Robbie McDonald

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT ROBBIE MCDONALD

I am Chief Scientist and Chief Insights Officer at the Office for Environmental Protection. This is an executive director role, leading the development of this new organisation, and with key responsibility for evidence and analysis, and for the science profession. Our work is regularly in the public eye, as we work to hold government and other public authorities to account for compliance with environmental law and for their roles in delivery of environmental improvement and nature\'s recovery. I am an ecologist with research interests in conservation and environmental management, and on contentious environmental problems and conflicts, mostly among people about wildlife and other animals. I held the Chair in Natural Environment at the University of Exeter\'s Environment and Sustainability Institute from 2011 to 2024. I use interdisciplinary approaches in my research into conservation practices and problems. I have formulated collaborative projects on diverse subjects including: wildlife conservation and management, invasive species, badgers and TB, environmental monitoring and data, game management, use of lead ammunition, and the ecology of cat predation and interactions with owners. This has given me the chance to work with colleagues and publish work across a breadth of research fields beyond ecology, including politics, human geography, maths, archaeology and biomedicine. I have worked in a range of science settings, in academia, government, public bodies and the 3rd sector, fulfilling strategic and operational leadership roles. I have led science programmes through periods of change and restructuring, built and reinvigorated partnerships, and led the development and implementation of organisational strategies. I have published >200 peer-reviewed articles, supervised >20 PhD students, and have secured funding and delivered major programmes of science, research and operations, often in sensitive and contentious areas. I regularly present my work, and that of my teams, in the broadcast and print media and engage with diverse audiences. Prior to joining the University, I was Deputy Chief Scientist and a Head of Programme at Defra\'s Food and Environment Research Agency. I led teams of up to 100 specialists to undertake research and provide advice for governments and managed budgets of up to £7-8M. I advised ministers and senior officials on complex issues in environmental management, primarily relating to the natural and farmed environments.