Em joined ECEHH as project co-ordinator for the BlueHealth project in 2017. A highly collaborative project with nine institutional partners working with communities, private sector organisations and policymakers across Europe, it combined interdisciplinary research approaches to examine how wellbeing might be promoted through the development of blue infrastructure.

Whilst working on Bluehealth she completed the MSc in Environment and Human Health, providing insights into the relationships the environment has on people’s health and wellbeing. Investigating how a psychological connection to nature could overcome the barrier of physical distance to visiting blue spaces for recreation.

After Bluehealth finished she stayed with the University to work on the SEACHANGE project. Another large EU funded project combining interdisciplinary research approaches to quantify the impact of major cultural transitions on marine ecosystem functioning and biodiversity, setting new baselines for understanding ocean environmental change.

Em returned to the ECEHH as a PhD student in January 2023 as part of RENEW project (Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach). A five-year NERC funded collaborative project between the University of Exeter and the National Trust. Her research will focus on understanding how people perceive biodiversity, and the parameters which most strongly affect their emotional responses to changes in biodiversity in order to better inform messaging strategies for encouraging pro-biodiversity behaviour. Whilst simultaneously recognising the possible health and wellbeing benefits from encouraging more people to connect with nature.

Em has also previously worked within the environmental education sector, encouraging and promoting conservation and understands the importance of needing empirical knowledge of people’s relationship with the natural environment in order to more effectively harness greater support for its protection and renewal.