As well as co-managing the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), I lead a unit which covers Brexit, constitution, international, environment, rural, agriculture, fisheries, food, transport, planning, climate change, energy, constitution, marine, sustainable development and culture. The unit delivers oral and written briefings, often to short deadline, to MSPs, their staff, Parliamentary Committees and Parliamentary colleagues. The unit also produces quick-fire blog posts on hot topics, and can commission work externally if required (for example we have a bespoke Brexit contract in place at the moment). I also have overall responsibility for the SPICe front-of-house enquiries service. In these roles I am exposed to MSPs and their staff daily, and am also personally responsible for food, sustainable development, crown estate and culture topic areas. In the past I have led on environment, climate change and energy. I encourage staff to be nimble, collegiate, and to trust ourselves and colleagues. Staff across the Parliament often have shared deadlines, and this means that SPICe is often conversing in several directions at once – with MSPs, committee clerks, Parliament lawyers and the office of the Chief Executive. This is an exciting environment, but a pressurised one too. I lead on developing and delivering the Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange strategic plan, designed to radically improve how academia and the Parliament engage – in order that the best expertise and evidence can support enhanced debate and scrutiny. This work sees me maintain networks with colleagues from across all UK legislatures, and to build and maintain relations across Scottish universities, research institutes, broker organisations and learned societies. I also sit on the Parliament’s Sustainable Development Board, which has a developing challenge function across all the Parliament’s activities.

SEFARI (Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes) is a collective of 6 world-leading institutes tasked which delivers the Scottish Government's £250m five year Strategic Research Programme on environment, food, agriculture, land and communities. My role, during a 2 year secondment, was to establish, lead and set the direction of SEFARI Gateway, the knowledge exchange and impact hub for SEFARI. This was about re-energising how this research was used by policy, business and the public. This involved conceptualising and developing the SEFARI brand, moving it away from the originally envisioned Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Impact to a wider brand for the 6 institutes involved, all of whom have their own world-leading capabilities and reputations. This required convincing, belief, development of trust, and above all a terrific team drawn from across the Institutes, required to work remotely under my leadership. This team developed and delivered an array of knowledge exchange activities - but this role also needed political nous, especially in how research could be better used in the Scottish Government and Parliament. On finishing my secondment, a strategic plan and three further years of Scottish Government funding were in place (beyond the original two which covered my time in post). In this role I was a member of the Directors Executive Committee - with other members from the James Hutton Institute; Moredun Research Institute; Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh; Scotland's Rural College (SRUC); Rowett Institute; Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland.

The Scottish Universities Insight Institute promotes collaboration and engagement between researchers and wider society. The Institute's objective is to help members of wider communities - in the public sector, business and the third sector – gain new insights into issues with which they deal and to be better informed in the decisions they take. In doing so, the Institute provides universities with funding and pathways to impact for their research.

I jointly managed the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) responsible for briefing Members of the Scottish Parliament, their staff and the Parliament more generally on policy areas to support scrutiny of the Scottish Government. As lead on Knowledge Exchange I was responsible for leading a transformation in how Parliament engages with academic and research institutions in Scotland and beyond. My work included direct support to Members and Committees, proofreading briefings from colleagues, and answering individual Member enquiries. I had specific responsibility for the Health, Environment & Europe Research Unit. Key achievements included: - Secured political and executive management support, and funding, for enhanced Knowledge Exchange activities in the Parliament, including recruitment of a project manager, and establishment of a project team.- Led on collaboration with Scottish Universities Insight Institute, Beltane Public Engagement and Scotland’s Futures Forum to develop Knowledge Exchange network across Scottish academia, including a one-stop Ask Academia email network for use by Parliament staff.- Front line contributions to newly published SPICe Briefings for 2016 cohort of MSPs on Rural Affairs and Marine Environment.

I was joint office head in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). I led the Health, Environment and Europe Research Unit and oversaw the Parliament's Members' Enquiry Service. SPICe supports the scrutiny and legislative functions of the Parliament by providing impartial, accurate and timely information and briefings to Members of the Scottish Parliament, their staff, and Parliamentary staff. My primary policy interests were in climate change, environment and sustainable development. Some key achievements: - Successfully led the SPICe enquiries function through the politically charged 2014 referendum – this involved ensuring impartiality could not be questioned, with members from all parties continuing to use the service.- Project managing efficiency and effectiveness review of SPICe research service.- Successfully leading implementation of review recommendations, including resource and budget planning.- Climate change, energy, environment and sustainable development policy lead (until 2013 and back-up since then, including lead on The Crown Estate). - Part of an international mission funded by the Swiss Government to assess the capability and future direction of the Macedonian Parliamentary Research Service.- Blogged live from UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen (http://scottishparliamentcopenhagen2009.wordpress.com/) – support for scrutiny of the Climate Change (Scotland) Bill recognised by Parliamentary motion.

Jointly managing the Research Service in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), I led a unit which covered Health, Environment and Europe. SPICe supports the scrutiny and legislative functions of the Parliament by providing impartial, accurate and timely information and briefings to Members of the Scottish Parliament, their staff, and Parliamentary staff.

In this role I was, at various times, the lead researcher in the Scottish Parliament on climate change, environment, energy and transport. I provided policy support as the world leading Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 passed through Parliament providing briefings and analysis to key Parliamentary Committees, I also worked on numerous other pieces of legislation on marine, water, energy and transport issues.

Member of the Scotland Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO which is the focal point in the UK for UNESCO-related policies and activities. The Commission is an independent civil society organisation which supports UNESCO’s work in the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, and communication.

i worked on research and analysis to support the tackling of fuel poverty as an issue and a campaign for warm, dry homes in Scotland. Work included parliamentary monitoring, and advocacy work at the UK and newly reconstituted Scottish Parliament.

I provided information to the general public on environment and sustainable development issues. Centre 21- the Centre for Sustainable Development - was run by CSV Environment, and had three broad objectives:1. to raise awareness of environment and sustainability, particularly at the community level2. to support and encourage active participation in local environmental initiatives3. to provide opportunities in the environmental field for the unemployed throughout Scotland