The new Director of the Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) initiative has been announced as Professor Andrew Watkinson, currently Director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia. Professor Watkinson’s appointment is initially for five years, in which time the office of Director of LWEC will be based at UEA. He will take up post in September.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Watkinson said; “Society is facing a range of challenges including climate change, population growth, globalisation and technological change. What I hope is that LWEC will play a vital part in securing the future wellbeing of the people and economy of the UK by providing the evidence base to inform policy debate and people’s choices. I have no doubt that leading this partnership will itself be very challenging, but I am eager to start driving it forward.”

Professor Watkinson is an active member of the British Ecological Society and has previously been a recipient of the Marsh Award for Ecology by the BES, bestowed for an outstanding discovery or development which has had a significant impact on the development of the science of ecology or its application.