Session: What net zero skills do employers want in an Environmental Science graduate?

Gary Kass

Gary Kass is an environmental and sustainability scientist and knowledge broker, with over 35 years’ practice, working at the interface of science and policy.  Gary joined the public sector in 1995 as Head of the Environment and Energy programme at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and became Head of Public Engagement with Science and Technology within the UK Government.  Gary joined Natural England in 2007 served as Deputy Chief Scientist between 2014 and 2022 and Defra deputy Chief Scientific Adviser in 2016.  He is now Principal Specialist in Strategic Science.  Gary’s roots in academia include serving on the Natural Environment Research Council’s Innovation Advisory Board and the Research Excellence Framework (REF), where he was a member of the Geography and Environmental Studies sub-panel in 2014 and 2021, with a particular focus on impact and policy relevance.  Gary is a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Surrey and is a member of Advisory Boards at Imperial College and Royal Holloway, University of London.

Beth Richards

After graduating from Manchester with a degree in International Disaster Management and Humanitarian Response, Beth went to work in the humanitarian sector, co-ordinating global aid programming. After witnessing first-hand the impact of climate change on shifting humanitarian needs, Beth transitioned to the world of sustainability. At Change Agents UK, Beth runs workshops dedicated to supporting and empowering the next generations to have the skills and knowledge needed to build a more equitable and sustainable future.

Beth helps run the Green careers workshops, Carbon Literacy training, carbon awareness courses, as well Sustainability Leadership skills programme which equip young people with a foundational knowledge of net zero skills and much more.

Emma Wilcox

Emma began her career at the National Physical Laboratory after completing her PhD in physical metallurgy at the University of Surrey and her degree and Masters in Materials Science at Brunel University. Building on her academic background, Emma’s career has spanned knowledge transfer, training and skills across various technical disciplines. Having established the Energy and Efficiency Industrial Partnership and playing critical roles in creating two Skills Academies, Emma became the Chief Executive of the Society for the Environment, the Chartered Organisation responsible for registering environmental professionals, in 2015. Emma is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of IOM3 as well as a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10k Small Business Programme.

As well as the Chair of the IOM3 Sustainability Development Group (SDG), Emma is a member of the UK Government’s Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel (GAAP) and a Board Member of the Future Water Association.

Emma is passionate about sustainable development, noting that ‘many of the environmental challenges we face stem from our use of materials’. She strongly believes materials professionals are vital to a sustainable future and the SDG is a body of expertise to respond to critical issues about sustainable development and the environment.