Prior to joining the Centre Dr. Will Simonson spent six years at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. There he coordinated the University’s Strategic Research Initiative in Global Food Security, and before that carried out doctoral and post-doctoral research in the Forest Ecology & Conservation Group, using airborne lidar to study forest structure and function. In his 25 years of professional experience he has worked for both governmental and non-governmental nature conservation organisations, including 12 years working in Portugal for the conservation charity ‘A Rocha’ and supporting projects in countries including the Lebanon, Ghana and Kenya. He holds an undergraduate degree in botany (Cambridge) and masters in environmental technology (Imperial College London).