ODI is Britain's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues.

Team list and contact details

The research team for VERIFOR, and ODI-led project	ODI	Nick Scott We are a multidisciplinary team with key strengths in climate change policy, tropical forest management, social and environmental science and environmental governance.

Maria Bernardez

Maria Bernardez Interim Project Officer

Neil Bird

Neil Bird Research Fellow

David Brown

David Brown Senior Research Associate

Rennie Campbell

Rennie Campbell Climate Change Business Manager

Alice Caravani

Alice Caravani Research Officer

  • Alice has a background in Development Economics and recently completed a Masters at LSE in Environment and Development. Her work at ODI within the CCEF team has mainly been focused on the Climate Funds Update website and issues related to climate finance. In addition to climate finance, Alice’s main research interests include the trade-offs between economic growth and environmental protection in developing countries and economic evaluation of environmental projects and policies.

Mairi Dupar

Mairi Dupar CDKN Global Knowledge Management Coordinator

  • Mairi manages the publications and knowledge-sharing programme of the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and writes for CDKN's website www.cdkn.org. She aims to make information and analysis on climate compatible development more accessible to audiences in the global South. Mairi is an experienced writer and analyst on environmental governance, land use change and climate issues.

Natasha Grist

Natasha Grist Research Fellow

  • Natasha Grist specialises in climate change, adaptation and international development. She focusses on policy and planning processes related to integrating climate change and development, and has worked with UNDP, multilaterals and NGOs. Natasha is currently Head of Research for the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, and is managing a £12.5m budget over 5 years.

Katie Harris

Katie Harris Research Officer

Merylyn Hedger

Merylyn Hedger Research Associate

Lindsey Jones

Lindsey Jones Research Officer

Philip Lewis

Philip Lewis Programme Officer

Will McFarland

Will McFarland Programme Officer

Tom Mitchell

Tom Mitchell Head of Programme

Smita Nakhooda

Smita Nakhooda Research Fellow

Leo Peskett

Leo Peskett Research Associate

Kate Schreckenberg

Research Associate

Nick Scott

Nick Scott Communications Manager - Digital and Events

Prachi Seth

Prachi Seth Research Officer

  • Prachi has a background in climate change mitigation and sustainable development. She has previously worked with the World Bank and the International Institute of Environment and Development on both policy research and on-ground project implementation. Her research interests within climate change mitigation are: national and international policies and their impact on developing countries and rural poor; reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD); and Low Carbon Development in the context of MIC and LDCs.

Charlene Watson

Research Officer

  • Charlene's experience spans academia, multilateral institutions and on-the-ground NGOs. Her experience centres around reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) which brings together a number of contemporary issues in conservation and development, as well as presenting interesting challenges for international climate change policy and finance. Charlene holds a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and an MSc in Environmental Economics and Politics from Imperial College London. She completed her PhD at the London School of Economics and Politics in the economics of community forest management through a case study in Ethiopia.

Adrian Wells

Research Fellow

  • Adrian joined ODI in March 2001 with a background in environmental law. He has since worked on wide range of projects on low-carbon development, natural resource governance, decentralisation as well as civil society voice and accoutanbility. He is currently based in Southeast Asia, working on the economics of low-carbon transition in the land-use sectors.

Shelagh Whitley

Shelagh Whitley Research Fellow

  • Shelagh Whitley's research is focussed on private sector climate finance. Prior to joining ODI she worked in the carbon markets, on clean energy finance, and leadership in climate mitigation within the public and private sectors.

Emily Wilkinson

Emily Wilkinson Research Fellow