CAT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Head of School
- Member of the Senior Management Team
As head of the school, Adrian spends most of his time keeping the Graduate School running smoothly. When he's not doing that, he uses his background in Chemistry to support activities surrounding pollution for the masters courses.
Adrian started as Head of School at CAT in May 2018. Before joining CAT, Adrian worked from 2010 as Head of Division of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, following spells lecturing across a range of disciplines from Analytical Chemistry to Environmental Health. As Head at Manchester Metropolitan University, he was responsible for managing a team of chemistry and environmental academics and the successful delivery of the quality assurance aspects of courses there. He also project managed significant upgrades to the chemistry laboratory infrastructure at the university.
His research experience is as an environmental chemist specialising in the assessment of air quality and its impacts such as health, particularly at urban and indoor scales. This work has included assessing the levels of tobacco smoke in indoor environments prior to the smoking ban, and developing methods for the spatial emissions estimates of Air Pollution in the UK. He has collaborated with organisations and institutions in both the UK and overseas including the NHS and Institut Technologi Bandung, Indonesia.
Qualifications
Chartered Chemist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, FRSC1993 Post Graduate Certificate of Education, Distinction, Manchester Metropolitan University.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Student Finance Supervisor
Alice joined the Graduate School of the Environment in 2020 as Student Finance Officer. She now supports CAT students during their studies with any finance related queries as Student Finance Supervisor.
Alice has worked in the finance team at CAT since 2020 firstly as a Student Finance Officer and now as Student Finance Supervisor. She brings with her previous experience of working in finance roles. Alice alongside colleague Ben supports our students with any finance related questions, paying tuition fees, and student loans.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Graduate School Marketing Officer
With a marketing degree and experience in marketing for a local secondary school, Alis joined CAT in 2019. She is the first point of contact for prospective students of CAT and works closely with the Student Support team.
Having lived in mid Wales for most of her life Alis first visited CAT on a school trip and after moving back to the area after studying at university outside of Wales, Alis joined the Marketing and Communications team at CAT in 2019.
With a background in design and marketing she worked at a local secondary school before joining the team and now works closely with the Student Support team providing support to prospective students up until they enrol on a course at CAT. You will also get to meet Alis if you attend one of our virtual or on-site Open Day events.
Alis's first language is Welsh so whenever she isn't planning open days or answering enquiries from applicants you can find her proofreading translations or attending external events.
Andrew is an engineer whose interest lies in harnessing technology to overcome environmental challenges. He first attended one of CAT's solar technology courses almost 20 years ago and joined the board of trustees at the beginning of 2018.
Andrew is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Member of the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management. He graduated with a Masters degree in Civil Engineering from Leeds University in 1987 and currently works as Director of 350 Energy Ltd, a small UK-based renewable energy and environmental advisor. Andrew's 30-year career has spanned industry, government and consulting where he's always worked at the thorny interface between industry and Sustainable Development. Andrew learnt about both solar and hydro power systems by attending CAT's short courses over the last 20 years and has enjoyed putting the skills gained to practical use in real-world projects.
He is married with three children and lives in Yorkshire. Outside work, Andrew is a keen cyclist and kayaker, and is currently building a timber frame house that encompasses various alternative technologies.
Andrew is passionate about the countryside, wants to make a positive difference to safeguarding our environment for the future and has an extensive background in the IT and Utility sectors.
Since graduating in Physics with Astrophysics from the University of Leeds in the mid 80's, Andrew's career has been spent in the UK and overseas in the Energy and Utility Sector.
Much of that time he worked for National Grid including several years on Executive Committees where he had risk management, financial and health and safety responsibilities. Andrew has particular experience in IT and was Chief Information Officer for a number of years with international responsibility for National Grid's applications such as SMART grid, control rooms, web, customer systems etc. He also had business roles including the creation and management of National Grid's Transmission Network Control Centre.
Since leaving National Grid, Andrew has worked predominantly in the Middle East as a management consultant in the IT and Utility sectors. This included roles in the the United Arab Emirates' advising the Government on transforming its electricity generation and water production plants from fossil fired to Renewables, and optimising its Distribution, Transmission and System Operator functions.
Andrew is passionate about the countryside, is a very keen hiker and wants to make a positive difference to safeguarding our environment for the future. He is married to Deborah and has two sons both currently at University. He lives in Corris and now works part time so is enjoying even more time in the mid Wales countryside with his wife and two standard poodles.
Teaching on CAT's taught and research postgraduate courses, Anna specialises in environmental architecture, sustainable design, building performance evaluation, sustainability assessment methodologies and sustainable building materials. She previously worked in conservation and green architectural practice, including Simpson & Brown Architects and Locate Architects, and formerly taught Architecture at Norwich University of the Arts and the Glasgow School of Art.
Anna Poston is a senior lecturer and tutor on the Green Building, SA, SEPDM and SBC Programmes. With a background in Architectural design and research, she lectures in sustainable design, environmental architecture, building performance and sustainable building materials.
Before working at CAT, she was a steering group member and director with the Scottish Ecological Design Association (SEDA) for several years, and a lecturer and tutor in both design, technology and environmental design at Norwich University of the Arts and the Glasgow School of Art. Anna was also a researcher at the Mackintosh School of Architecture Environmental Architecture Research Unit (MEARU) where her research focused on building performance evaluation of homes, low-impact retrofit, communicating sustainability and knowledge sharing.
As a PhD candidate at Glasgow Caledonian University, School of Engineering and the Built Environment, Anna is researching the development of holistic sustainability assessment methodologies in the built environment. She continues to undertake independent Building Performance and Sustainability research.
Anna has undertaken programme development, public engagement and research for the Sust. Programme at Architecture and Design Scotland, co-developing their Library of Sustainable Construction Materials. She is very interested in how we communicate and engage others in sustainability, across different levels of knowledge and understanding, in industry, policy and the general public - of all ages.
Qualifications
FHEA - Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Student Finance Officer
Ben is a Student Finance Officer at CAT. With colleague Alice, he supports our students with any finance related questions.
Ben works within the Graduate School as a Student Finance Officer alongside colleague Alice. He supports our students with any finance-related questions, paying tuition fees, and student loans.
With an extensive background in sustainable architecture Bryce now works as a consultant with a focus on building energy modelling, renewable energy.
Bryce Gilroy-Scott (CEnv, MEI, MSc Arch (Dist)), MA Arch (Dist) is a consultant and educator in the fields of sustainable communities, construction and energy, based in British Columbia, Canada. He also has a decade of study and practice in the UK and continues to work in both countries. Since 2008 he has been a Lecturer in the Graduate School of the Environment. He is also completing his PhD in Architectural Science at the University of Nottingham, developing a method of applying Ecological Footprinting to building construction and operation. He is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Member of the Energy Institute (MEI) of the UK.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Student and Programme Support Officer
With over 20 years experience drawn from various sectors, Diana has extensive knowledge within Business Operations, Compliance, HR, Project Management, Office Management and more. Diana moved to Wales in June 2020 and is a member of the CAT's Student Support Team.
Diana completed her education in South Africa in 1996. Before moving over to the United Kingdom in 2007 she worked in the Financial Services sector managing an Insurance Inbound & Administration Team in Johannesburg followed by Financial Advisor Broker support services in Port Elizabeth.
Once in the United Kingdom she became the first employee to a US-based Firm start-up office in London where she assisted the Senior Management Team in the growth of the office and formed part of their Management Team.
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer
- Charted Energy Engineer
Alan is a Charted Energy Engineer and his research ranges from numerical modelling of sustainable energy systems and resources in Europe, to developing international sustainable energy policy and strategy in post-conflict/post-disaster areas of South East Asia. He primarily teaches renewable energy systems.
Alan is a practical, time served engineer/researcher with 30 years' experience in renewable energy and sustainable development, from conceptual design & build to implementation and project delivery.
He holds an Associate Professorship from Heriot Watt University and prior to joining CAT he founded and held the post of Director of the Centre for Understanding Sustainability in Practice (CUSP) at Robert Gordon University from 2009-2016. CUSP employed 6 staff and delivered sustainability-related policy, teaching, and research, and consultancy expertise. In addition, CUSP developed new MSc courses (MSc Offshore Renewables, MSc Energy and Sustainability), and successfully bid for project funding of ca. £2 million. Since 2010 he has worked on sustainable food/energy/water nexus projects in UK, South East Asia and West Africa, interfacing with the full social range from indigenous fishing and farming communities in West Papua to Government Ministers in Scotland.
Qualifications
Heriot Watt University, Associate Professor, International Centre for Island Technology, 2017
Alexandra Hamer is a senior lecturer on the MSc Sustainability courses and teaches on our MSc modules focusing on ecology and food. She also contributes GIS support to other modules and is particularly interested in helping students to become confident in the use of GIS.
As a senior lecturer, Alexandra teaches on the MSc modules, Restoration Ecology, Ecological Assessment, Ecosystem Services and Science of Sustainable Food Production modules. She holds a PhD in Geography from the University of Manchester (2023), investigating the use of satellite imagery for estimating grassland soil properties across large spatial scales. Before joining CAT, she lectured in remote sensing at Aberystwyth University and carried out teaching and research at the University of Manchester and the University of Leicester.
Alexandra is interested in how the different processes that take place in ecosystems affect one another and work together to deliver functions which support human societies such as producing food, storing carbon and harboring biodiversity. She is interested in the management and restoration of ecosystems to enhance these functions and has been involved in projects to restore degraded ancient woodland and peatland landscapes in the UK. Her research also focuses on how modern spatial data systems and technologies (such as satellites) can be used to expand our existing perspectives on ecosystems, including across large scales and through time.
Qualifications
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE)
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Programme Leader
Carl is the Programme Leader for the M.Arch in Sustainable Architecture. He has taught at several architectural schools at all levels from pre-first-year undergrad to final year at masters level and beyond. As an architect and educator, he is passionate about educating architects in our rapidly changing cultural and professional environments.
Carl joined CAT in 2022 as the Programme Leader for the M.Arch in Sustainable Architecture. He is an architect and educator with a passion for educating architects in a rapidly changing cultural and professional environment. His pedagogic position is one of mentor and facilitator, as students navigate their personal development journeys, through dialogue and guided reflection. He maintains a broad and open-ended approach to teaching and learning.
Before teaching at CAT, Carl was a practitioner for several years working in several architectural practices, as well as running his own practices, first with Core Architects in the 1990s and later with Bareham Meddings Architects in the early 2000s. More recently Carl was the Subject leader for architecture at The University of Huddersfield and has taught at all levels from pre-first-year to final year at undergraduate level (Part 1) as well as at all stages at masters level (Part 2). He has also been a professional studies advisor in post-Part 1 and post-Part 2 and has overseen the programme and examinations for Professional Practice and Management in Architecture (Part 3). Carl is an active member of the RIBA, serving on Validation Boards, the New Courses Group and the Membership Eligibility Assessment Panel.
His design ethos is rooted in critical regionalism; the exploration of appropriate architecture that is culturally, socially and environmentally responsive. This underpins and informs all aspects of his teaching agenda, from the technical resolution and tectonic expression of architecture to the social and cultural opportunities and responsibilities of urban design and placemaking.
His primary research area in recent years has been into processes of architectural education. There is a very strong aspect of co-learning in architecture. One of the key features of this model of education is the relationship between the design work produced and the dialogue and guidance that takes place. In particular, Carl's doctoral thesis critically examines the design project review and its contribution to becoming an architect. The research demonstrates that architectural education is fundamentally concerned with individual expression, and that the design project review, situated within the educational landscape, is a focal point, around which effective learning programmes can be developed, and through which constructive critique can occur in a rational, creative and supportive environment.
Qualifications
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Ocean and climate science is at the heart of Cathy's work, spanning her PhD and postdoctoral research and her professional experience in science communication. Prior to joining CAT, Cathy was a Lecturer in Science Communication at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and she now teaches on the MSc in Sustainability & Behaviour Change. Her career ambition stems around crafting messages with meaning to engage society and to empower positive change.
Cathy Cole is a senior lecturer/tutor on the MSc Sustainability & Behaviour Change course. With a background in oceanography, climate change, and science communication, she lectures primarily on communicating transformational social change, and on our changing ocean in the context of climate change.
Cathy holds an MSc in Oceanography, and a PhD in Marine Biogeochemistry, both from the University of Southampton. As a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Andrews, she investigated the biomineralisation of tropical coral skeletons under changing ocean conditions, both past and future. With a growing concern for the impacts of our changing climate in today's world, Cathy took up a position at the Met Office in 2016 as a Climate Science Communicator, connecting emerging climate science with policymakers in government. Moving to New Zealand in 2018, she joined the Department of Science Communication at the University of Otago as a Lecturer. There, the drumbeat of her work was to find the relevance of scientific knowledge for diverse audiences, deliver this information in clear, accessible and engaging media, and to empower meaningful action to address our climate crisis.
Cathy founded Kitchen 1.5 in 2019, a plant-based recipe blog that aims to inspire positive change beginning with something as simple (and complex…) as our diets. This was initiated as a personal response to the target set by the Paris Agreement to strive to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 °C above the pre-industrial era. Avoiding the extreme dangers of higher warming levels requires transformational change across society, and food is one area where many of us can adjust for the health of both people and planet.
Ocean science continues to be a major feature of Cathy's work, since the ocean is at the heart of our changing climate. For the treasure trove of ocean climate data to have impact, it needs to be communicated in accessible ways. In 2021, Cathy initiated a project to bring ocean climate data to life in local communities (https://www.moretosea.net/), through the co-creation of powerful visual stories sharing changes underway at a local scale.
Qualifications
2013 PhD Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Southampton
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Lecturer
- Senior Lecturer and SEPDM Programme Leader
With a background in physics, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering, Frances lectures on heat transfers in buildings, and on renewable energy provision. She also teaches study skills including data analysis.
Frances Hill is a lecturer/tutor on the MSc Sustainability & Adaptation on-site course. With a background in physics, she lectures on heat transfers in buildings, heating, cooling and ventilation, and lighting, and runs practicals on solar water heating, carbon calculators, and energy modelling.
Frances holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering at Manchester University. Her research focused on how energy is used in a supermarket as a building, and on how Building Regulations could be changed to reduce this level of use. Alongside this, she has been involved in projects looking at how engineers learn, with particular focus on Problem Based Learning.
Qualifications
PhD Environmental Engineering, Manchester University
MSc Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies, University of East London
Job Titles:
- Scientist
- Senior Lecturer
- Technologist
Ivor primarily teaches on CAT's Green Building programme where he specializes in sustainable design, building performance and all things timber. He previously taught at Edinburgh Napier University and was a research fellow in the University's Institute for Sustainable Construction.
Ivor is a wood scientist and technologist. He is particularly interested in how timber and related materials can contribute to enhancing building performance and the circular economy. He is best known for his work on the design and performance of timber façades.
Before joining CAT in 2020, Ivor worked at Edinburgh Napier University for 16 years where he taught on several undergraduate and masters programmes and was a research fellow in the Institute for Sustainable Construction. Ivor had previously worked for seven years as a project manager in a charity promoting the improved management and use of native woodlands in the Scottish Highlands. He has also worked as technical manager in a manufacturing joinery company. Ivor originally trained as a visual artist and had worked in that field for several years before becoming distracted by timber. He still enjoys ‘making stuff' and uses these skills in his teaching wherever possible.
Alongside his work at CAT, Ivor is an expert witness on construction disputes involving timber and a consultant for the Timber Decking and Cladding Association. He is a member of British Standards Institution technical committee B/543 and a research associate at Edinburgh Napier University.
Qualifications and professional affiliations
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Senior Lecturer and SE and SBC Programme Leader
Jane is a lead academic at CAT. Mainly involved in the management, she also teaches lectures and practicals for both on-site and distance-learning students, particularly for the MSc Sustainability and Adaptation courses. Jane previously worked as a BSc programme leader in ecology and conservation at Liverpool John Moores,
Jane started as joint head of Education at CAT in October 2014 before moving into the role as Lead Academic in April 2016. Prior to joining CAT, Jane worked as a lecturer and BSc programme leader in ecology and conservation at Liverpool John Moores University.
She also has substantial experience as a research ecologist at both Liverpool John Moores, and the University of Liverpool, where she completed her PhD. Jane's research has focused particularly on freshwater and wetland ecology, mainly into the relationships between phytoplankton, diatoms, macrophytes and eutrophication. This includes research for the Natural Environment Research Council, Environment Agency and the European Commission.
Qualifications
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Senior Lecturer
- Senior Lecturer and SNFR Programme Leader
Rebecca Kent is a senior lecturer on the MSc Sustainable Food and Natural Resources course and teaches on the Food Consumption and Production, Restoration Ecology and the Science of Sustainable Food Production modules.
Rebecca holds a PhD in Geography from Royal Holloway University of London. She has taught at Canterbury Christ Church University, SOAS University of London, and Birkbeck University of London. Rebecca has research experience in agriculture, natural resource management and international development and has worked in the Caribbean, West Africa and South Asia. She has a longstanding interest in understanding how individuals and households use natural resources to sustain their livelihoods and how this is impacted by environmental degradation.
Qualifications
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Rebecca has a Master of Science in Environmental Psychology and s PhD in education for sustainability focusing on transformational learning experiences that impact sustainable lifestyles choices. She has always worked towards her passion for the natural world and is a senior lecturer on the MSc Sustainability & Behaviour Change course.
Rhiannon first visited CAT as a young child in the 1980s. The memories of this unusual location and activities stayed with her, and she was delighted to have the opportunity to join the Board. Rhiannon works as an Innovation Manager at the Carbon Trust, having previously spent 20 years as a patent attorney.
Rhiannon has a scientific background, having studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, also obtaining a PhD there. She spent 20 years as a patent attorney specialising in life sciences and biotechnology inventions, including 11 years as a partner in a small firm based in Somerset.
In 2021 she decided to leave the world of Intellectual Property behind, wishing to use the second half of her career to focus on efforts to combat climate change. In 2022 she began work as an Innovation Manager at the Carbon Trust, working with companies having innovative technology supporting the transition to Net Zero, with the aim of getting their technology into the market more rapidly.
As a CAT Trustee, Rhiannon is excited to be supporting the organisation in its work during this critical period leading up to 2030. As well as the main Board, Rhiannon sits on the Finance Committee.
Rhiannon enjoys spending as much time as she can outdoors, especially in the woods.
Job Titles:
- Senior Lecturer
- Environmental Social Scientist
Ruth is an environmental social scientist, lecturing across the range of taught and research postgraduate courses at CAT. Drawing on experience in renewable energy consultancy, policy making with Welsh Government and academic research on policy and discourse she focusses on the nature of socio-technical transformations and working towards social and behavioural transformation. She works closely with CAT's Zero Carbon Britain Hub to implement systemic change at grassroots and institutional levels.
Ruth is an Environmental social scientist specialising in the institutional, social and environmental aspects of sustainability and transformation. She spent her early career as a consultant environmental planner, primarily in the renewable energy industry, acting as a Director for the worker owned renewable energy company, Dulas Ltd. Whilst representing the wind energy industry on the planning policy panel for the Welsh Government, she was inspired to initiate her PhD research on the policy making process and its effects on the delivery of ‘sustainable development'. Since then, Ruth's research has focussed on new governance models, behavioural and systems transformations required for energy, environmental and social resilience. She set up the Sustainability and behaviour change MSc but works across disciplines at the Graduate School.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Senior Lecturer
- Co - Founder of Flowering Elbow
Sam is also co-founder of Flowering Elbow, a social enterprise focussed on sharing experience and knowledge of upcycling, materials-led design and innovation.
Sam is an alumnus and former lecturer of the Graduate School who returned to CAT in 2021 as a senior lecturer. She returns from a decade of academic geography as a passionate learning facilitator with research specialisms in value systems, nature-culture relations, polar and rural regions, globalization and participative research.
Sam is a geographer with a sustained interest in the processes of progressing towards a sustainable future. As an undergraduate, she studied the role of NGOs in creating pathways for change. From there an MSc at CAT was a logical step. Having embraced the technical aspects of building physics, renewable energy and sustainable building materials, she nevertheless remained curious as to the personal and political systemic changes needed. Her thesis investigated how to better engage householders in energy-related behaviour changes. Finding the MSc to be a life-changing experience, she came on board as a member of staff to help develop distance learning versions of our courses, later becoming a tutor and lecturer.
Sam was tempted back to geography for doctoral studies where she investigated the politics and practices of natural and cultural heritage conservation in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard through the lens of value theory. Here she found herself at the leading edge of climate change and ‘pristine wilderness' protection. Following a postdoctoral fellowship, she continues to engage in researching the rapid rate of social and economic change associated with the profound environmental changes happening there.
More recently Sam has worked as a researcher on rural globalization and as a visiting lecturer at Aberystwyth University, a visiting lecturer at the University of Chester and now returns to CAT from a two-year teaching post at the University of Cambridge and the Scott Polar Research Institute.
Qualifications
PhD, Human Geography. ‘Saving Svalbard? Contested value, conservation practices and everyday life in the high Arctic', Aberystwyth University. 2018.
Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCTHE), Aberystwyth University, 2012.
Architecture: Advanced Environmental and Energy Studies (Distinction), University of East London via Centre for Alternative Technology, 2009.
First Class BA (Hons) in Human Geography, University of Wales Aberystwyth, 2005.
City and Guilds 6176 in Energy Awareness, Centre for Sustainable Energy, 2003.
Research Interests
Nature-culture relations especially perceptions and discourses of nature, wilderness and conservation
Discourses of climate change and the environment
Behaviour change and its politics
Value, values and valuation
Well-being, buildings and natural materials
Participative, embodied and visual methodologies; co-production and decolonisation of knowledge, politics of knowledge production.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Head of Visitor Services
Ed has joined CAT following fifteen years developing visitor experiences and commercial opportunities at both Llyn Brenig and Elan Valley for Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. Responsible for managing catering, retail and accommodation, Ed is passionate about delivering excellent customer service and exceeding visitors expectations.
Ed has lived in Wales since studying Social Policy at Cardiff University and developed a particular research interest in rural crime and social isolation and his experience of dealing with anti-social behaviour such as fly-tipping inspired him to explore how to address such problems during his postgraduate diploma in Countryside Management at Bangor University. As part of this course he travelled independently to the Peruvian Andes for a month to study the impact of eco-tourism in two remote communities.
He has extensive practical experience of working in a fast-paced visitor centre environment combined with the challenges of managing access and recreation across a large estate. During his career with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water he developed the team and facilities at both Llyn Brenig and Elan Valley by focusing upon market trends and capitalising on the assets of each site. This resulted in a much improved visitor experience along with an increase in both visitor numbers and income. He implemented year round opening and developed an annual programme of events, increasing visitor numbers to 200,000. He was responsible for promoting Elan Valley as a filming location, securing valuable contracts with Universal Pictures, The Huntsman Winter's War, BBC Top Gear and drama The Game and S4C Hinterland. He also worked with Jaguar Land Rover who hosted 900 journalists at Elan Sawmill for lunch during 2013, the global press launch of the new Range Rover Sport. He created a new unique wedding venue on the central tower of Pen y Garreg dam and also hosted wedding receptions at the historic sawmill.
Ed enjoys developing partnerships to achieve more together, he passionately developed the Elan Valley Landscape Partnership which after four years and numerous setbacks and challenges managed to secure a £1.6million bid for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund for Elan Links, Landscape Scale Heritage Conservation project. Whilst at Elan Valley he chaired the Cambrian Mountains Tourism Network, in partnership with Visit Wales, led on developing the destination, secured grant funding for a paid part-time role to facilitate engagement events and managed the delivery of the destination action plan.
Outside of work Ed enjoys exploring off the beaten track, walking, climbing and canoeing. He also has a passion for working with wood, from large construction projects and chainsaw carving to more intricate toy making for his two daughters.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Interim Co - CEO
Eileen is passionate about the power of social movements to create change. She was first inspired to be a CAT Changemaker in 2001 when she downsized from London life and moved to rural Wales to work at CAT.
Eileen and Paul Booth are jointly responsible for the successful leadership and management of CAT in accordance with the strategic direction set by the Board of Trustees.
Eileen has responsibility for external relations, policy and public affairs, marketing and communications, fundraising and development.
Eileen has worked for charities and organisations campaigning on environmental, human rights and social justice issues for nearly 30 years, initially as a fundraiser for national charities including Amnesty International, Free Tibet Campaign and Save the Children.
She moved to Mid Wales in 2001 to take up a post as Administrative Director at CAT (one of only two people to hold this post). She left to teach in the Department of Voluntary Sector Studies at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter. After having her daughter, she moved to work at the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), where she provided training, advice and consultancy for charities in Wales. She was seconded for a year to the National Library of Wales where she held the position of Head of External Affairs. She has an undergraduate degree in psychology from Edinburgh University, an MBA from the University of Wales, Trinity Saint David and the International Advanced Diploma in Fundraising.
Although Eileen left CAT in 2004, you can never really leave CAT and was delighted to return in 2018 as Head of Development.
Outside of work she enjoys trail running, mountain biking, surfing, birdwatching (shh!) - in fact, anything that involves being outdoors enjoying Wales' beautiful mountains and beaches.
Job Titles:
- Architect With a Strong Commitment to Wales
- Visiting Lecturer
Elinor runs her own experienced practice PegwArchitects in 2019, in north Wales and is an experienced conservation architect with a strong commitment to Wales and its heritage. Alongside being a Commissioner of the Design Commission for Wales she tutors on our MArch Sustainable Architecture Part 2 course.
Elinor Gray-Williams is an experienced conservation architect with a strong commitment to Wales and its heritage. After completing the SPAB Lethaby Scholarship in 2007, she worked at Donald Insall Associates for 13 years as an Associate Director, before setting up her own practice PegwArchitects in 2019, in North Wales.
She enjoys the creative challenges of repairing, re-using and retrofitting existing built fabric, and works creatively with landscapes and sensitive sites to safeguard authentic interpretation of existing spaces and stories, and to maximise opportunities for environmental sustainability in her work. She is also a Commissioner of the Design Commission for Wales.
At the Centre for Alternative Technology, she encourages Sustainable Architecture students to investigate the foundational economy here in Wales and to review the unique natural and built environment, and the resilient cultural identity of Wales.
Qualifications
BArch, Architecture, Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University
Emily joined the Graduate School to teach in 2023 and covers a range of MSc modules as a senior lecturer. She recently completed a PhD from Keele University which explored environmental activism, agroecology, and food sovereignty.
Emily is a Lecturer in Sustainability at CAT having recently completed her PhD at Keele University in environmental activism, agroecology, and food sovereignty. Emily has an activist-researcher background and has worked closely with grassroots alternative food organisations in Manchester and London. She also has an active interest in environmentalism and processes of social change, taking particular interest in sustainable community alternatives and environmental social movements. Emily teaches on a range of modules at CAT from Sustainable Food Production and Consumption, Sustainability and Adaptation, Politics of the Environment, Applied Research Design and Cities and Communities.
Qualifications:
PhD, International Relations, Keele University
MSc Environmental Politics and Development, London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
BA Politics and International Relations, Royal Holloway University of London
As an architect and alumnus of the Graduate School, Gwyn returns to CAT to teach as a Senior Lecturer. Alongside teaching, he maintains a portfolio of voluntary and professional practice with a focus on low impact construction, heritage conservation and community projects.
Gwyn is an Architect with multidisciplinary training in both Building Services Engineering and Architecture.
Having worked with BuroHappold Engineering in their highly regarded Sustainability team during the initial years of his career, Gwyn has since built a portfolio of work and teaching across England and Wales. Working with collaborators and in practice Gwyn has developed an expertise of high performance sustainable design with low impact construction techniques. As an alumnus of Graduate School for the Environment the CAT ethos is core to his way of thinking and living.
As well as teaching at CAT, Gwyn maintains a portfolio of voluntary and professional practice with a focus on low impact construction, heritage conservation and community projects. Born and bred in Wales, Gwyn is a firm believer in utilising his expertise for the good of the planet's people and ecosystems learning from and applying to the rural and urban areas of Wales.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Programme Support Officer
- Student and Programme Support Officer
Working as a Student and Programme Support Officer, Helen joined the Student Support team within CAT's Graduate School of the Environment in September 2022. She brings with her 20 years experience working in the Higher Education sector.
Having completed Bachelor's and Masters study, Helen previously worked at Aberystwyth University in a variety of roles, including as a DSA Needs Assessor and Student Support Tutor, as Departmental Administrator for the International English Centre, IELTS Centre Manager, and most recently as Assistant Registrar for Postgraduate and Non-Standard Admissions.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Student and Programme Support Manager
With a BSc in Educational Psychology and extensive experience in Outdoor Education Jemma now works as a Student Support Manager at CAT alongside being a member of the local Mountain Rescue Team.
After studying BSc Educational Psychology, Jemma worked in Outdoor Education for over 7 years. She joined CAT as a Student Support Officer in 2020 alongside being a member of the local Mountain Rescue Team and running guided MTB rides for women. She is now the Student Support and Programme Manager.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Head of Eco Centre
John has an enthusiastic love for the outdoors and the use of technology to enable sustainable living. Before coming to CAT, John spent 27 years working in the museum world, where much of his time was spent on bringing historic sites and technologies alive for visitors.
John graduated from the University of Salford in 1985 with a 2.1 BSc in geography. The following year, he began his museum career at the Bass Museum in Burton on Trent, becoming assistant curator before moving on to a 25-year career with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in Shropshire. There, John was heavily involved in the development of three key sites including the creation of a hand-on design and technology centre as Curator of Technology. Latterly, he took on the role of operations manager for Blists Hill Victorian Town site before leaving to join CAT in 2015 as Head of Eco Centre, heading up the site's Estates and Engagement teams and helping to lead on the site's redevelopment.
John has always had a practical interest in all things mechanical and in building. He lives near Llanfair Caereinion, where he's working on the restoration of a cottage and small holding.
Kalyani has a deep interest in sustainable living, reverential ecology, and is a keen hill walker. She lives in North Wales with her husband and young son.
Job Titles:
- Support Staff Member
- Student and Programme Support Officer
Katherine joined the Student Support team within CAT's Graduate School of the Environment in 2023 having previously worked with CAT's front of house team.
Having previous experience in promoting sustainable ways to heat the home, Katherine joined the CAT reception team at the start of 2023. She jumped at the chance in December to join Student Support to help support Graduate School students through their programmes.
Katherine has a Foundation Degree in Complementary Approaches to Healthcare, which she gained whilst also assisting in the running of a successful wood burning stove business.
She has 9 years of experience running and managing a company that's focused on promoting a sustainable way to heat your home using renewable fuel, wood. Using and promoting the most efficient, clean burning appliances. She is passionate about the environment, traditional craft and sustainable woodland management."
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Trustee
Kevin is a Chartered Accountant with a long-held interest in sustainability and a Masters degree in Sustainability & Environmental Management.
Kevin is a Chartered Accountant who has spent 25 years as a consultant, adviser and auditor, working for banks and consultancy firms of all sizes. He has extensive experience working internationally, including living for several years in Hong Kong and the Middle East. He is now an independent consultant, as well as being on the boards of an NHS trust, a university, a social care business and a housing association. Until recently, he was Deputy Chair of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
Kevin has a long-held interest in sustainability, which led him to take a Masters in Sustainability & Environmental Management in 2009. His particular interests were (and remain) sustainable consumption and supply chains, and the role of banking in sustainable development. His recent work includes writing guidance for internal auditors to address the risks associated with climate change in their organisations.
With specalist knowledge on building construction, low energy buldings and environmentally friendly materials, Pat is an experienced architect with over 35 years experience. He collaborates with the GSE as a seminar and practical studies tutor for their modules.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Interim Co - CEO
Enthusiastic about the environment, football and the theatre, Paul has more than 30 years of experience as a charted accountant; most recently spending 18 years specialising in providing support and advice to the charity sector.
Job Titles:
- Visiting Professor, Department of Engineering
Prof. Charles Ainger, Visiting Professor, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge; Paul Allen, Zero Carbon Britain; Luke Bailey, Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive at Ofgem; Tom Crompton, Director of Common Cause Foundation; Harriet Festing, Director of Anthropocene Alliance; Jo Gwillim, Dulas Renewable Energy; Rob Gwillim, Renewable Energy Consultant; Peter Harper, Independent Researcher; Mark Hinnells, Oxford Programme for the Future of Cities; Diane Hubbard, Green Footsteps; Rowland Keable, Director Rammed Earth Consulting; Duncan Kerridge, Senior Research & Development Engineer at The Sure Chill Company; Jaise Kuriakose, Lecturer in Climate Change at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Manchester; Prof. Tim Lang, Food Policy; Tom Levitt, Freelance Journalist and Director of Oxford Farming Conference; Rachel Lilley, Behaviour Change and Communication; Dr Pamela Mason, Researcher in Food; Duncan McCann, Researcher at New Economics Foundation; Kara Moses, Facilitator of social change, nature connection, writer and Red Pepper Editor; Jane Powell, Independent Writer, Researcher and Activist; Josie Redmonds, Community Development Malawi; Lotte Reimer, Environmental Management; Tom Robinson, Founder of Adaptavate and CAT Graduate; Prof. David Rudlin, Director Urbanism Environment and Design; Susan Steed, Economist of sorts, co-founder of Brixton Pound; Dr Judith Thornton, Low Carbon Manager; Dr Mikey Tomkins, Urban Agriculture research and practice; Colin Tudge, Biologist, Writer and Director to the Oxford Real Farming Conference; Dr Derek Wall, Economics Writer, Green Party Principal Speaker; Prof. John Whitelegg, Visiting Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University; Prof. Dave Wilkinson, Visiting Professor in Ecology at the University of Lincoln; Monika Zurek, Senior Researcher at the Environmental Change Institute.
Roger has considerable experience of successfully running large Wales-wide organisations in the environmental management field, most recently being the CEO of Countryside Council for Wales for 11 years.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Trustee and 2018 CAT Graduate
Sonya graduated from CAT's renewable energy MSc in 2018 and is currently Head of Energy at Stephens Scown LLP and a CAT trustee.
With a background in macroeconomics, Theresa currently heads up the Bank of England's Climate Hub.
Job Titles:
- Academic Staff Member
- Senior Lecturer and SA, SABE, SAP and GB Programme Leader
Working for eight years at Hopkins Architects, Tim has worked on a huge range of projects that tackled head-on the challenges of sustainable and low energy design. He is now the Programme Leader of the CAT MSc courses validated by the University of East London.
Tony is a social scientist with forty years' involvement in sustainable development policy, research and training with UK, Brazilian and international organizations.
Job Titles:
- Trust / Canada Passive House Institute / Individual Member [2011
Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture (Science)
Department of Architecture and the Built Environment
University of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
2009 - ongoing
Zoë's architectural practice, research and teaching move between architecture, art, poetry and performance, with a focus on enacting resilient relationships between archives, communities and ecologies. She brings to CAT rich experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams in delivering narrative design projects for cultural institutions and landscapes.