Our Core team are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the National Centre for Resilience. They manage everything from communications, projects, events and knowledge exchange. If you have an enquiry for any of the team please get in touch at nationalcentreforresilience@glasgow.ac.uk
Professor Fabrice Renaud is Head of the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability at the University of Glasgow, Dumfries, and a Professor in Environmental Risk and Community Resilience.
Since joining the university in 2018, he has led the development of and teaches on the Environmental Risk Management Masters programme. His research focuses on the vulnerability and risk assessment of social-ecological systems exposed to natural hazards, particularly hydro-meteorological events, and the role of ecosystems in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, especially from the perspectives of local communities.
Prior to this, Professor Renaud spent 13 years at the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security including over a decade as Head of the ‘Environmental Vulnerability and Ecosystem Services’ section, working extensively in Europe, South and Southeast Asia, and West Africa.
He holds a PhD in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from the University of Arkansas and an MSc in Agricultural Engineering from Cranfield University.
Recent projects include: ‘RRR-Coast – Towards a green and inclusive post-pandemic recovery of the Blue Economy and coastal communities’ (2022-2025) and 'Living Deltas Hub' (2019-2024) funded from UKRI-GCRF through NERC.
Freya Skinner is the Dissemination Lead at the NCR. She brings a multidisciplinary background in design, events management, and community arts education to her role, where she leads on communications, knowledge mobilisation, and impact.
With a strategic focus on accessibility and engagement, Freya ensures that research emerging from the NCR reaches and resonates with a wide range of audiences across Scotland and beyond.
A graduate of Heriot-Watt University, Freya’s career spans commercial design in global business environments and operational leadership within the third sector. She is an expert in translating academic and practice-based evidence into high-quality educational resources and public-facing tools.
Her work combines creative techniques, professional graphic design, and participatory approaches grounded in her long-standing commitment to community engagement and arts-based learning.
As the NCR’s in-house designer, Freya leads on visual identity, web design, and creative content development. She curates impactful dissemination strategies, ensuring that complex research is accessible, practical, and embedded in real-world contexts. She is also responsible for organising and delivering the NCR’s events programme, ranging from national symposia to local workshops, focused on building resilience, promoting dialogue, and fostering interdisciplinary exchange.
Freya is passionate about using creative practice to bridge gaps between science, policy, and the public. Her work reflects a belief in the power of design and storytelling to build understanding, inspire action, and support community-led change. Outside of the NCR, she continues to teach accessible art classes, reinforcing her commitment to lifelong learning and inclusion.
Ailsa is the Research Development Manager for the NCR. With a strong foundation in professional programme and research management, she brings over 20 years of experience delivering complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives across academic, public, and third-sector contexts.
Her work focuses on resilience building, climate adaptation, and strategic capacity development, ensuring that policy, research, and community priorities are effectively aligned. Ailsa plays a key role in fostering partnerships and translating research into real-world impact, with a particular focus on systems development, resource planning, and knowledge exchange. She has led operational delivery for interdisciplinary programmes addressing climate risk, behavioural change, and community resilience, and is passionate about driving innovation through evidence-informed approaches and cross-sector collaboration.
Alongside her business and leadership career, Ailsa has a longstanding background in the creative industries, with an international portfolio in design and visual arts. A graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone, College of Art & Design, she as worked with clients across the UK, USA and Europe, while maintaining a personal art practice rooted in themes of place, identity, and environment.
This dual perspective, combining strategic programme leadership with creative insight, enables Ailsa to bring a unique lens to resilience research, public engagement, and sustainable development that is committed to supporting inclusive, place-based transformation through collaborative practice.
Dr Sandy Whitelaw is the Research Director for our Centre, with over 25 years’ experience in teaching, research and publication in public health policy, health and social policy, and applied social research. His career spans education, the NHS, and higher education, bringing a strong interdisciplinary perspective to policy-relevant research and practice.
Sandy’s research focuses on public health policy, community wellbeing, and the social determinants of health, with a particular emphasis on resilience — how individuals and communities can better cope with adversity and structural challenge. He led a National Centre for Resilience-funded project investigating how organisational ‘settings’ (such as community enterprises) can foster resilience among young people with additional support needs, collaborating with a social enterprise café to explore how supportive environments, structured opportunities, and community integration contribute to resilience in practice.
He has extensive experience in commissioning, managing, and delivering applied research and evaluation projects for government, health services, and third-sector organisations, with work spanning physical activity and mental health, ageing and community support, and health policy evaluation.
Alongside his research leadership, Sandy has held a range of academic and governance roles, including membership of the University of Glasgow, School of Social and Environmental Sustainability Executive Group. He contributes to national and international scholarly communities as a member of the Glasgow End of Life Studies Group, the Crichton Institute, and the Editorial Board of Critical Public Health, and regularly engages in public scholarship through research dissemination.
Through his combined experience in policy, practice, and academia, Sandy brings a strong commitment to applied, evidence-informed research that supports equitable, sustainable, and socially responsive systems.
Our Steering Group comprises of resilience professionals, representatives from higher education and delegates from the Scottish Government. With a wide range of experience across community resilience, natural hazards, scientific research and emergency planning. These members offer their expertise, insight and extensive networks to significantly contribute to the work of the National Centre for Resilience. The group play a pivotal role in advising on the strategic direction of our research centre. Additionally, each year, members participate in our funding panel for projects, ensuring a robust and informed decision-making process.
Matthew is Principal Fellow in Atmospheric Dispersion and Air Quality at the Met Office and also Chair of the Natural Hazard Partnership (NHP), a group of 22 UK organizations focused on improving readiness and response through scientific advancement and better coordination. Matthew joined the Met Office in 2000 and since then has worked as a developer and then leader of Met Office research, modelling and service capabilities with a focus on supporting the planning, preparedness and response to emergency events as varied as volcanic eruptions, nuclear accidents, industrial fires, animal disease spread and air quality. Matthew has acted as adviser into numerous SAGEs supporting UK government response and is Chair and member of a number of national and UN advisory groups. As Principal Fellow he continues to drive and explore how broader Met Office science and capabilities can better support and be informed by UK and international decision making for a range of anthropogenic and natural hazards.
Carol is the director for The Scottish Flood Forum (SFF) an independent organisation which supports individuals and communities at risk from flooding. Carol is an experienced resilience education practitioner living and who has lived and worked in the Perth area for the last 15 years. Before her role with SFF Carol worked for the RNLI as their Senior Youth Education Manager. Increasing awareness of risk amongst young people has been central to her career as a passionate advocate of water safety messaging.
Anne Marte is the Programme Manager for ClimateXChange, Scotland’s centre of expertise connecting climate change research and policy, based at the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute. She is a climate change adaptation specialist who manages research projects on building resilience and creating social change in the face of the climate emergency. She is also a knowledge exchange expert who uses her 20+ years’ experience from media, corporate communications and facilitation to work across ClimateXChange’s portfolio to connect research and Scottish Government policy-making.
Douglas Taylor is the Senior Stakeholder Manager for Devolved Administrations at The Met Office. Douglas works for The Met Office and is responsible for managing key stakeholder relationships across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A key area of focus for Douglas is ensuring that The Met Office is supporting stakeholders with its range of climate expertise, resource and knowledge. Douglas has previously worked in defence and offshore energy related roles in The Met Office.
Martin is the Resilience and Community Safety Manager at Dumfries and Galloway Council and represents the West of Scotland Resilience Partnerships on our Steering Group. With many years of experience in resilience and emergency management. Martin was an advisor to the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives Scotland, with contingency planning for a "no-deal" Brexit and then with Covid-19. Previously Martin was Chief of Staff of a Governorate Team administering a province in southern Iraq, worked with Emergency Response Team, DfID and was responsible for: daily horizon scanning for international disaster and conflict activity. His operational experience includes response to a catastrophic earthquake in Turkey (1999) and in Central Mozambique to organise operations and lead a UK waterborne search and rescue operation in response to catastrophic nation-wide flooding in 2000.
Roxana Ciurean is a Geohazards Scientist for Multi-hazards and Resilience at the British Geological Survey. Her research focuses on understanding the risks and impacts of natural hazards on communities and the built environment, with an emphasis on enhancing resilience. She employs interdisciplinary methods to assess susceptibility, exposure, vulnerability, and the cascading impacts of multiple hazards, considering their spatial and temporal interactions. Roxana leads and contributes to national and international projects on multi-hazard risk assessment and management, emphasizing knowledge co-production and stakeholder engagement. She currently holds a Policy Fellowship with the Scottish Government, where she evaluates the practical application of civil contingencies risk assessment information for policy development, planning, and responses to disruptive events. Through collaboration with stakeholders across sectors and scales, Roxana works to bridge the gap between science, policy, and practice in Disaster Risk Management, contributing to a more resilient society and environment.
Duncan Moss FRICS is a Principal Geospatial Consultant at Ordnance Survey. Duncan joined OS in 1986 and has led OS’s geospatial customer support for the resilience of the country's most high-profile national events over the past 20 years. These events include the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, two Commonwealth Games, other sporting events, major political summits and Operation London Bridge in preparation for the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Over the last two decades Duncan has worked closely with a wide range of UK public sector partners and international allies to convene a collaborative community of interest focused on using the power of geography to deliver a shared common operating picture and situational awareness. Duncan has been active in the development of government resilience at a national and local level. From supporting Cabinet Office, including the recently established National Situation Centre, to working with a number of Local Resilience Forums around the country to better use geospatial capabilities for emergency preparedness and response.
Be first to know about funding, opportunities, events and projects by subscribing to our bi-monthly newsletter.
