University of Oxford
11a Mansfield Rd
OX1 3SZ
UK
Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Reimagining Nature Finance at the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (School of Geography and the Environment)
Alice Stuart
Background
I am an interdisciplinary researcher focussing on how we can successfully tackle the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss in a way that is fair and just to all the planet’s residents. My background is in zoology and conservation science, driven by a slightly obsessive love of animals growing up, and have become progressively more socially focussed in recognition of conservation’s position as part of the wider global socio-economic systems. My work currently focusses on innovative approaches to nature finance in the hope that nature recovery can lessen, not perpetuate, global structural inequity and power imbalances.
Research Interests
I work on ‘reimagining’ nature finance, hoping to identify innovative approaches and ways of being that allow the resourcing of nature recovery while lessening, not perpetuating or worsening, global systemic power imbalances. My past work has looked at mapping nature finance flows; social licence to operate and the social acceptance of biodiversity net gain; and patterns and biases in evidence use in conservation.
I am also deeply interested in how we present and communicate data and findings in way that are both honest and easy to interpret and understand
Current Research
I am currently researching visions of how nature finance ‘should’ be and the perceived barriers within the current economic system that prevent a more just and equitable approach.
Brief CV
Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Reimagining Nature Finance, University of Oxford (2025-present)
PhD (Environmental Sciences), University of East Anglia – “Understanding the Acceptance of Biodiversity Net Gain and its Implications for Social Licence to Operate” (2021-2025)
MPhil (Zoology), University of Cambridge – “What Determines Evidence Use in Conservation? A Case Study on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species” (2020-2021)
MA Natural Sciences (Zoology), University of Cambridge (2016-2019)
Publications
Stuart, A., Bond, A., & Franco, A. M. A. (2025). Public opinions of a net outcome policy: The case of biodiversity net gain in England. Journal of Environmental Management, 394, 127421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127421
*Ranger, N., *Stuart, A., Teytelboym, A., zu Ermgassen, S., Martin, R.S. and Pasqua, C. 2025. The UK nature finance system: Status and opportunities for scale. Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, University of Oxford.
* Co-leads and corresponding authors
Stuart, A., Bond, A., Franco, A., Gerrard, C., Baker, J., ten Kate, K., Butterworth, T., Bull, J., & Treweek, J. (2024). How England got to Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain: A Timeline. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4883170 (preprint, soon to be published in Ambio)
Stuart, A. D., Ilić, M., Simmons, B. I., & Sutherland, W. J. (2024). Sea stack plots: Replacing bar charts with histograms. Ecology and Evolution, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11237
Stuart, A., Bond, A., Franco, A. M. A., Baker, J., Gerrard, C., Danino, V., & Jones, K. (2023). Conceptualising social licence to operate. Resources Policy, 85, 103962. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103962