The Founders

ALISON PRIOR

Water Engineer, Entrepreneur

Alison's current research at the Imperial College of London is focused on evaluating the impact of climate change on vegetation and the hydrological cycle. In the past, Alison has worked as a regional ambassador for the European Space Agency, an independent expert for the European Commission and with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on transboundary water governance. Alison also co-founded Women & Water, a non-profit for gender equality in the water sector.

DR DONNA POADE

Lecturer at Uni of Exeter Business School

Donna has a special academic expertise in dark tourism, the phenomenon of travel to visitor sites associated with death and suffering alongside a keen interest in research methods and methodology, specifically when researching sensitive issues. Donna also has a background in industry and is an advocate of ethical business practices within tourism related enterprises. She enjoys travelling and lived in Canada for many years working in the tourism industry. Donna can often be found reading, particularly by the sea in her home coastal town.

Skye Marshall

Skye is working towards a PhD in biophysics. Her research looks at the physical properties of cell membrane and how these affect susceptibility to a parasite toxin, amoebapore. She is interested in parasitology and multidisciplinary approaches to science.

Antoinette Davey

Antoinette is a psychotherapist with a demonstrated history of working in the medical research and criminal justice industry. She is studying for a PhD in medicine. Her research evaluates the effect of chronobiology on PROMs in patients with chronic health conditions.

Gemma Delafield

Gemma is undertaking a PhD in environmental economics, where she is developing quantitative methods for optimally locating future energy infrastructure given differential environmental impacts. Previously Gemma worked with the Environmental Risk & Mitigation team at EDF Energy.

Virginia Thomas

Virginia is a PhD researcher in the University of Exeter’s Centre for Rural Policy Research. Her research explores the limits that landscapes impose on rewilding and how these are negotiated. Virginia’s research interests also include animal studies, science communication and transformative solutions to global grand challenges.