Meet the team

Area of sustainability: Manager of the sustainability and grounds team

Rob is the Head of Sustainability and Grounds for the University and leads the Sustainability team, covering grounds, sustainability engagement, carbon reduction and transport and travel.

Area of sustainability: Head of Energy and Carbon Reduction

Nimish is the strategic lead for delivering the University’s energy, carbon and water reduction aspirations. He leads the development and implementation of the University’s various energy and carbon reduction policies and strategies along with related action. Nimish plays a critical role in delivering the University’s most ambitious Sustainability Sub Strategy to date, achieving net zero scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2035.

Area of sustainability: Senior governance for sustainability

Jules is the figurehead for sustainability at the University of Essex. He acts as a mentor for the sustainability team while also being involved in project conception and support. Beyond this, Jules has conducted extensive research in the fields of agriculture sustainability, nature and health and consumption patterns and well-being. 

Area of sustainability: Grounds

Marcus manages the Grounds section and is responsible for overseeing the actions to promote biodiversity across the estate. This involves managing the landscape to provide functioning and healthy ecosystems and habitats. He is also responsible for minimising pesticide use, recycling plant and green waste material and ensuring the highest standards are met whilst carrying out horticultural and arboricultural practices.

Area of sustainability: Travel, transport and energy

Iain manages and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of travel, transport and energy. He is responsible for all aspects of Travel and Transport at the University including EV charging points and sustainable travel. Iain also looks at how to reduce the Universitys carbon footprint by looking at low energy lighting and solar panels.

Area of sustainability: Student and staff engagement

Daisy manages the Engagement function of the Sustainability team, as well as wider strategic projects, including the management of the Sustainability Sub-Strategy and policies linked to improving waste reduction and recycling on our three campuses. Working with stakeholders and colleagues, her work contributes to embedding sustainable practices across the University community. She has worked at the University of Essex since 2016.

Area of sustainability: Recycling and waste reduction

David leads the University's reduction in waste and increase in recycling and delivers projects that contribute to the delivery of the University's Sustainability Sub Strategy. David will produce a single use plastics plan, introduce food waste collections and a furniture reuse scheme, amongst other duties.

Area of sustainability: Student and staff engagement

Rebecca is responsible for managing the Sustainable Essex and #LittleChoicesBigChanges engagement programmes, as well as working with departments across the University to help develop and promote their sustainable practices. She organises events and activities aimed at boosting sustainable behaviour both on and off campus, around themes including travel and transport, energy use, waste and recycling and resource efficiency.

Area of sustainability: Student and staff engagement

Saskia assists with the engagement aspects of the University’s sustainability and energy reduction work, growing the awareness and involvement of students and staff across our community. She helps plan and organise events to support our engagement programme. She also works on maintaining the Sustainability team’s digital presence across our social media, website and Moodle pages.

Area of sustainability: Energy and data analysis

Rishab contributes to a range of areas in the Sustainability team, through the collation and analysis of multiple data streams from across the University’s activities, drawing meaningful conclusions and producing detailed reports. He also supports funding bids to internal and external funding bodies, contributing to the delivery of the University’s Sustainability Sub-Strategy and declaration of a Climate Emergency. He currently also undertakes much of the Energy Officer role, while Lucy is on maternity leave.

Area of sustainability: Waste reduction and recycling

Louise is responsible for the day to day running of the waste management contract at the Colchester Campus. She is tasked with improving on-site recycling percentages

Area of sustainability: Education for sustainability

Jane is the leading figure in the implementation of education for sustainability across the University. She also runs the annual Summer School in Sustainble Practice which is an intensive two week programme where students gain a broad introduction to sustainability theories and practices.