University of Oxford
11a Mansfield Rd
OX1 3SZ
UK
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Sustainable Agriculture
Emily-Jane Lewis-Brown
Background
My life’s mission is to deliver exceptional and ethical research that informs and improves the wellbeing of people, other animals and the planet. I’m an ecologist by training and nature, taking a broad perspective of actors in systems and seek to understand and appreciate the interactions between system parts. This leads to an inter-disciplinary approach and I sometimes see things upside down, which can lead to novel approaches. For example, having researched the impacts of the climate on the ocean, we then examined the impacts of the ocean on climate change. This work highlighted the likelihood of climate models underestimating amplifying feedback mechanisms and overestimating dampening feedback mechanisms from the ocean, and the implications for policy-making.
I’ve worked at large and small NGOs, academia and as a consultant to some high profile campaigners, and covered a wide range of conservation issues and skills including desk and field based research, press work, speeches and inter-governmental negotiations. My values strongly influence all aspects of my work and life, with ethics and equity, inclusion and accessibility, central, along with an instinct to seek input from a diversity of opinions, sources and agendas. My work sits on the foundations of evidence from scientific scrutiny, rigorous research, literature, traditional knowledge-holders, and collaboration.
I’ve worked at large and small NGOs, academia and as a consultant to some high profile campaigners, and covered a wide range of conservation issues and skills including desk and field based research, press work, speeches and inter-governmental negotiations. My values strongly influence all aspects of my work and life, with ethics and equity, inclusion and accessibility, central, along with an instinct to seek input from a diversity of opinions, sources and agendas. My work sits on the foundations of evidence from scientific scrutiny, rigorous research, literature, traditional knowledge-holders, and collaboration.
Research Interests
Over the years, my work has spanned many research topics, including marine wildlife, spatial planning and conservation, climate change, sustainable agriculture, and farm animal welfare. I’m interested in designing and conducting scientific research, collaborations and communications that explore and optimise as many elements as possible of natural and anthropogenic systems, avoiding zero-sum or unethical solutions, back-fire effects, conflict or other negative outcomes. I aim for my research to be relevant and accessible to a range of audiences to offer comprehensive, inclusive information to people making decisions, from public policy to personal choices.
I’ve focussed on agriculture in recent years because of its critical role in providing food, fuel and fibre to society, but also the significant impacts on climate change, people’s sovereignty and wellbeing, and the wellbeing of wildlife and farm animals.
Current Research
My research includes assisting with the designing experimental trials of the HESTIA Farm Sustainability Toolkit, benchmarking, and farm sustainability advice tools for farmers. We will then test whether enabling farmers to quantify their environmental impacts, benchmark against other farmers, and providing farm sustainability advice tools, affects farmers’ attitudes and behaviours, and the impacts on farm sustainability outcomes. This research focuses on biodiversity and climate change impacts from farming.
Prior to this role, I led farm trials investigating farm sustainability across an holistic range of metrics and mentored the team of farm trial managers at the Sustainable Food Trust. This work built on research I undertook with colleagues and my recent PhD supervisors at Imperial College London, where I studied the factors that influence the adoption, spread and effectiveness of conservation initiatives. I am currently publishing work from my thesis on the social outcomes and perceptions of conservation initiatives.
Brief CV
Education
PhD ~ Imperial College London. Using diffusion of innovation theory to understand the adoption, spread, and co-adoption of conservation initiatives.
MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment ~ University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Studying how to predict and estimate the impacts of developments on people and the planet.
BSc in Ecology ~ Leeds University. Studying different elements of the human and natural environments and their interactions.
Employment
Global Farm Metric, Trials Programme Lead: leading the planning, management and delivery of holistic farm sustainability assessments.
Lewis Pugh UNEP Patron on the Ocean, Science Advisor: providing science and advice on climate and marine conservation science and policy.
Compassion in World Farming, Senior Research Manager: leading a team of experts in education, animal welfare, sustainability and information management.
Food Climate Research Network, Researcher: extending the research library, writing newsletters, and writing web-articles on climate mitigation in the food sector.
WWF, Research and Policy Officer: commissioning, co-writing, and a number of technical and non-technical reports, with media work, advocacy and supporting fund-raising.
More information
Website: https://emi706.wixsite.com/lewis-brown
Research Gate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emily-Lewis-Brown
Publications
1. Lewis-Brown, E., et. al. 2024. Importance-Performance Analysis of satisfaction with conservation initiatives. Conservation Biology. In prep.
2. Lewis-Brown, E., et. al. 2023. Carbon management in universities. Climate Policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2023.226807
3. Lewis-Brown, E., et. al. 2021. The importance of future generations and conflict management in conservation. Conservation Science and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.488
4. Reid, P., Fischer, A., Lewis-Brown, E., et al., 2009. Impacts of the Oceans on Climate Change. Advances in Marine Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2881(09)56001-4
Non-technical reports and summaries for policy-makers, funders and the public
Lewis-Brown, E. (2013). Higher Welfare Animals Produce More Nutritious Food. Non-technical summary. Compassion in World Farming.
Pickett, H. and E. Lewis-Brown (2013). Multiple Benefits of Farming Chicken for Meat and Eggs in China. Non-technical summary. Compassion in World Farming.
Sacks, V. and E. Lewis-Brown (2013) Life of a Cow, Sow and Hen. A series of three non-technical summary. Compassion in World Farming. Pp 1-6.
Parente, S. and E. Lewis-Brown (2012) Freshwater Use And Farm Animal Welfare. Report by World Animal Protection and Compassion in World Faming Pp 1-12.
Lewis-Brown, E. (2012) Food Security and Farm Animal Welfare. Non-technical summary. Compassion in World Farming. Pp1-4.
Bond, V. and E. Lewis-Brown (2012). Factory farming: the unacceptable face of sustainable intensification. Food Ethics Council Magazine. Volume 7 Issue 2. Pp 27-28.
Lewis-Brown, E. (2008) Assessing the impacts of Climate Change in the Arctic. Non-technical summary MU 61, WWF. Pp1-4.
Lewis-Brown, E. (2007) Fishing, Climate Change and North East Atlantic cod stocks. Non-technical summary MU 59, WWF.
Lewis-Brown, E. (2006). Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on the North-East Atlantic. Non-technical summary MU 57, WWF.
Baker, T., 2005. Vulnerability Assessment of the North-East Atlantic Shelf Marine Ecoregion to Climate Change, WWF, UK, 79pp (Commissioning Editor, Lewis-Brown).