External centres and networks

Tomorrow’s Cities

Tomorrow’s Cities is the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Urban Disaster Risk Hub – a five-year global, £20 million interdisciplinary research hub. It is led by the School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.   The Hub aims to catalyse a transition from crisis management to multi-hazard risk-informed planning and decision-making, for cities in low-and-middle income countries. 

One Ocean Hub

This ambitious Hub brings together partners from the UK, South Africa, Ghana, Namibia, Kenya, the South Pacific and the Caribbean to tackle the crisis facing our oceans.

South Asian Nitrogen Hub

This international Hub tackles the challenge that nitrogen pollution poses for the environment, food security, human health and the economy in South Asia.

Ixchel project

We lead the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Ixchel project, which aims to understand the physical, cultural and socio-economic drivers of risk for strengthening resilience in the Guatemalan cordillera.  Located close to active volcanoes, the region has an extraordinarily high level of hazard exposure that intersects with and is exacerbated by existing forms of socio-economic vulnerability.   It will involve a close collaboration between physical scientists, social scientists, humanities scholars and Guatemalan community leaders in communities exposed to multiple forms of risk. 

Bayes Centre

The Bayes Centre is the Universityʼs innovation hub for data science and artificial intelligence.  The Centre is a community of over four hundred internationally recognised scientists, PhD students, leading industry experts and innovation support professionals in the mathematical, computational, engineering, and natural sciences.

Through Dr Murray Collins , our School leads the Space and Satellite Innovation Programme within the Bayes Centre, which is part of the University's Data-Driven Innovation Initiative.

Centre for Contemporary Latin American Studies (CCLAS)

CCLAS aims to foster research collaborations between The University of Edinburgh and other universities, institutions and organisations in the public and private sectors throughout Latin America.  

Professor Julie Cupples is a member and has played a key role in a range of strategic internationalisation and institution building activities in Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua and Ecuador.

Edinburgh Environmental Humanities Network

The network fosters collaborative work in environmental humanities throughout Scotland, the UK, and worldwide.   It aims to compliment responses to environmental problems in the hard sciences, by examining the social bases for climate change, biodiversity loss, and marine desertification, and exploring more ethical ways of imagining, narrating, and inhabiting environments globally.  

Global Academies

The Global Academies focus on collaborative action to deliver global impact on some of the greatest challenges facing us today.  Each Academy crosses boundaries in research and teaching, adopting a multi-disciplinary responses to challenging global issues.  Our School has particular involvement in:

• Global Development Academy
• Global Environment and Society Academy
• Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security

Group for Research on Inequalities and Tobacco (GRIT)

GRIT is a cross-university network that uses research expertise to inform effective policies and practices for reducing inequalities in the harms caused by tobacco use.

Institute for Academic Development (IAD)

Our School works closely with IAD across a range of initiatives.  

Dr Nina Morris is a co-leader of the University of Edinburgh Experienced Teachers Network. 

RACE.ED

RACE.ED is a cross-university network concerned with race, racialization and decolonial studies from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Professor Julie Cupples is a member of the Steering Committee. 

University Social Responsibility and Sustainability 

Our School has numerous staff and students collaborating with the Department in various areas. 

Professor Sandy Tudhope, a Professor of Climate Studies, has been appointed the University Lead on Climate Responsibility and Sustainability.

SPECTRUM Consortium

A multi-university, multi-agency research consortium focused on the commercial determinants of health and health inequalities.

Professor Jamie Pearce (Co-investigator) and Professor Niamh Shortt work on ‘Shaping public health polices to reduce inequalities and harm’, where they will examine the intended and unintended impacts of (and interventions in) the local commercial environment on the consumption of unhealthy commodities.

WaTeREd

WaTeREd (Water Technology and Research at Edinburgh) is a multidisciplinary collaborative network connecting University researchers and external stakeholders to develop novel research projects, disseminate findings and create impact.

The ATLAS project

The ATLAS project conducts pioneering research and discovery of complex deep-sea ecosystems and their associated species, including those new to science.  It will look to predict future changes to these ecosystems  together with their vulnerabilities in the face of climate change.  Their research aims to also inform international policies to ensure deep-sea Atlantic resources are managed effectively. 

ClimateXChange

Professor David Reay is the Policy Director for ClimateXChange.  

Based within our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, ClimateXChange brings together researchers and policy-makers to create evidence-based policies for a low-carbon, climate-ready Scotland.  ClimateXChange works proactively with the Scottish Government to deliver independent, reliable and accessible research that addresses specific climate policy challenges.

The Centre for Research on Environment Society and Health (CRESH)

Professors Niamh Shortt and Jamie Pearce are co-directors of CRESH, which is focused on exploring how physical and social environments can influence population health, for better and for worse.

The Centre’s aim is to contribute to a healthier population and environment through policy-related research that explores connections between the two.  

District Six Museum

Professor Tom Slater has formed a close teaching and research association with the District Six Museum in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Our association emerged from his leadership of our 3rd year undergraduate geography field course to Cape Town. The museum recreates and preserves the many memories of District Six, a vibrant urban neighbourhood of over 60,000 people that was destroyed during apartheid-era forced removals. 

The DataARC project 

The DataARC project brings together international researchers, including the North Atlantic Biocultural Organization (NABO) to share data and technical expertise.  Researchers from a range of disciplines study the long-term human ecodynamics of the North Atlantic, including Iceland, Greenland, and the Orkney Islands.

Dr Anthony Newton from our School created and maintains the Tephrabase website, updated through the DataARC project. It is a database of volcanic ash layers and was the first of its type. We use it directly in teaching our undergraduate students. It even contains data collected on our Iceland undergraduate field trip, which is now publicly available.  It also provides opportunities for Masters projects.  A student in our MSc in Geographical Information Science (GIS) is currently working on a mobile app version of the database.

Visit the tephrabase website 

Edinburgh Conservation Science (ECOS)

ECOS  is a consortium of world-class research organisations dedicated to the translation and application of science to conservation. They provide an interface between the scientific and conservation communities, maximising the impact of fundamental research and supporting access for wildlife and environmental managers to a range of scientific and medical technologies and expertise.

Edinburgh Environment and Development Network (EEDN)

Dr Sam Staddon and Dr Clare Barnes lead the Edinburgh Environment and Development Network through our Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes.  The network brings together academics and practitioners working on issues of environment and development from around Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Ocean Leaders 

Launched in 2020, the Edinburgh Ocean Leaders programme is the only executive leadership programme designed specifically for young professionals working on the oceans.   Co-founded by Dr Meriwether Wilson and Professor Sandy Tudhope, the programme combines leadership, mentoring and networking support with international field-based experiences.

Through supporting creativity, leadership, problem solving and networking, the ambition of the programme is to accelerate and amplify the visions and capacities of talented people and their organisations, providing an enduring positive impact on the oceans for decades to come.

EIT Climate-KIC 

Our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute is the official Scottish partner of EIT Climate-KIC, Europe’s largest public-private partnership for action on climate change.

Creating a smart and thriving future isn’t just about new business ideas – it’s about putting solutions into practice.  Through our partnership with EIT Climate-KIC, we give entrepreneurs funding, coaching and support to develop a successful business model. 

KIC works identify and support innovation that helps society mitigate and adapt to climate change. Our work aims for a decarbonised, sustainable economy which is not only necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change, but presents a wealth of opportunities for business and society.

Health Data Research UK  (HDRUK)

HDRUK is the national institute for health data science, uniting the UK’s health data to enable discoveries that improve people’s lives. Their vision is that every health and care interaction and research endeavour will be enhanced by access to large scale data and advanced analytics.

HEICCAM

Professor Ruth Doherty leads HEICCAM, a UK wide research network on the health and equity impacts of climate change mitigation measures on indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure. 

iAtlantic

iAtlantic is a multidisciplinary research programme seeking to assess the health of deep-sea and open-ocean ecosystems across the full span of the Atlantic Ocean.  It is underpinned by an extensive field programme of more than 30 research expeditions, drawing on a multinational fleet of research vessels and the latest marine technology and instrumentation.

Our School is a partner in iAtlantic, with many staff and students involved.  Professor Murray Roberts is an iAtlantic Coordinator on the Steering Committee and Dr Lea-Anne Henry is the lead for 'Understanding drivers of ecosystem change'.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP)

IODP is an international marine research collaboration that explores Earth's history and dynamics using ocean-going research platforms to recover data recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks and to monitor subseafloor environments. Scientists from twenty-three nations are selected to staff IODP research expeditions conducted throughout the world's oceans.

Joint Proxies Research

Dr Eva Panagiotakopulu is a member of the international research group on human and natural adaptation to changing climates and environments in the High North. A joint proxy is an archaeological site with good preservation conditions that contains proxy data of relevance for archaeological, geological, botanical, zoological, and climate change research and interpretation.

Landscapes as Carbon Sinks project

The Landscapes as Carbon Sinks project was launched by our Centre for Sustainable Forests and Landscapes to support the delivery of the Scottish Government's net-zero carbon target by 2045 through land-based approaches. 

It is a collaboration between our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute and EIT Climate-KIC.  We work with those tasked with delivering change in the land sector, including the Scottish Government and a range of public and private ‘challenge-owners’ in Scotland.   Project partners include ETH Zurich, Wageningen Research, ONF International, WWF Landscape, and Peatland Partnership.

Landscape Decisions

This programme brings together multidisciplinary research projects and works with policy makers, business  and land management partners in the UK.   It seeks to address more sustainable ways of using the land, support biodiversity, as well as benefitting livelihoods and the health and well-being of individuals and society.

LONGPOP

Professor Jamie Pearce is a co-investigator for LONGPOP, a project that focuses on methodologies and data mining techniques for the analysis of Big Data based on longitudinal population and epidemiological registers.

Over the past decade, research teams across Europe have been involved in the development and construction of longitudinal population registers and large research databases while opening up avenues for new linkages between different data sources (i.e. administrative and health data) to gain an understanding of fast societal transformations. However, in order to work with these types of datasets, advanced skills are required in both data management and statistical techniques. LONGPOP aims to create networks to utilise different research teams to share experiences and construct joint research of these large– possibly underused – databases.

Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS)  

MASTS fosters a culture of research innovation and cooperation across the marine science community and government in Scotland.

North Atlantic Biocultural Organisation (NABO)

NABO was founded to improve collaboration among scholars interested in the North Atlantic region including data sharing, fieldwork, student training and communication of findings to other scholars, funding agencies, and the general public.  A range of disciplines have conducted collaborative investigations of the interactions of humans, landscape, seascape, and climate change in the region.

This organisation has directly benefitted students from our School. For example, NABO researchers contributed to our undergraduate field trips to Iceland.  NABO has contributed to topics for our MSc in Geographical Information Science (GIS), including the dataARC project.  It has also assisted our PhD student research through sharing of resources and knowledge. 

Dr Anthony Newton created and manages the NABO website and Project Management System.  He also created, maintains and develops the Tephrabase website , which is currently updated through the dataARC project.

Past environments, future challenges project

Dr Eva Panagiotakopulu contributes to environmental archaeological research in warm and dry climates, and she hosts an international research collaboration focused on Egypt. The project, taking advantage of the optimal preservation by desiccation in the Egyptian desert of organic materials, in particular, insect remains, will produce new information on environmental and climate change through the study of insects by researching rural and urban environments from pharaonic and Roman Egypt and placing them in the context of existing environmental and archaeological research in the eastern Mediterranean.

Place-based Climate Action Network (PCAN) 

PCAN is about translating climate policy into action 'on the ground' to bring about transformative change. This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)-supported network brings together the research community and decision-makers in the public, private and third sectors through five innovative platforms: three city-based climate commissions (in Leeds, Belfast and Edinburgh) and two theme-based platforms on finance and business. 

For Edinburgh, our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute is the host institution, and Professor Dan van der Horst is the Edinburgh co-investigator.

Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES)

SAGES pools world-leading expertise in geoscience and environmental science from across Scotland’s research base, creating an multi-disciplinary alliance at the forefront of Earth and environmental research.

Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS)

Professor Stuart Haszeldine, the world's first professor of carbon capture and storage, is the director for SCCS.

Based within our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute, SCCS is the largest carbon capture and storage research group in the UK. It provides a single point of coordination for research from capture engineering and geosciences to social perceptions, environmental impact, law and petroleum economics.  

Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR)

Professor Chris Dibben is the Director of SCADR, which analyses data from across the public sector. 

SCADR is in partnership with Administrative Data Research Scotland (ADR Scotland), alongside the Scottish Government.  Together, they are transforming how public sector data in Scotland is curated, accessed and explored, so it can deliver its full potential for policymakers and for the public, for the benefit of all.

Scottish Ethnomethodology, Discourse, Interaction and Talk Group (SEDIT) 

Dr Eric Laurier is a co-organiser for SEDIT, which is a community of researchers committed to jointly analysing empirical materials.  Researchers are from a wide range of disciplines, including human geography, psychology, philosophy, computing science, linguistics, health studies, English literature, international relations and sociology.

The Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS )

Professor Jamie Pearce is the Director of the ESRC Scottish Graduate School of Social Science-Doctoral Training Partnership. 

It is the UK's largest facilitator of funding, training and support for doctoral students in social science.  A national collaboration, it draws on the expertise of all 16 Scottish universities to bring together the best social science ideas, skills and initiatives from across the country.

The Scottish Longitudinal Study (SLS)

Professor Chris Dibben is the Director of the SLS, a large-scale linkage study created using data from administrative and statistical sources.  

The SLS has been used to research an extremely wide range of important questions including fertility changes, neighbourhood effects, environmental impacts on health, economic implications of ageing on healthcare, social mobility, and many more.

SENSE Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) for Satellite Data in Environmental Science 

Our School is leading SENSE, delivered jointly with the University of Leeds. Professor Edward Mitchard is a Co-Director. 

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Space Agency, the Centre will train 50 PhD students to tackle cross-disciplinary environmental problems by applying state-of-the-art data science methods to the deluge of satellite data collected each day.

Graduates will be supervised by a consortium of world-leading UK scientists, with topics co-developed with the UK's most innovative spatial data companies. 

Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (SRAD)

Dr Marisa Wilson is a steering member of the Sustainable Rural and Agricultural Development (SRAD) Research Cluster at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

SRAD is an international group of scholars that aims to create healthy, sustainable and socially just food systems and societies, particularly in the Caribbean.

The Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN)

The Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN), co-delivered by our Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.  It is Scotland’s largest network of public sector sustainability professionals.

We work closely with SSN to help public bodies across Scotland to report and fulfil their climate change objectives.

UK Biochar Research Centre (UKBRC)

We are leading the development of biochar, a carbon-negative technology that converts captured CO₂ into charcoal, which can be placed back into soils.  Biochar offers a bright future for organic resource management, soil improvement and energy production for government and industry.

Our School hosts the UK Biochar Research Centre, (UKBRC) is a world-class facility located at our University campus, in collaboration with Newcastle University and Rothamsted Research.  UKBRC leads strategic, multidisciplinary investigations of biochar and provides a range of research and advice to relevant government bodies and companies.    

The Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC) 

UBDC promotes the use of big data and innovative research methods to improve social, economic and environmental well-being in cities.

Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Krithika Srinivasan has been collaborating with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, to initiate and establish human-animal studies as a field of scholarship and education in the university and India.