Keynote Speakers
Prof. Sallie Bailey
Scottish Government
9th April 2024
Sallie is Deputy Chief Science Advisor for Scottish Government in the areas of environment, natural resources and agriculture. Her role is to bring scientific evidence to the centre of decision-making in government and to provide oversight and assurance of science capability and activities. In her role she advises Ministers, government officials and government agencies.
Sallie is supporting the development of science as a profession within Scottish Government and enhancing links with universities and early career researchers. She has experience working internationally, pan UK and in Scotland across science, evidence-based policy, regulation and delivery all within the spheres of natural resource management, biodiversity and the environment.
Previously, she’s held leadership roles in the UK state forestry sector. She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters, mentor for the Emerging Leaders Programme and Trustee of the Educational & Science Trust, the Vincent Wildlife Trust & the Science Council. She is also an active member of the British Ecological Society (BES) serving as a BES Ambassador and Policy Committee member. She has an Honorary Professorship at the University of Stirling, affiliated to the Faculty of Natural Sciences.
She has worked with Statutory Nature Conservation Agencies leading application of remote-sensing and GIS. Following her PhD at the University of Nottingham (spatial and woodland ecology & biodiversity) she completed a post-doctorate at the Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University considering biodiversity, forest and agro-forestry ecosystems in Costa Rica, arid ecosystems of Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, Colorado.
Prof. Anne Magurran
University of St Andrews
10th April 2024
Anne Magurran, Professor of Ecology at the University of St Andrews, is interested in biodiversity and how it changes over space and time. Her research has taken her from ancient woodlands in Ireland to the flooded forests of the Amazon and includes work in marine, freshwater and terrestrial systems extending from the tropics to the poles. She greatly values the opportunities she has had to collaborate with ecologists around the world in tackling our shared challenge of protecting the biodiversity on which we all depend. Anne has written several influential books on how to measure biodiversity and is committed to finding approaches that are both ecologically relevant and useful in conservation.
Student/ECR Plenaries
Lydia McGill
Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation (UHI)
and NatureScot
9th April 2024
Lydia is a data analyst at NatureScot, focused on using data to inform the 30x30 targets set to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. She is also a PhD student at the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI, working in the field of population genetics, and is currently writing up this work for completion. Her PhD project uses genomic DNA to investigate population connectivity of flame shells (Limaria hians) and, separately, of razor clams (Ensis sp.).
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She has a background in population genetics, having previously worked on projects looking at red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 2 species of deep-sea fish – the common ling (Molva molva) and the blue ling (Molva dypterygia).
Catherine Whatley
University of the West of Scotland
and NatureScot
10th April 2024
​Catherine is the reptile and amphibian policy and advice officer at NatureScot, and is also writing up her Ph.D. in amphibian ecotoxicology at the University of the West of Scotland. She has worked with amphibians and reptiles for almost a decade at institutions such as ZSL London Zoo, Chester Zoo, and the University of Manchester, and has experience in captive management, fieldwork, research, and conservation of a range of herpetofauna species. She is also a research associate at the University of Exeter, and she is a trustee of the British Herpetological Society.
Debate Panel
Chair: Prof. Colin Galbraith
NatureScot
In June 2023, Professor Colin Galbraith was appointed as the Chair of NatureScot by the Scottish Ministers. With a lifelong commitment to nature conservation, both locally and globally, Colin brings a wealth of experience and passion to his new role. He previously served as the Chair of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee from January 2021.
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Colin's journey in nature conservation began with a deep-seated passion for the environment. Over the years, he has directed his efforts towards various environmental issues, both in the UK and on a global scale. As the Director of his own environmental consultancy, he tackles diverse challenges related to nature and the environment.
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Having worked closely with the United Nations, Colin has made significant contributions to the Convention on Migratory Species. His work includes a period as Chair and involvement in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. One of his key interests lies in the conservation of migratory species, such as birds of prey in Europe and the Middle East, as well as the preservation of the Albatross. Additionally, Colin has dedicated his efforts to understanding the impact of climate change on protected species.
Colin's previous experience also includes a 12-year tenure at NatureScot, where he served as the Director of Policy and Advice. During this time, he acted as the organisation's principal adviser on policy, scientific matters, and technical issues. In recent years, his focus has shifted towards assessing the impact of global climate change on protected areas and the ecology of endangered species.
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Notably, Colin has held influential roles within the Scientific Council of the Convention on Migratory Species, serving as both Chairman and Vice Chairman. He is currently the Appointed Councillor for Climate Change issues for the Convention. Additionally, he has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and an Independent Member since 2014.
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Prof. Vicky Johnson
Centre for Living Sustainability, University of the Highlands and Islands
More information to come
Dr. Deborah Long
ScotLink
© Lesley Martin
Deborah is Chief Officer at Scottish Environment LINK, the network for environmental NGOs in Scotland. Her role is to enable the network and staff team deliver, together, LINK’s aim to be a strong coherent voice in pursuit of a sustainable Scotland. Deborah has extensive senior leadership experience in natural and cultural heritage in Scotland. Before working at LINK, she led a multi-partner international consortium working with citizens, climate and soil scientists and policy makers across Europe; developed and led Plantlife Scotland in the conservation of plants, mosses, lichens and fungi and set up and coordinated a research and arts programme at Kilmartin House Museum. She is an active Board member of a number of charities in Scotland, who work on conservation, environmental rights and third sector leadership. Since February 2023, Deborah is a Just Transition Commissioner, providing advice on working alongside communities of interest and communities of place to achieve a just transition to net zero and nature positive. Trained as a Palaeoecologist, Deborah maintains an active interest in plants and growing and spends as much time as she can outdoors in Scotland and across the world, sea kayaking, cross country skiing and hill walking. When the weather is terrible, she reads.
Prof. Deb Roberts
Land Commission and James Hutton Institute
Professor Deb Roberts is Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Science at the James Hutton Institute. Deb trained as an agricultural economist and, prior to moving into her current position, her research focussed on understanding how agricultural and environmental policies affect economic development and social wellbeing in rural areas. She holds an Honorary Chair in Real Estate at the University of Aberdeen.
Prof. Des Thompsen
FRSE
With more than 30 years’ experience working in government agencies, Des was the Principal Adviser on Biodiversity and Science with NatureScot. He worked closely with the Scottish Government devising the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy 2022-2045, and its Delivery Plan. Now a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow with the UHI North, West and Hebrides, his interests include the conservation ecology of north European shorebirds, upland ecosystems, and science-policy biodiversity decision making. He advises the UN on climate change and biodiversity issues, is Vice President (and former Chair of the Board of Trustees) of the Field Studies Council, and enjoys team working. He took his PhD and DSc from the University of Nottingham, and hails from the small village of Culrain in Sutherland.