The School of Applied Sciences

CIEEM first for Edinburgh Napier

The MSc Wildlife Biology and Conservation programme at Edinburgh Napier University has become the first Distance Learning route to be accredited by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

The CIEEM Degree Accreditation Scheme celebrates undergraduate and postgraduate courses that equip students with the knowledge, practical experience, and field skills most valued by employers.

Accredited degrees combine strong ecological and environmental theory with hands-on field experience. “We believe that real-world practice is essential to building the skills employers are looking for,” reported CIEEM’s assessors.

They also highlighted that the “enthusiasm and dedication of the teaching staff is exemplary. Teaching materials are of excellent quality; covering the most up to date and extensive topics which ensures graduates will be excellently placed to enter the ecological profession at a graduate and even higher level of employment. The flexibility of learning (part time, in the learner’s own time, ability to pause studies, and mix and match number of modules in any academic year) are also excellent and provides the opportunity for learners who may otherwise be unable to access postgraduate studies.”

Jay Mackinnon, the programme leader for the distance learning Masters at Edinburgh Napier said: “This is a first by CIEEM. There hasn’t been an accredited distance programme before, and because CIEEM’s focus is very much on technical competencies and practical fieldwork it was quite a bold move on our part. We are delighted that the high level of accomplishment demonstrated by our students and graduates is recognised with CIEEM accreditation of the distance learning MSc.

“We share with CIEEM a commitment to inclusion and developing high-level, relevant professional competencies in learners and being able to study an accredited programme by distance learning means that it doesn’t matter where you are, it’s what you achieve that counts.”

The distance learning programme is open for applications for January 2026 >>>

Wildlife Biology & Conservation MSc Distance learning | Edinburgh Napier University

The campus-based full-time MSc Wildlife Biology & Conservation holds prior accreditation from CIEEM.

Making Waves: The Future of Surf Science & Collaboration

On Monday 27 October, Lost Shore Surf Resort in Ratho hosted the official launch of Edinburgh Napier University’s The Surf Lab, a one-day gathering of academics and industry leads. The event was hosted to inform invited guests to explore how The Surf Lab was created to discover how surfing can drive better health, stronger communities, and be a key centre to help develop innovation across the sport, support tourism and encourage sustainability within the sector.

The day involved a collection of presentations from key staff from Edinburgh Napier University, and the founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort, expanding on how the journey was established in the creation of this world’s first partnership between a commercial wave pool facility and a University.

Welcoming Innovation at The Surf Lab

Professor Gary Hutchison opened the event, providing the attendees how the inception of the Surf Lab was delivered to him by both Dr Brendon Ferrier and Dr Jamie Marshall. In his presentation, Gary outlined how the concept of The Surf Lab and the partnership with Lost Shore Surf resort addressed Edinburgh Napier University’s strategic objectives of building careers, growing networks and advancing knowledge.

Gary emphasised how The Surf Lab concept showed strong relationship with the University’s parallel centre for cycling innovation at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland (MTBCoS). Noting that due to the success of the MTBCoS, he was willing to take a chance with The Surf Lab concept, especially due to its alignment with the objectives and aim of both the School of Applied Sciences, but also the broader Edinburgh Napier University community.

Riding the Wave of Innovation: The Lost Shore Story

Andy Hadden, the founder and developer of Lost Shore Surf Resort further highlighted the initial development of The Surf Lab and how Lost Shore Surf Resort as a commercial venture supported its development. Andy outlined the inception of the resort, from how he came to the concept whilst working in London, using his first £5,000 to fund the first PhD in Surf Therapy, to then building Lost Shore. The atmosphere Andy generated whilst outlining the journey he and the team went through from inception to recently celebrating their first year of business illustrated to the audience how the Surf Lab was an intrinsic part of the business model. Which re-enforced the partnership between Lost Shore and Edinburgh Napier University.

From Lab to Line-up

Dr Brendon Ferrier and Dr Jamie Marshall then presented the past, current and future projects The Surf Lab have been involved with. The focus of the presentation was how Lost Shore Surf Resort utilised The Surf Lab to help them with their initial purchase of their rental fleet of wetsuits. This small project helped establish the environmental focus that Lost Shore share, with their investment in the first rental fleet of Yulex based wetsuits. A natural rubber-based material, moving away from the heavily petrochemical based neoprene material usually found as the base for wetsuits. It was also outlined how Dr Marshall’s role with the International Surf Therapy Organisation resulted with Lost Shore and Edinburgh Napier University hosting the annual surf therapy conference over the five days prior to the launch day. Highlighting how The Surf Lab re-enforced the objectives of Edinburgh Napier University.

From Board to Bench: The Science of Surfing at Surf Lab

During the breakout sessions, several attendees visited the Surf Lab space and was presented with some of the projects and opportunities the lab space can be utilised for. Both Alex Mbuli, a teaching associate at Edinburgh Napier University and Damaris Vasquez, a potential PhD candidate working out of The Surf Lab provided information within their respective fields. This discussion quickly turned to an open discussion with attendees about innovative opportunities for industry and academic research groups at several Edinburgh based universities to become involved with the Surf Lab. Building on the innovative approach of the Surf Lab. But also, the collaborative approach we strive for within the Surf Lab.

Waves and Wellness

During the Waves and Wellness breakout session, Dr Jamie Marshall sparked an engaging discussion on the growing momentum behind surf therapy and the broader concept of blue health – the idea that proximity to water can positively influence mental and physical wellbeing. These conversations didn’t stop at surfing; they explored how lessons from these approaches can inform physical activity promotion and social prescribing, offering new pathways for integrating nature-based interventions into healthcare and community programmes.

The session also highlighted several future research directions, including projects examining the role of aquatic environments in reducing stress, improving resilience, and fostering social connection. All of this unfolded poolside, with the backdrop of surfers carving waves in the Lost Shore Surf Resort’s state-of-the-art wave pool – a fitting setting for envisioning how water-based activities can transform health and wellness strategies.

Surf Lab Connections: Unlocking Innovation Through Partnership

Hosted by Professor Susan Brown, Head of Sport Engagement at Edinburgh Napier University, the afternoon session explored an ambitious vision that goes far beyond surfing as a sport. At its core, The Surf Lab at Lost Shore aims to make surfing more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable, while delivering measurable benefits for mental and physical wellbeing. It’s about creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to engage in an activity that fosters resilience, confidence, and connection with nature.

Professor Brown highlighted how The Surf Lab helps cement principles of sport engagement that extend well beyond traditional sporting outcomes:

“The Surf Lab really helps us cement our principles around developing the evidence base for the benefit of sport engagement, which are not always sporting related, but do also help support mental, physical health and wellbeing of our community populations – cementing community cohesion, reducing crime and increasing educational engagement.”

This approach positions surfing as a catalyst for positive social impact – strengthening communities, promoting education, and contributing to a healthier, more connected society.

Driving Innovation and Growth Through Collaboration

The Surf Lab isn’t just transforming access to sport, it’s also a catalyst for innovation and regional growth. By creating jobs, fostering new businesses, and driving economic development, it’s shaping the future of surfing and beyond.

For industry partners, this is a unique opportunity to collaborate with Edinburgh Napier University’s world-class experts and facilities. As Maggie Reid, Business Development and Relationship Manager, explained: “Working with Edinburgh Napier allows you to access world-leading experts and world-leading facilities, research and knowledge exchange, and actually, it can underpin your business innovation and your strategy and your growth.”

If you’re ready to explore partnership opportunities, tap into cutting-edge research, or co-create solutions that deliver real impact, get in touch with Edinburgh Napier’s team today and be part of the Surf Lab journey.

Find out more at napier.ac.uk/surflab or contact innovation@napier.ac.uk

Written by: Dr Brendon Ferrier

How does weather shape seabird relationships?

How weather shapes seabird relationships

When we think about seabird behaviour, we often focus on things like foraging or migration. But what about their relationships? Our new study in Animal Behaviour shows that the weather in late winter, just before the breeding season, can play a surprisingly important role in whether seabird pairs stay together or “divorce” between breeding seasons.

Studying shags on the Isle of May

We studied European shags (Gulosus aristotelis) on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve in the Firth of Forth. Thanks to the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s incredible long-term monitoring programme, we had access to two decades of data on more than 1,500 individual birds.

I first started working on this project during my time at the UKCEH. It has been a real privilege to see how combining this long-term dataset with BioSS’s statistical expertise, together with my current position at Edinburgh Napier University (Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science), has opened up new ways of understanding pair fidelity.

(Photo: Ken Ritchie)

What we found

On average, only about 45% of shags stay with the same partner from one breeding season to the next, but that number fluctuates dramatically, from as low as one in five pairs to nearly three-quarters in other years.

We know from previous studies that older birds and those that bred successfully are more likely to stick together, and our results confirmed that these intrinsic factors are especially strong. What we wanted to understand was whether the environment also plays a role.

The answer is yes. We found that when late winter was windier and the seas were warmer, shags were more likely to switch partners. That makes sense, because this is the time when birds are returning to the colony, re-establishing bonds, and preparing to breed. Tough conditions at this stage seem to make pair stability harder to maintain.

Interestingly, pairs that did reunite tended to lay earlier in the season, and early laying was linked to greater reproductive success. So, while divorce itself didn’t directly reduce success, its knock-on effects on timing did matter.

(Photo: Gerrit Peters)

Why it matters

Our findings support the idea that environmental conditions shape animal social behaviour, in this case through pair bonding decisions. And with climate change predicted to bring warmer seas and more variable wind conditions, this could mean more greater instability in seabird partnerships and potential ripple effects for population dynamics in the future.

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of this study is that it could only have been done because of the long-term fieldwork on the Isle of May. Decades of careful monitoring gave us the chance to ask questions that simply couldn’t be answered with short-term data. It’s a reminder of how important it is to keep investing in long-term ecological research and the insights it brings are invaluable.

About the study

This research was a collaboration between Edinburgh Napier University, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), and BioSS, using over 20 years of detailed field data from the Isle of May National Nature Reserve.

European shags on the Isle of May. Long-term monitoring of these seabirds has revealed how winter weather influences their pair bonds (photo Francis Daunt)

Written by: Lecturer and Lead Researcher, Dr Sue Lewis

Read our most recent news story/press release.

Artademic: Art practice as research

‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ (origins unknown) is a much-repeated quote. Although (arguably) simplistic, there is something to this!

I am an artist. I’m also an interdisciplinary and engaged academic who strives to conduct impactful research with outcomes that make a difference. While I do work with ‘traditional’ research methods, my passion is for arts-based, creative, and participatory research. My research is concerned with cultural tourism, festivals, and placemaking, and is often framed by public engagement.

Sometimes, I’m asked how I ended up working in a Business School. It was a circuitous journey. I studied an undergraduate degree in fine art, then a postgraduate research degree in art and design (many) years ago. I then worked across the cultural and creative sector, before my PhD in tourism and festival studies here at Edinburgh Napier. My PhD investigated stakeholders’ perceptions of the image of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and I used visual methods and semiotics. Since then, I established the Visual Methods and Ethnography in Interdisciplinary Research Group in the university. I’m also the Public Engagement with Research Lead for The Business School.

There are two strands to my art practice and how it informs my research. Firstly, I use my own art practice to complement my research, and vice versa. My personal practice is mainly painting. I research through drawing, memory, and imagination, and my work is underpinned by reading. Recent work explores the performance of tourism and leisure, alongside relationships between the tourist gaze and the visual practices and imaginaries of tourism. I’ve had my paintings selected for national and international exhibitions, including Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) and the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA). This year, I curated a group exhibition during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I’ve also exhibited my work in galleries and sold to private collectors.

Returning to ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ (origins unknown), a second way that my art practice impacts upon my research is through using visual and participatory methods. This involves working with different groups of people to co-create outcomes and outputs. For example, I’ve co-designed participatory and creative ‘walkshops’, partnering with the Museum of Walking. I’ve used drawing and participatory mapping with residents of Wester Hailes in Edinburgh to gain insights into the semiotics of Edinburgh as a festival city. I’ve led a UKRI-funded interdisciplinary creative research and public engagement project working with community partners in Wester Hailes. Recently, I led a Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) research project working with Prof Anna Leask, alongside tourism and festival stakeholder partners. We used participatory and creative methods to investigate overtourism, community engagement, and placemaking in Edinburgh’s historic centre.

While traditional research approaches such as interviews and questionnaires are undeniably valuable, I argue that arts-based, creative, and participatory research can make a difference. They can engage and impact on people, policy, and practice. You don’t need to be an artist to use arts-based methods, so why don’t you try some approaches?

Blog written by: Dr Louise Todd, Associate Professor and Deputy Lead of the TRC

Explore ENU 2024

“Explore ENU” held on 14 & 15 October, was an immersive two-day experience of university life at Edinburgh Napier University, that invited S5 and S6 pupils to our campuses to experience our courses, facilities, and student life.

On Day 1, pupils could learn more about several subject areas including Business, Nursing & Midwifery, Law, Arts and Creative Industries, Engineering, and Computing, through a variety of workshops, lectures, Q&A and practical sessions. Prospective students shared that they “enjoyed meeting new people that otherwise they would be too anxious to speak to in other circumstances”, while it also helped debunk myths as one student shared that the event “has given me a better knowledge of the courses I can do, and I am aware of all the support I could get from the uni”. At the end of the first day, one student was excited to say, “I think Napier might be my top choice!”

On Day 2, pupils also received 1-1 UCAS application support from our School Outreach Team who shared their expertise regarding the application process, how to write the perfect personal statement, or how to make the most of their time at university.

Both days were supported by different teams across campus such as Bright Red Triangle, Graduate Apprenticeships, and the Formula Student Team Napier.

Nicola Kennedy, Senior Outreach Officer was proud to see how the event came together and the impact it had on future students. “Our flagship Explore ENU schools outreach event allows us to engage with a key group of young people in S5 & S6 from throughout Scotland. The two days have given them a unique opportunity to experience university life firsthand while exploring our subject areas in depth and showcasing our amazing facilities. It is also a great example of cross-university collaboration that wouldn’t be possible without the Schools Outreach team, Academic, and Professional Services colleagues who supported the. We look forward to hosting Explore ENU in 2025!”

Hear from subject area Academics:

“The Explore Business event gave school pupils the chance to develop both their soft skills and subject knowledge through a virtual business simulation. In groups, they made decisions around research and development, sales and marketing, production and purchasing, whilst managing financial, human and physical resources of the business. They loved seeing the real-time impact on bank, profit, net assets etc., learning how interconnected all these aspects are to running a business, whilst having fun!” Dr Sarah Borthwick Saddler, Lecturer – Accounting

“The Explore Engineering event is a fantastic way for us to engage with local schools, and particularly those pupils in the senior phase. The event allows us to ensure that potential students can make informed decisions about their future when they leave school and increases the chance of ENU featuring as part of those plans. Pupils who engaged in the programme of event were a credit to their schools and themselves, all were diligent, highly focussed, and great fun to work with” Dr Kenneth Leitch, Head of the Civil, Transportation and Environmental Engineering

“At the Explore Law event, we ran two sessions: a mock criminal trial; and a problem-solving exercise involving consumer protection law. The visiting pupils rose to both challenges superbly! We also got some of our 3rd-year students involved in acting out various witness roles. I hope all who took part enjoyed it and found it worthwhile. It was a most rewarding event to be involved in!” James McDougall, Lecturer – Law

“Explore Napier gave school pupils an insight into all fields of nursing and midwifery with practical examples/ real world applications. The students have been motivated and responsive and many will be nurses in the future of that I have no doubt” Ian Stables, Lecturer – Nursing and Midwifery

If you are interested in getting involved in Explore ENU or working with schools, please email our schools outreach team: outreach@napier.ac.uk

Clinical Exercise Physiology launches at Edinburgh Napier

Programme leader Dr Amanda Pitkethly discusses the need for Clinical Exercise Physiologists in today’s workforce, what the subject is all about and what careers you can go into if you choose to study this masters course at Edinburgh Napier University.

What is Clinical Exercise Physiology?

CEPs specialises in the prescription and delivery of evidence-based exercise interventions to optimise the prevention, treatment and long term management of acute, sub-acute, chronic and complex conditions.

As a graduate Clinical Exercise Physiologist, you may work in a range of primary, secondary and tertiary care settings as part of a multidisciplinary team of health care and rehabilitation providers.

CEP services aim to optimise physical function and health and promote long-term wellness through lifestyle modification and behaviour change across the lifespan.

Why should people study this as a post-graduate degree?

Our MSc programme develops the skills that graduates need to meet the Academy for Healthcare Sciences (AHCS) Standards of Proficiency which are in line with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency.

We teach the curriculum framework developed by Clinical Exercise Physiology-UK (CEP-UK), delivering the required knowledge and skills to be a competent Clinical Exercise Physiologist in the UK. Completing this MSc forms part of the requirement for eligibility to register with the AHCS.

What kind of career can I go into when I graduate from this programme?

The role of CEP is to work as part of healthcare teams across healthcare settings from hospital to community. For example, within:

Secondary care pre/rehabilitation settings
Primary Care
Private hospital settings
Public and private multidisciplinary clinics and leisure services
Defence Medical Services n Population/Public health/ Policy advisors
Workplace health and rehabilitation
Research/Academia

What will a clinical exercise physiologist do?

CEPs specialise in exercise testing and assessment, alongside the design, delivery and evaluation of evidence-based exercise interventions. CEP scope of practice encompasses apparently healthy individuals to those with chronic and complex conditions, along the care pathway from primary prevention, through acute management, to rehabilitation and maintenance. Interventions are exercise or physical activity-based and also include health and physical activity education, advice and support for lifestyle modification and behaviour change. CEPs work in a range of primary, secondary and tertiary care settings as part of a multidisciplinary team of health care and rehabilitation providers and in community settings.

Do I need any previous experience in this area to apply to the course?

The usual entry requirements for the courses are an undergraduate degree in a sport and exercise science (or related area i.e. your undergraduate degree must include the common elements of a sport and exercise science degree i.e. physiology, psychology and biomechanics). Additional vocational training (e.g. CIMSPA Gym Instructor etc) and experience working in health and fitness is not necessary but would support your studies well.

What do you look forward to most about teaching this course?

As a programme team, we are proud to be part of this brand new registered profession in the UK, we are all passionate about developing truly empathic, reflective and professional scientist-practitioners who enjoy helping individuals with health conditions, and who can also make an important impact in our healthcare systems in the same way that other countries, e.g. Australia, have been doing for 20+ years.

Why should I choose to study Clinical Exercise Physiology at Edinburgh Napier?

Since 2016, we have a track record in Edinburgh, and Scotland more widely, for developing clinical exercise scientists. Many of our previous graduates have gone on to valuable work in healthcare systems and research. Our team of excellent academics have so much to offer including: international reach and esteem, involvement in the recognition of the profession of CEP in the UK and its promotion, involvement in developing the national curriculum, applied clinical experience and much more.

To learn more about the course and apply, visit napier.ac.uk

Agora este é meu país favorito no mundo!

O ano de 2024 mal havia começado quando, em 9 de janeiro, a BBC anunciou que 2023 foi oficialmente o ano mais quente registrado. Um novo recorde diário de temperatura global foi estabelecido em mais de 200 dias no ano passado, de acordo com a análise da BBC dos dados coletados pelo Serviço de Mudanças Climáticas Copernicus.

Para o Dr. Fernando Rafael De Grande, como para muitos outros cientistas ambientais, essa confirmação não foi surpresa. Fernando tem estudado o impacto do aumento da temperatura na delicada linha costeira de manguezais do Brasil por algum tempo, mas passou o ano de 2023 trabalhando em Edimburgo com cientistas do Centro de Ciências de Conservação e Restauração (CCRS) da Universidade Napier de Edimburgo.

‘O Centro é liderado pela Professora Karen Diele na Universidade Napier, que também trabalha e publica sobre o ambiente de manguezal do Brasil, então eu já estava familiarizado com seu trabalho há algum tempo’, explica Fernando, que fez sua graduação inicialmente na Universidade Estadual de São Paulo e agora é pesquisador pós-doutorado no Instituto de Ciências Marinhas, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), em Santos.

‘Eu estava ansioso para expandir minha pesquisa, adotar uma abordagem mais global e queria melhorar meu inglês, então solicitei ao governo brasileiro o patrocínio de uma oportunidade de trabalhar com a Professora Diele aqui na Escócia.’ A reputação internacional da Universidade Napier em pesquisa de manguezais foi essencial para atender às condições de financiamento estabelecidas pelo governo brasileiro, que concordou em patrocinar sua bolsa.

No último ano, a pesquisa de Fernando na Napier concentrou-se na produção de uma meta-análise e revisão sistemática da literatura, para avaliar onde e em que medida as temperaturas mais quentes provavelmente afetarão a produção de fauna de mangue ao redor do mundo.

‘É difícil testar o impacto do aumento da temperatura no campo’, explica ele, ‘então eu compilei resultados publicados de experimentos laboratoriais de todo o mundo, incluindo muitas espécies diferentes, e descobri que, sim, o aumento de temperatura devido às mudanças climáticas pode afetar negativamente a fauna de manguezais, o que, por sua vez, poderia impactar as florestas de mangue, dada a importante função ecológica desses animais. Muitas espécies animais incluídas em nosso estudo crescem e se reproduzem menos em temperaturas mais altas. Esse impacto poderá ser especialmente pronunciado no Indo-Pacífico Central e Indo-Pacífico Ocidental. Estou ansioso para em breve submeter os resultados de nosso trabalho a um jornal científico para publicação, junto com Karen e meus supervisores brasileiros.’

Refletindo sobre seus 12 meses em Edimburgo, pouco antes de retornar ao Brasil em 13 de janeiro, Fernando disse: ‘A equipe da Karen no Centro tem uma reputação internacional por seu trabalho, e ela publicou pesquisas globalmente significativas em muitos artigos, então eu me beneficiei diretamente dessa experiência. A Napier também tem uma boa infraestrutura de pesquisa, incluindo laboratórios e equipamentos para pesquisa marinha. Também fiquei impressionado com os outros laboratórios da universidade.

‘O CCRS funciona como um grupo interdisciplinar, e isso foi uma experiência totalmente nova e muito boa para mim. Aprendi como trabalhar nesse tipo de ambiente de pesquisa, com colegas de disciplinas diversas, produzindo pesquisas valiosas juntamente com eles. Outros alunos de Biologia Marinha da Karen trabalham na Escócia, e pude interagir com eles e discutir nossas áreas de pesquisa individuais, o que também foi muito interessante e produtivo.

‘Meu tempo aqui também melhorou muito meu inglês, como eu esperava. Como acadêmico, posso ler e escrever em inglês, mas viver aqui ajudou muito minha conversação.

‘Para pessoas dos trópicos, como eu, a Escócia é muito diferente e tem uma paisagem muito bonita. Eu amei a Escócia, e as pessoas em Edimburgo foram muito amigáveis. É uma cidade linda, com uma arquitetura maravilhosa e a cultura aqui é incrível. Há bons museus gratuitos e, é claro, o castelo no centro da cidade! É muito diferente de São Paulo.

‘Também viajei pela Escócia durante meu tempo aqui, como por exemplo, para Fort William, Glasgow, Inverness e St Andrews. Talvez agora este seja meu país favorito do mundo!

Embora esteja retornando para continuar sua pesquisa de pós-doutorado em São Paulo, Fernando continuará colaborando com o CCRS no futuro. Ele já foi convidado a trabalhar e co-autor dois artigos com Karen e colegas do Centro e diz: ‘Já começamos a planejar algumas novas e empolgantes pesquisas conjuntas aqui no Brasil também, e o trabalho de campo para isso já começará em algumas semanas.’

‘Estou otimista de que posso aplicar nossa pesquisa quando voltar ao Brasil, para melhorar a gestão e conservação dos manguezais no Brasil e em outras regiões do mundo.

A pesquisa desenvolvida pelo Fernando foi financiada pela Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP, processo n° 2022/12556-2.

Maybe now this is my favourite country in the world!

2024 had barely begun when, on 9 January, the BBC announced that 2023 was officially the warmest year on record. A new daily global temperature record had been set on more than 200 days last year, according to analysis by the BBC of data gathered by the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

For Dr Fernando Rafael De Grande, like many other environmental scientists, this confirmation came as no surprise. Fernando has been studying the impact of warming temperature on Brazil’s delicate mangrove coastline for some time, but he spent 2023 working in Edinburgh with scientists from the Centre for Conservation and Restoration Science (CCRS) at Edinburgh Napier University.

‘The Centre is led by Professor Karen Diele at Edinburgh Napier, who also works and publishes on Brazil’s mangrove environment, so I have been familiar with her work for some time,’ explains Fernando, who studied his initial degree at São Paulo State University and is now a post-doc Research Fellow at the Institute of Marine Science, Federal University of São Paulo (IMar/UNIFESP), Santos, Universidade Federal de São Paulo.

‘I was keen to expand my research, to take a more global approach – and wanted to improve my English – so I applied to the Brazilian government to sponsor an opportunity to work with Professor Diele here in Scotland.’ Edinburgh Napier’s international reputation for mangrove research was essential to satisfy the funding conditions set by the Brazilian government, which agreed to sponsor his fellowship.

For the past year, Fernando’s research at Napier has focussed on producing a meta-analysis and systematic literature review, to assess where and how much warmer temperatures will likely impact mangrove fauna production around the globe.

‘It is difficult to test the impact of temperature increase in the field’, he explains, ‘so I have collated published results from lab experiments from around the world, including many different species, and have found that, yes, increasing temperatures due to climate change can negatively affect mangrove fauna, which in turn could impact the mangrove forests themselves, given the animals’ important ecological roles. Many animal species included in our study grow and reproduce less under increased temperatures. This impact is expected to become particularly acute in the Indo-Pacific and western Pacific. I am now looking forward to soon submit the results of our work to a scientific journal for publication, together with Karen and my Brazilian supervisors.

Reflecting on his 12 months in Edinburgh, just before his return to Brazil on 13 January, Fernando said: ‘Karen’s team in the Centre have an international reputation for their work, and she has published globally significant research in many papers, so I have benefited directly from that [expertise]. Napier also has a good research infrastructure, nice labs and equipment for marine research, and I have been equally impressed by the other science labs at the university.

‘CCRS works as an interdisciplinary group, and that has been a totally new and very good experience for me. I have learned how to work in this type of research environment, with colleagues from diverse disciplines, doing and publishing valuable research together. Other Marine Biology students off Karen work in Scotland, and I have been able to interact with them and discuss our areas of individual research, and that too has been very interesting and productive.

‘My time here has also much improved my English, as I’d hoped. As an academic, I can read and write in English, but living here has greatly helped my conversational English.

‘For people from the tropics, like me, Scotland is very different and has a very beautiful landscape. I have loved Scotland, and the people in Edinburgh have been very friendly. It’s a beautiful city with wonderful architecture and the culture here is amazing. There are good free museums, and of course the castle at the centre of the city! It is very different from San Paulo.

‘I’ve also travelled around Scotland during my time here, to Fort William, Glasgow, Inverness, and St Andrews. Maybe now this is my favourite country in the world!

Although now returning to continue his postdoctoral research Fellowship in São Paulo, Fernando will continue to collaborate with CCRS into the future. He has already been invited to work on and co-author two papers with Karen and colleagues from the Centre and says ‘We already started to plan some exciting new joint research work here in Brazil also, and field work for this will already kick off in a few weeks.’

‘I am optimistic that I can apply our research when I return to Brazil, to improve mangrove management and conservation in this region of the world. Our research is relevant not only for Brazil, but also for other countries with mangrove environments.’

frdegrande@gmail.com

Funding was provided by a FAPESP research grant No. 2022/12556-2.

ENU’s Stellar Contributions to the Scottish Institute of Policing Research in 2023

The Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) is a collaborative organisation which brings together 15 Scottish Universities, as well as Police Scotland and The Scottish Police Authority, whose aim is to ‘support internationally excellent, multi-disciplinary policing research to enable evidence-informed policy & practice.’

Edinburgh Napier’s Contribution to the SIPR Annual report demonstrates the outstanding and sheer volume of work and dedication that has gone into this area of research from academics within the university, with our very own Professor Liz Aston leading the research institute.

Some of the work in this year’s report includes examples of the kind of collaboration carried out, including knowledge and exchange events, which has contributed to organisational learning, such as hosting Norwegian Police.

Our ENU head of Social Sciences, Dr Andrew Wooff, now an incoming Associate Director of SIPR is co-lead of the Education and Leadership network. Indeed, he also co-wrote a report with Drs Shane Horgan and Andy Tatnell; ‘Pluralised responses to policing the pandemic: analysing the emergence of informal order maintenance strategies, the changing of ‘policing web’, and the impacts of COVID19 in rural communities.’

Dr Jennifer Murray collaborated on an engaging report on the ‘Estimation of risk for missing individuals: Development of an empirical risk assessment and decision support tool for missing person investigations’ and as well as this, our Edinburgh Napier Carnegie grant PhD scholar, Abigail Cunningham delivered research on ‘Encountering policing – a dialogic exploration of Scottish Pakistanis’ experience of ‘policing.’

Edinburgh Napier also leads The Scottish Centre for Policing and Public health, with Prof Nadine Dougall and Drs Inga Heyman, Andrew Tatnell and Andrew Wooff contributing ‘How cross-service collaboration can improve community safety and wellbeing – a systematic review and case study of a community hub intervention’, again showing the range of multi-disciplinary research submitted to the report.

Furthermore, Dr Shane Horgan collaborated on a report titled: ‘Influence Policing’ which looked at contemporary issues with targeted communication campaigns.

There was much more submitted by our Edinburgh Napier SIPR academics, and you can read the full annual report here: SIPR-Annual-report-2023.pdf

To find out more about SIPR and what they do, visit the site: SIPR – Scottish Institute for Policing Research

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Collaboration is the foundation needed to develop Scotland’s future Life Sciences skill set

Last year, Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) identified both the bioeconomy and life sciences as sectors of major opportunity.

Speaking on 29 November, at The Scotsman’s Life Science conference, Dr Claire Garden* officially launched the report from the recent Life and Chemical Sciences Skills Summit.

“This sector is so effective in driving economic growth, and so important for the future prosperity of our country,” Dr Garden told the audience.

The sector can also play a major role in achieving the Scottish Government’s ambitions for fair and green economic growth.

“The Life and Chemical Sciences sector employs about 1.1% of the Scottish workforce but contributes 4.4% of Scotland’s total economy (GVA),” added Dr Garden. “The sector is also on track to increase its contribution to the Scottish economy to a total of £8bn by 2025, and Scotland’s Life Sciences sector is world-leading, partly because of its highly skilled and internationally recognised workforce.”

But what skills will be needed in future?

The first Life and Chemical Sciences Skills Summit was successfully led and hosted by Dr Garden in September 2023, with support from SULSA (Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance) and Skills Development Scotland.

“We brought together 80 representatives from industry, tertiary education, skills providers, and other key stakeholders, to collectively address two priority areas: the work-readiness of new entrants, and collaborative working between industry and tertiary education.”

Themes of consolidation, collaboration and challenge emerged, and discussions identified 15 recommendations that could all be grouped under two clear needs:

A centralised umbrella skills organisation for Life Sciences.
A sector skills platform for Scotland – comprising both physical and digital spaces to bring together and signpost all skills assets.

“Together, the organisation and platform would facilitate the kind of collaborative, creative work that we know will be required to meet the challenges set out by The Entrepreneurial Campus, Green Skills, and Digital and Data challenges set by government.”

The sector’s vision

There are two key strategies that set the vision for the sector’s future. First, the Life Sciences Strategy for Scotland 2025, which aims to make Scotland the location of choice for Life Sciences businesses, researchers, healthcare professionals and investors, while increasing Life Sciences contribution to Scotland’s economic growth.

The second is The National Plan for Industrial Biotechnology. It states that Scotland will become the go-to destination to incubate and grow bioeconomy businesses to scale; and to manufacture products and services desired by consumers and end-users that will facilitate the nation’s net zero 2045 ambition.

At the centre of both are the people and skills working in the sector.

“We know we need a skilled workforce, but the question of ‘which skills’ can be challenging,” said Dr Garden. “Businesses are telling us that the sector increasingly needs people to have multidisciplinary skills that combine scientific and non-scientific skill sets, such as: meta skills; digital and data; automation, AI and robotics; quality control and regulatory; green skills; commercial skills; and entrepreneurship.”

“At Edinburgh Napier, we are focussing now on consolidating our entrepreneurial offer to students, business, and our community: for example, through a Women’s Enterprise Hub; collaboration with businesses to incorporate more innovation challenge-based opportunities for our students; and an educator’s toolkit.

“We were delighted when the University was recently placed second in Scotland in the Entrepreneurial Impact Ranking, presented in the ‘Gateways to Growth Report’ by Octopus Ventures.

Closing with a call to action to all stakeholders across the sector, Dr Garden said: “It’s time now to consolidate and openly share our skills assets, and we must find smarter and more creative ways to continue to collaborate if we are to meet the challenges we face.”

* Dr Claire Garden is Associate Professor of Life Science Education and Head of Learning and Teaching in the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University.

LINKS

report from the recent Life and Chemical Sciences Skills Summit

digital-economy-skills-action-plan.pdf (skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk)

green-jobs-in-scotland-report_final-4.pdf (skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk)