Richard King is a senior research fellow in the Environment and Society Programme at Chatham House. His work focuses on various issues related to the sustainability of, and climate risks to, food, agriculture, land use and soft commodity resource trade. He has a particular interest in the emergent sustainability issues arising from growing global competition for land-based ecosystem services and resources. Prior to joining Chatham House, Richard was deputy head of research at Oxfam GB. He has an MSc in Economics and Management of International Development from the University of Manchester and a BSc in Geography from the University of Durham.
Laura Wellesley is a senior research fellow in the Environment and Society Programme at Chatham House. Laura’s main areas of research interest are policy strategies to promote healthy and sustainable diets, and approaches to managing systemic risks to global food trade. She has also worked on approaches to delivering an inclusive circular economy in low-income countries, and on innovative alternatives to meat. Laura’s past Chatham House publications include the 2017 report Chokepoints and Vulnerabilities in Global Food Trade, and the 2015 report Changing Climate, Changing Diets: Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption. Laura is a member of the London Food Board and, prior to joining Chatham House in 2013, was a researcher for Global Witness. Laura has an MSc in Africa and international development from the University of Edinburgh, and an MA in modern and mediaeval languages from the University of Cambridge.
Dr Helen Harwatt is a senior research fellow in the Environment and Society Programme at Chatham House. Helen focuses on food system shifts to identify pathways towards creating food systems that minimize adverse environmental impacts, maximize public health benefits and address ethical issues. Prior to joining Chatham House, Helen completed a research fellowship at Harvard Law School, looking at options for creating Paris Agreement-compliant food systems, and remains a visiting fellow. Helen has also completed research fellowships at Loma Linda University in California, and at the University of Leeds’ Sustainability Research Institute and Institute for Transport Studies.
Professor Tim G. Benton is director of the Environment and Society Programme and research director for emerging risks at Chatham House. Tim’s areas of expertise include global food security, food systems and resilience, ecology and natural resources and climate change impacts. He joined Chatham House in 2016 as a distinguished visiting fellow while also serving as dean of strategic research initiatives at the University of Leeds. He is one of the authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on climate change and land, and the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017, and has published more than 175 academic papers. Tim holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a BA from the University of Oxford, both in zoology.
