Technical Leaders Lecture: Showcasing AgriFood Futures

Professor Willcock is a systems scientist whose research integrates ecological, agricultural and social processes to address complex sustainability challenges. He has led and contributed to major interdisciplinary programmes in the UK and internationally, with field experience across Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Prior to joining the University of Reading, he held senior academic and research leadership roles at Bangor University and Rothamsted Research. His work combines field experimentation, modelling, stakeholder engagement and policy-relevant research, with a strong emphasis on translating science into practice.

Tom Oliver is a Professor in Ecology and Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research (Environment) at the University of Reading.  He regularly advises the UK government and the European Environment Agency on environmental topics.

Tom has published more than 100 scientific papers in world-leading interdisciplinary journals and won two first-place prizes for essays communicating science to a broader audience. His first book The Self Delusion was published in January 2020, and The Nature Delusion was published in March 2026.

Tom has advised the UK government through secondments with Defra (designing a ‘systems research programme’) and the Government Office for Science. He currently sits on the Food Standards Authority science council and expert college for the Office for Environmental Protection. He has advised the European Commission through membership of the EEA scientific committee and bespoke presentations.

Tom’s research interests cover biodiversity change and the resilience of ecosystem functions, climate change impacts & adaptation and systemic risks, nature-related risk and sustainability transitions.

Carol is Professor of Crop Quality for Health and Deputy Chair of the Agriculture Food and Veterinary Science Unit of Assessment panel for REF2029. She also Chairs the BBSRC Bioscience for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Strategy Advisory Panel. She has provided expert advice to Defra during the 2024 UK Food Security Review and during the development of the National Food Strategy. She is co-author of the 4th Climate Change Risk Assessment chapter on Land, Nature and Food.

Carol leads a research group that takes a food-system wide approach to improving the quality of fresh produce and ensuring that everyone has access to it.

Carol’s talk will focus on the FoodSEqual project, specifically interventions which enable people living in disadvantaged communities to have physical and economic access to fresh fruit and vegetables.