Institute for Sustainability people
The Institute for Sustainability brings together a cross-disciplinary network of social and natural scientists, technologists, and non-academic stakeholders in the public, private and third sector.
Take a look at the team responsible for leading and growing the Institute.
Meet the team
Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti
Director of the Institute for Sustainability
Biography
I am the Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey (UK) and a former member of Parliament and Minister of Education, University and Research in Italy. I am passionate about sustainability education and research and my books include: Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth (MacMillan 2017) and The World After GDP: Economics, Politics and International Relations in the Post-Growth Era (Polity 2017), which have been featured – among others - by Bloomberg and the Financial Times. My opinion pieces have been published by The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review, TruthOut, Die Presse, The Conversation, Das Parlament, Der Freitag, The Mail&Guardian, Business Day and www.opendemocracy.net. I am also a sought-after public speaker on issues regarding sustainable wellbeing, governance innovation and purpose-driven business. If you want to know more, my personal website is www.lorenzofioramonti.org
Dr Tom Roberts
Co-Director of Institute for Sustainability (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sociology, in the Department of Sociology, at the University of Surrey. My research focuses on the relationship between people and the environment. More specifically I am interested in the impact of climate change on everyday life, healthcare and crime; public perceptions and understanding of environmental change and new low carbon technologies; the challenges associated with transitioning to a low carbon society, particularly in relation to work and skills; the environmental impact of consumption and waste disposal practices. My research has been funded by The British Council; The British Academy; Public Health England; The Economic and Social Research Council; The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Professor Prashant Kumar
Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability (Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences)
Biography
Professor Prashant Kumar is Associate Dean (International) for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Chair in Air Quality and Health and the founding Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey, UK. He is the founder of successfully running Guildford Living Lab, head of the GCARE’s Air Quality Laboratory, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Engineering at the Trinity College Dublin in Ireland since March 2018, and a Guest Professor at the Southeast University China since June 2021. He was the Deputy Director of Research for the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering during 2018-2021.
He received his PhD (Engineering) from the University of Cambridge after winning a Cambridge-Nehru Scholarship and an Overseas Research Scholarship Award, and earned his MTech (Environmental Engineering & Management) from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi with CGPA 9.8/10 and rank 1. Prior to his PhD, he worked at a research institute and in the industrial sector for about 8 years. After his PhD, he joined the University of Surrey as Lecturer (2009-2012) and subsequently worked as Senior Lecturer (2012-2015), Reader (2015-2017) and Professor (2017-). He was awarded the University of Surrey's Vice-Chancellors Award for his outstanding research in 2017.
His fundamental and application-oriented cross-disciplinary research is focused on the interfaces of clean air engineering/science, human health and smart/sustainable living in cities/megacities. His research builds an understanding of the formation and emission of particles, both from vehicle exhausts and non-vehicular sources. He investigates their contribution to pollution, especially in megacity contexts. He is developing approaches to low-cost sensing and contributing to the development of exposure control technology and guidelines for policymakers to curtail pollution exposure in cities, with associated health benefits.
His current research projects are focused on broad multidisciplinary areas of air pollution monitoring/modelling, low-cost sensing, nature-based solutions, climate change mitigation and developing innovative technological and passive (e.g. green infrastructure) solutions for air pollution exposure control for both developing and developed world. He is currently the lead PI on the UKRI (EPRC, NERC, AHRC) funded RECLAIM Network Plus.
A prolific author with about 300 articles in top-ranked journals (h-index 61; i10-index 222; citations >15,000), his research has secured over £10.5 million of individual funding from projects total worth over £30M, funded by the RCUK (e.g, EPSRC, ESRC, NERC, AHRC, MRC, HEFCE, British Council, Innovate UK, Research England, GCRF), industry, international funding bodies (e.g., European Commission, Qatar National Research Foundation, Commonwealth Commission, FAPESP) and charities (e.g. Ove Arup Foundation, RSA, Impact on Urban Health, Global Action Plan). He has developed a network of collaborators across four continents, serving on editorial boards of several international journals (e.g. Scientific Reports, Science of the Total Environment) and scientific evaluation panels of numerous funding agencies. He is Editor-in-Chief of the air quality section of the ‘Atmosphere’ journal (since July 2020) and founding Speciality Chief Editor of the ‘Climate Change & Cities’ section of Frontiers in Environmental Science journal.
He serves editorial board of numerous journals, advises local/international bodies on air pollution, and reviews proposals for many funding agencies worldwide. His research has featured in well-read media outlets such as the BBC and The Times
He is advising local/national/international agencies on air pollution and urban nexus and his research has featured in well-read media outlets such as the BBC and The Times. Further details on his work can be found here.
Professor Monique Raats
Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability (Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences)
Biography
I previously worked at the Institute of Food Research, Health Education Authority and University of Oxford. My expertise is in the area of public health and behavioural nutrition research, gained on a variety of projects. My research is wide ranging both in terms of topics covered (e.g. food choice, policy development, food safety) and methodologies used (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, stakeholder consultation). I have also been involved in the evaluation of health promotion programmes and developing tools for use in nutrition education.
Since my arrival in 2000, I have played an instrumental role in the success of the University of Surrey’s Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre, securing over £5.4M of research funding, of which over £3.3M as PI. With a start-up investment of £250K in 2000, the centre has brought over £7.1M into the University.
To date I have published over 125 refereed papers, numerous non-refereed publications including 20 book chapters and have edited two booksand edited two books ("The Psychology of Food Choice" (2006) and "Food for the Ag(e)ing Population" (1st edition 2009; 2nd edition 2016).
From 2011 until June 2018 I was a member of UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and also a member of the Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN) from 2012 until June 2018.
I am one of the founding members, member of the Board of Directors (2001-2006) and was secretary (2004-2006) of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. The society was set up to combine interests in diet and physical activity; and to stimulate, promote and advocate innovative research and policy in the area. The society now plays an important role in fostering excellence in research in this field through its annual meetings and journal called the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Nathalie Hinds
Head of Operations and Partnerships
Biography
Nathalie is responsible for leading the operational initiatives for the Institute such as communications, team structure and financial management, as well as creating strategic relationships with external organisations and facilitating knowledge exchange and innovation activities.
Pina Stamp
Institute Administrator and Assistant to Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti, Director of the Institute for Sustainability
