The James Hutton Institute is delighted to announce that Dr Miriam Glendell has been appointed as the new director of the Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW).
An environmental scientist with more than a decade of experience working with water, Dr Glendell will take over from Dr Rachel Helliwell as CREW leader at the beginning of December.
Dr Glendell is currently part of the Hutton’s Environmental and Biochemical Sciences Department, where she has worked as a researcher since 2016. Prior to joining the Hutton, she worked at the University of Exeter, where she earned her PhD and spent three years as an associate research fellow.
Dr Glendell’s work focuses on understanding how land management impacts multiple benefits provided by rivers and their basins, including provision of clean water, freshwater biodiversity, healthy soils and carbon storage. She answers these question using a variety of mathematical models to understand availability of clean water at present and in future, based on different land management and climate change scenarios.
Established in 2011, CREW is a Scottish Government-funded partnership which plays a pivotal role in shaping water policy and regulation in Scotland. The partnership focuses on how human activities and climate affect water systems and works to tackle issues such as flooding and water scarcity.
As Director, Dr Glendell will oversee crucial work to deliver expert opinion and objective, robust research which will guide the nation’s water policy. She will also lead on CREW’s strategic direction and aid collaboration with stakeholders, helping to create win–win solutions that benefit both the water environment and wider society.
Dr Glendell said, “I’m honoured to be appointed to this role, continuing to develop the internationally recognised work of CREW that is seen an exemplar of effective science-policy interaction in the UK and beyond. I’m very much looking forward to working with the inspiring colleagues within the CREW team, in The James Hutton Institute and beyond, building on the outstanding work of my predecessors.”