joined the EngEx team as a Co-director and will be working to take forward the great work to date around Green Infrastructure.

What is your experience with community-engaged research?

From the start of my PhD back in 2009 I was involved in community engagement projects, trying to open up the work of Newcastle University’s Department of Civil Engineering and Geosciences to a much broader audience.

But my involvement in community-engaged research started in a much deeper sense when I joined Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø. Moving from discussing research with communities to involving communities in my work on Green Infrastructure decision-making has been an illuminating journey, and the Engineering Exchange and bodies like the  have been critical in facilitating my learning and connections.

What are you most proud of, in work or in life?

Ending up exactly where I always wanted to be. As a pretty precocious kid in a pretty un-precocious town I had the vague idea of spending my life finding out cool things about the world and telling lots of people about them. I had a general sense that this involved large books, large buildings and obscure travel locations – and my current job has plenty of all of the above!

What saying do you try to live by?

'Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts' – Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder. A simple, but wonderful thought from one of Carson’s lesser-known classics.

If you could meet any person, at any point in history, who would you choose and why?

David Attenborough in the mid-1950s. I would love to know how it felt to be travelling the world and introducing so many people to the wonders of nature through the shiny, new medium that was ‘television’.

Which album, film, TV boxed set and book would you take on a desert island?

Album: Fat Freddy’s Drop – Based on a True Story, because you need to stay upbeat somehow.

Film: 2001: A Space Odyssey, because if I’m there for a while, I may as well take one of the longest films I own.

TV boxed set: Spaced, because I will never, ever tire of this series.

Book: Essential Bushcraft by Ray Mears, because I suspect I’ll be hunting and gathering my own dinner!

What do you think is the most important quality in a friend and/or colleague?

Patience! I spend a lot of my time running around my office/campus/the world in general. I am always so very happy to know that my friends are there through all of the hectic times and are always ready for us to plot our next adventure.

What do you like best about where you live?

The dinosaurs. I like to pretend that the near-life-sized dinosaur statues in Crystal Palace park were not a motivating factor for me to move to the neighbourhood. This may not be entirely true.

If you could be Mayor of London for a day, what would you do?

When I got tired of claiming all the free coffees and croissants I could justify, I would set out on an early morning journey of discovery. This would take in ‘mostly only open to people like the Mayor of London’ locations: the top of the BT Tower and inside the Thames Barrier, to name a couple.

I couldn’t resist a spot of administrative duty, so I might also pop to City Hall to take a sneaky peek and the London Environment Strategy as it progresses and make sure London remains an excellent place to experiment with and innovate in urban green space planning.

What opportunities for community-engaged research are coming up for you or your organisation?

There are some really fascinating examples of private green space that people design, nurture and cherish in their own ways. There are moves by some research groups to try and quantify/qualify the nature of private green space in urban environments. But I want to understand whether there are efforts to enable people to record and share the significance of these spaces themselves.

In autumn 2018, I'll lead a parallel session on green infrastructure in London during the EngEx Community Engagement Showcase. Inspired by colleagues at the , I’m also hoping to set up a City Lab for bringing together people working on Green Infrastructure in London. Watch this space!