People

At UCL, we bring together top researchers and thought leaders to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. As a top 10 global university, UCL harnesses interdisciplinary expertise across fields like climate science, mental health, data science, social equity, and cultural studies. By connecting with our Grand Challenges team, theme leaders, and a network of over 17,000 academic staff, you’ll gain access to some of the world’s leading minds in research, education, and innovation.

UCL’s expertise across key themes

UCL has access to the world's leading minds.

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Our experts in neuroscience, psychology, and social policy focus on holistic approaches to mental health, addressing prevention, treatment, and the societal factors affecting wellbeing.

Theme Leads:
Professor Essi Viding, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Clinical, Educational, and Health Psychology Research Department, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, UCL.
Professor Argyris Stringaris, Clinician and neuroscientist and the Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCL and Co-Director of the AIM lab and clinic at UCL.

> visit Mental Health & Wellbeing

Climate Crisis

With expertise in environmental science, climate resilience, sustainable technology, and energy solutions, UCL leads in climate action research. Connect with our theme leaders and climate experts to address shared sustainability goals.

Theme leads:
Professor Lisa Vanhala, Professor of Political Science
Professor Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at UCL and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.

> visit Climate Crisis

Data-Empowered Societies

UCL’s data science, ethics, and policy teams work to leverage data for social good, emphasising privacy and digital equity.

Theme leads:
Professor James Hetherington, Director of the Advanced Research Computing Centre at University College London
Professor Allison Littlejohn, Professor of Learning Technology in UCL's Institute of Education and Society and Director of the UCL Knowledge Lab.

> visit Data-Empowered Societies

Justice & Equality

UCL researchers address inequality by exploring the roots of social, economic, and health disparities, developing evidence-based policies that drive equity.

Theme leads:
Professor Louise Archer, Karl Mannheim Professor of Sociology of Education at UCL IOE and co-chair of the Centre for Sociology of Education and Equity.
Professor Nick Gallent, Professor of Housing and Planning at the Bartlett School of Planning

> visit Justice and Equality

Cultural Understanding

In a globally connected world, UCL’s experts in cultural studies, linguistics, and anthropology promote understanding and cooperation across borders.

Theme leads:
Professor Doug Bourn, Director of the Development Education Research Centre in the UCL Institute of Education
Professor Audrey Prost, Director of the Centre for the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents, at UCL’s Institute for Global Health.

> visit Cultural Understanding

Transformative Technology

UCL experts explore how cutting-edge technologies can shapre a more sustainable, inclusive and resiliant future.

Theme leads:
Professor Patty Kostkova, (UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction) is Professor in Digital Health and the Director of UCL IRDR Centre for Digital Public Health in Emergencies.
Professor Marc-Olivier Coppens, (UCL Chemical Engineering) is Ramsay Memorial Professor in Chemical Engineering and Head of Department.
Professor Jack Stilgoe, Senior Lecturer in Social Studies of Science at University College London

> visit Transformative Technology

Grand Challenge experts provide:

Cutting edge research insights
Tailored solutions for societal impact
Global network connections
Innovative approaches to problem-solving
Opportunities for joint research and development
Support from leading academics and practitioners
Enhanced community and societal outcomes
Acces to UCL's research infrustructure
Pathways for long-term partnerships

If you're passionate about making a real impact and driving innovative solutions, we want to work with you to create lasting change.

Meet the Grand Challenges Team

The UCL Grand Challenges team is here to support interdisciplinary projects and partnerships. Our team connects experts across UCL and with external partners to maximise the societal impact of our research and collaborations.

Director and Assistant Directors

Sam Balch

Director, UCL Grand Challenges

Sam leads the UCL Grand Challenges team. He joined the team in 2024, and previously worked in a range of roles across government and the third sector. All his roles have been anchored around driving positive environmental and social outcomes for people and planet. In his most recent roles he worked for a national responsible business network - Business in the Community - as their Executive Director of Campaigns and Content, and as a senior Civil Servant on building decarbonisation policies and regulations..

As a senior leader, he plays an active role in supporting staff networks, in particular, faith and minority ethnic networks. Sam has significant experience in establishing and running large financial programmes, with a focus on driving positive outcomes. Sam is a UCL alumni, with a BA in Geography & Anthropology, and MSc in Environment, Science, and Society.

Ask me about:

Research and innovation collaborations around the Grand Challenges
Learning and insight on developing and delivering the Grand Challenges  
Showcasing your knowledge and experience around delivering on the Grand Challenges
Learning and development opportunities around the Grand Challenges
Accessing skills and capabilities to tackle problems around the Grand Challenge themes

E: s.balch@ucl.ac.uk
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Siobhan Morris

Assistant Director, UCL Grand Challenges

Siobhan joined the team in July 2018 and is responsible for a broad portfolio working with academics and external partners to facilitate impactful research, interdisciplinary innovations, and cross-sector collaborations.

More broadly, Siobhan is an experienced knowledge broker, working to cultivate and manage strategic high-level relationships and leading and managing award-winning research projects, centres, and public engagement activities.

Specialising in equalities and structural inequities in UK society, she has published extensively on intersectional inequalities in the UK. She is also a host of Disruptive Voices, Grand Challenges' podcast series.

E: siobhan.morris@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn

Katherine Welch

Assistant Director, Climate Crisis and Data-Empowered Societies

Katherine is currently on secondment with the Grand Challenges from UCL Public Policy. Katherine leads on the Climate Crisis and Data Empowered Societies Grand Challenges and is responsible for working with the Pro-Vice Provosts and the Director to deliver the strategy and objectives of both programmes.

At UCL Public Policy, Katherine is responsible for supporting UCL researchers and academics to connect their work with strategic partners across academia, policy, third sector and professional organisations. She is leading UCL Public Policy's work on climate and net zero as well as Artificial Intelligence.

Katherine was previously Deputy Director and Manager of the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, establishing, alongside the Director, the Institute's research, teaching and engagement agendas.

Prior to joining UCL, Katherine worked in the mining sector as a journalist and editor for the global mining publication, Mining Journal. Katherine has a first-class honours in Geology and a Masters in Quaternary Science.

E: k.welch@ucl.ac.uk

Dr James Paskins

Policy Practice Fellow (Secondment)

James joined UCL in 2001 as a Research Fellow in the Department of Civil Engineering. His research work included children’s health and travel behaviour, accessible transport, urban design and wellbeing. He is a member of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Prior to joining the Grand Challenges team, James was the programme manager for Bridging the Gaps, an EPRSC funded project that encouraged interdisciplinary solutions for urban sustainability. Within the Grand Challenges team, where his roles have included Coordinator, Deputy Director and Assistant Director, he has supported the themes of Climate Crisis, Sustainable Cities, Data Empowered Societies, Transformative Technology and the London Agenda. He is currently on secondment as a Policy Practice Fellow reviewing the evidence for the impact of UCL Grand Challenges programme as part of the Challenge-Led Interdisciplinary Programmes (CLIP) workstream.

James holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Westminster, and a PhD in Transport Studies from UCL; his thesis investigated the role of cognitive mapping skills in children’s mobility.

E: j.paskins@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn

Programme Management Office (PMO)

Emily Jennings

Head of Programmes & Operations, UCL Grand Challenges

Emily is Head of Programmes & Operations for Grand Challenges and the RIGE Integrative Cross-Faculty Investment Fund (IxFI), and leads the Grand Challenges Programme Management team. She has worked at UCL since 2019 and was previously Programme Manager for ERBE (Energy Resilience and the Built Environment) at the UCL Energy Institute, part of the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources (BSEER). Before joining UCL, Emily lived in Australia, working in communications and marketing for a sustainable horticulture company in Sydney.

Emily graduated in 2017 with a degree in Geography from the University of Manchester. She has a strong interest in sustainability, mental health and wellbeing, and climate action. Emily is a qualified Project Manager and Change Manager, holding Practitioner level certifications in PRINCE2, APM, AgilePM and Change Management.

Ask me about:

The UCL Grand Challenges Programme – strategy, objectives, and key performance indicators
Financial questions related to UCL Grand Challenges
Exploring potential partnerships and collaborations with UCL Grand Challenges
Finance queries, application process, acceptance criteria, and terms & conditions related to the RIGE Integrative Cross-Faculty Investment Fund (IxFI)

E: emily.jennings@ucl.ac.uk
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Hannan Ahmed

Senior Programme Officer, UCL Grand Challenges

Hannan is the Senior Programme Officer for UCL Grand Challenges, supporting programme governance and administration, the student ambassador programme, and other department-wide needs. She joined the team in April 2025 after completing a Master of Public Administration degree from the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Her previous experience includes management of international development projects based in the Middle East and North Africa. Hannan holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she studied migration, displacement, and Arabic.

Ask me about:
•   Queries relating to Grand Challenges Operations
•   Event-related queries concerning UCL Grand Challenges
•   Exploring potential partnerships and collaborations with UCL Grand Challenges

E: hannan.ahmed.23@ucl.ac.uk

Savannah Lahtinen

Finance Assistant, UCL Grand Challenges

Savannah is the Finance Assistant for UCL Grand Challenges and is also supporting the day-to-day finance administration of the RIGE Integrative Cross-Faculty Investment Fund (IxFI). Savannah has worked at UCL since 2016, previously as the Finance and Research Assistant in the Department of Anthropology and Finance Officer in Division of Biosciences. Prior to joining UCL, Savannah worked for NIHR with a team linking UK expertise in early translational researchwell-characterisedrised patient cohorts with the life sciences industry.

Ask me about: UCL Grand Challenges finance and IxFI finance queries

E: s.lahtinen@ucl.ac.uk

Jess Todd

Programme Administrator, UCL Grand Challenges

Jess is the Programme Administrator at UCL Grand Challenges, supporting Programme Officers and Coordinators across the team. Working as part of the Programme Management Office, she manages administrative processes for programme delivery as well as event administration across the Grand Challenges themes.

Before joining the team in April 2026, Jess provided governance and public engagement support for the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner and previously worked as a Project Assistant for the University of Leeds on a community engagement programme.

Jess holds a Bacholor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Leeds and has a strong interest in Inequalities and Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Ask me about:

• Queries relating to Grand Challenges Operations
• Event-related queries concerning UCL Grand Challenges

E: jess.todd@ucl.ac.uk

Communications

Daisy Harvey

Communications Manager, UCL Grand Challenges

Daisy is the Communications Manager for UCL Grand Challenges. Daisy has worked at UCL since 2016 and was previously the Senior Communications and Events Officer for the UCL Faculty of Population Health Sciences where she led the delivery of the ‘Women’s Health at UCL’ campaign in March 2024 and the ‘Public Health Disrupted’ podcast series. Daisy has also worked in communications roles for the UCL Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources (BSEER) and the UCL Institute of Americas.

Graduating in 2014, Daisy holds a degree in History from the University of Liverpool and is qualified in Advertising (IPA - Institute of Practitioners in Advertising). Daisy has strong interests in women’s health, health inequalities, mental health and climate action, and is currently a Communications Manager for UCL’s ASTREA network.

Ask me about: Communications queries related to UCL Grand Challenges

E: d.voake@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn

Flavie Belanco

Communications Officer, UCL Grand Challenges, UCL Public Policy and UCL Sustainable Development Goals

Flavie is the Communications Officer for UCL Grand Challenges, UCL Public Policy, UCL Research and the UCL Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiative. Flavie supports on strategic storytelling, content creation, and engagement across interdisciplinary research initiatives. With a background spanning higher education, health, and the charity sector, Flavie brings over a wealth of experience in internal and external communications, podcast production, and digital media.

Before joining UCL, she held roles at the Royal College of Nursing and Age UK, where she developed impactful campaigns and content to connect diverse audiences with vital services and research. Her early career included work in journalism and radio production, reflecting a long standing passion for amplifying underrepresented voices and translating complex ideas into accessible narratives.

Flavie holds a degree from the University of Roehampton and is committed to using communications as a tool for social impact.

E: f.belanco@ucl.ac.uk

Education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Simon Knowles

Head of Grand Challenges Education & Student Experience (ESE) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Simon leads two workstreams within UCL Grand Challenges. The Education & Student Experience (ESE) workstream is developing a range of curricular and extra-curricular offers to further embed a challenge-led, collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to education for UCL’s students. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) workstream is seeking to ensure the Grand Challenges more actively convey how they are addressing the 17 UN SDGs.

Before joining the Grand Challenges team, Simon established and led the UCL Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiative, which maximised the impact of UCL’s activity on the SDGs, from its teaching and research to its students’ extra-curricular endeavours and the university’s operations.

Previously, he headed marketing and communications teams for several organisations, including charities and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). The ODA was responsible for the construction of the venues and infrastructure for the London 2012 Games.

He is the Network Manager of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions UK Network, which is hosted by UCL, and a member of the Millennium Campus Network’s Civic Learning Council. He was a judge in the 2024 and 2025 Green Gown ‘Sustainability Institution of the Year' award.

He has a BA in Geography from UCL.

E: s.knowles@ucl.ac.uk

Partnerships

Martin Scott

Senior Partnerships Manager (Social Innovation)

As a member of UCL Innovation & Enterprise Strategic Innovation Partnerships team, Martin provides specialist partnership management support to the Grand Challenges leadership team. Working in alignment with UCL’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he acts as a bridge between UCL’s world-leading expertise and its partners across the business, public, and non-profit sectors.

Contact Martin to:

Discuss new innovation and knowledge exchange opportunities for the Grand Challenges
Identify and pursue opportunities to scale and amplify existing Grand Challenge partnerships, including cross-department and cross-faculty initiatives
Find out more about UCL’s strategic partnerships associated with the Grand Challenges
Seek advice and guidance on navigating industry relationship management and developing impactful collaborations.

Martin was previously Head of Innovation Management within UCL's European Research & Innovation Office. Outside UCL he is co-founder of Crowdhelix, a global Open Innovation network and online matchmaking platform.

E: martin.scott@ucl.ac.uk
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Coordinators

Ethne James-Souch

Coordinator, UCL Grand Challenges (Inequalities and Cultural Understanding)

Ethne joined the team in October 2023 and is responsible for supporting and coordinating the Grand Challenges’ work on Justice & Equality and Cultural Understanding. Ethne joined UCL in 2021 having been a Governance Administrator and the Executive Assistant to the Chair of a national charity. Ethne has assisted in developing strategic plans and creating project impact reports that link to the strategic priorities using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Ethne has a particular interest in Mental Health awareness, having completed i-act training on managing and promoting positive mental health and wellbeing and is certified mental health aware. In her previous role, she was the wellbeing and accessibility champion for her faculty.

Ethne completed a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of West of England, with a particular interest in social regeneration and the impact of globalisation.

Ask me about:

Potential opportunities for interdisciplinary activities related to the Grand Challenge of Justice and Equality or Cultural Understanding
Funding opportunities, workshops and events
Knowledge exchange inquiries
Commission opportunities
Support with collaborative networks
Any queries related to the Working Groups

E: e.james-souch@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn

Max Gillingham

Coordinator, UCL Grand Challenges (Climate Crisis and Data Empowered Societies)

Max is the Coordinator for the Grand Challenges themes of Climate Crisis and Data-Empowered Societies. He joined UCL Grand Challenges in September 2024 having previously worked in academic-policy engagement on the CAPE project at the University of Nottingham. In this role, he worked closely with researchers and policymakers to coordinate a range of cross-sector collaborations and knowledge exchange activities. Prior to this, he worked in student engagement.

Bringing a keen interest in the natural world, Max holds an undergraduate degree in Zoology and an MRes in Biosciences from the University of Nottingham. His thesis explored the practical and policy considerations of a novel soil remediation method, and he has published in the international multi-disciplinary journal Science of the Total Environment.

Ask me about: Funding calls, events and other activities offered by the Grand Challenges of Climate Crisis and Data-Empowered Societies.

E: max.gillingham@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn

Jade Hunter

Coordinator, UCL Grand Challenges (Mental Health & Wellbeing)

Jade is the Coordinator for the theme of Mental Health and Wellbeing. She joined UCL Grand Challenges in November 2024 after having previously worked in the Data & Impact team at UCL. In this role, she worked closely with colleagues in Access and Widening Participation, Student Funding and Student Success to develop, undertake and commission research projects relating to student experience at UCL. Prior to this, she worked within Access & Widening Participation, working on their research, and teacher engagement strands.

Part-time at UCL, Jade is also studying for a collaborative PhD at Queen Mary University with Eastside Community Heritage, using oral history interviews to focus on themes of home, mobility and belonging on a suburban estate in Havering. Jade holds an MA in Sociology from Goldsmiths , during which she explored the effects of Thames Gateway regeneration on an estate community, and an MRes in Geography from Queen Mary.

Ask me about: Funding calls, events and other activities offered by the Grand Challenges of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

E: jade.hunter@ucl.ac.uk

Rebecca Wallwork

Coordinator, UCL Grand Challenges (Health Inequalities)

Rebecca is the Grand Challenges Coordinator for Health Inequalities. In this role, she facilitates across the Grand Challenges and the Institute of Health Equity to integrate activity across UCL and drive the impact of research. Rebecca joined the team in November 2024. She previously worked in the civil service on health and social care and rough sleeping and homelessness policy. Prior to this, she worked in the select committee office at Parliament. Rebecca has an MSc in Government, Policy and Politics from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Ask me about: Funding calls, events and other UCL activities on health inequalities

E: r.wallwork@ucl.ac.uk

Alice Nerurker

Research Assistant (Health Inequalities)

Alice is a Research Assistant currently supporting the Devolution and Health Equity Knowledge Exchange (DeHEx) collaboration. This partnership between UCL and the Local Government Association responds to the English Devolution White Paper and the new statutory duty for Strategic Authorities to address health inequalities. Alice leads project coordination and research activities, facilitating a series of knowledge exchange events to develop evidence-based resources that will embed health equity into local governance structures. Joining the team in May 2025, she has also supported the Grand Challenge of Cultural Understanding, developing research and guidance under the Cultures of Decolonisation work stream.

Alice is also a Research Fellow at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), where she investigates food systems transformation in collaboration with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. She holds an MPA in Innovation, Public Purpose and Public Value from UCL IIPP and a BA in History and Criminology from the University of Melbourne.

Ask me about: Health inequalities knowledge exchange, and equitable partnerships and cultures of decolonisation at UCL.

E: alice.nerurker.23@ucl.ac.uk | Follow me on LinkedIn