Advisory Group
The Advisory Group at the Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) at Hughes Hall provides strategic input and guidance to shape the development of CCE’s programmes and projects. Comprising key Fellows of Hughes Hall, the group serves as ambassadors, representing and promoting CCE’s mission at key events. Their responsibilities include advising on the CCE’s strategy, ensuring alignment with climate governance and policy developments, and facilitating connections to advance best practices. By leveraging their expertise, the Advisory Group aims to amplify CCE’s impact in promoting academic excellence and accelerating the transition to net zero emissions.
Co-Chair: Professor Harro van Asselt
Professorship in Climate Law at the University of Cambridge
Professor Harro van Asselt (PhD, cum laude) is the Hatton Professor in Climate Law at the University of Cambridge, and is a Law Fellow at Hughes Hall. He is also a Professor of Climate Law and Policy at the University of Eastern Finland Law School, and an Affiliated Researcher with the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Co-Chair: Ron Zimmern
Chairman of the PHG Foundation
Ron has a distinguished career in human genomics and is also Chair of the PHG Foundation, successor to the Public Health Genetics Unit, which he established in 1997.
John Barker
Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
Dr John Barker is a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law at Cambridge University and founding Director of Cambridge Governance Labs, based at Hughes Hall where he has served as Vice-President, Law Fellow and Tutor. Formerly chair of the Foreign Compensation Commission, he contributed to the International Law Commission’s work on State Responsibility. With over 35 years’ experience supporting justice sectors in Africa, Dr Barker has advised major organisations, including the UN, EU, and DFID, on justice reform, human rights, and rule of law.
Nigel Brook
Partner at Clyde & Co and By-Fellow at Hughes Hall
Nigel Brook is a partner at the London office of Clyde & Co, an international law firm, where he specialises in insurance and reinsurance law. He also leads the firm’s global climate risk practice and is co-author of several reports on climate litigation. He frequently gives presentations on the topic.
Dr Markus Gehring
Expert in the Centre for European Legal Studies (CELS), Director of Studies in Law at Hughes, and a Fellow of the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law
Before joining the Law Faculty, Dr Gehring was Tutor in Sustainable Development Law and Fellow in Law at Robinson College (2005-2012). He has served as Visiting Professor globally and held a Jean Monnet Research Chair in Sustainable Development Law at Ottawa University. He is also an affiliated Lecturer in Cambridge’s POLIS and Land Economy departments and a Founding Fellow of the C-EENRG.
Dr Natalie Jones
Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Dr Natalie Jones is a policy advisor at the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), where her work focuses on phasing out oil and gas production. She holds a PhD in international law from the University of Cambridge, and did postdoctoral research at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk where she remains an affiliate. Natalie is a By-Fellow of Hughes Hall.
Mahnaz Malik
Barrister and Arbitrator at Twenty Essex Chambers
With over 23 years in cross-border trade and investment law, Ms. Malik serves as an arbitrator and counsel to investors, organisations, and states. She is a Fellow and Trustee at Hughes Hall, Cambridge, where she earned her MA in Law. A member of the ICSID Panel of Arbitrators for over a decade, she has also served on the ICSID ad hoc Annulment Committee and ICC Commissions on Arbitration and Anti-Corruption.
Dr Aga Iwasiewicz-Wabnig
Director of the Maxwell Centre
Dr Iwasiewicz-Wabnig is a Cambridge super-connector and knowledge broker who facilitates forging new links and collaborations, often interdisciplinary, between Cambridge academics as well as with external partners. She is interested in broader context of academic research – innovation and technology transfer, evidence-based policy, sustainability, public outreach and impact.
Professor Antje Wiener
Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Hamburg and By-Fellow at Hughes.
Antje Wiener FAcSS MAE is a Professor of Political Science and Law at the University of Hamburg and By-Fellow at Hughes. Her research on International Relations won 2020 Best Book Prize of the International Law Section, ISA for Contestation and Constitution of Norms in Global International Relations (CUP 2018). She is a member of the Hamburg Cluster of Excellence ‘Climate, Climatic Change & Society’ and edits Global Constitutionalism (CUP since 2012) and Norm Research in International Relations (Springer since 2019).
Dr Alexis Willett
Impact Director and Governing Body Fellow
Dr Willett joined Hughes Hall as Impact Director in June 2024, bringing over 20 years in strategy, communications, and external affairs. Previously an independent consultant for health organisations across the UK and Europe, she has extensive experience in multi-stakeholder engagement and steering complex projects towards impactful outcomes. She has served on multiple influential committees, and as a Trustee of CPSL Mind, and authored a broad range of publications for health professionals, policy makers, and the public. She holds a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Cambridge.
Centre for Climate Engagement
Paul Jefferiss
Director, Centre for Climate Engagement
Paul brings over 30 years of leadership, advisory and teaching experience in climate, sustainability, conservation and energy transitions across the private sector, NGOs, government and academia. He serves as Chair of the Greater Southeast Net Zero Hub and Climate Explorers and is a Partner at Natural Carbon Capital. Until recently he worked as Senior Adviser on Strategy and Innovation to the Carbon Trust, further cementing his reputation as a key figure in advancing climate and sustainability initiatives.
Dr Karen Barrass
Senior Researcher
Karen is a Senior Researcher, working as a technical co-lead on a project to develop a ‘locally determined contribution’ framework for Cambridgeshire. Karen has been working on climate issues for over 20 years. Her extensive experience lies in research and advocacy – developing tools and leading campaigns to affect positive change. Until 2023, Karen led the research and policy team at UK100. In 2023, she established Climate Insights, an organisation which offers bespoke research and policy analysis
Sophy Bristow
Head of Programmes
Sophy is Head of Programmes for CCE, working within the Knowledge Brokering team to provide strategic insight and research to support content outputs for the CCE and Climate Governance Initiative. Sophy has nearly 20 years experience working across climate change and clean air policy for a range of academic, non-profit and international organisations.
Kate Coghlan
Head of Communications
Kate has worked for in communications for over 20 years in retail, charity and education. She is passionate about climate action, and has recently installed solar panels, a storage battery and an air-source heat pump at home. She is a voluntary Non-Executive Director and Sustainability Lead for Goalball UK, a paralympic sport for blind and visually impaired players.
Judith Hannan
Project Manager, CANFFUND Project
Jude is Project Manager on the Innovate UK funded project which aims to provide a template for local authorities to ascertain their Locally Determined Contributions to Net Zero. She has a Master’s in Education from the University of Cambridge and was for many years a primary teacher both in the UK and abroad. She loves working with the CCE team and is excited to be involved in a project which has local and national relevance.
Dr Eldrid Herrington
Head of Academic Engagement
Eldrid works with colleagues internally and internationally to translate academic insight to climate action. She has published on climate and the sustainable development goals as well as in a variety of other disciplines. An academic for 30 years at universities in the US, the UK, and Ireland, she has been a US National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow and a Government of Ireland Fellow. She has a BA from Princeton University and an MPhil and PhD from the University of Cambridge.
Claire Ng
Academic Engagement Manager
Claire has a background in strengthening international partnerships and research networks. She previously served in Singapore’s public agencies, where she worked with a diverse range of stakeholders from governments, academia, and industry. Claire holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Zhen Ren (Jane)
Centre Financial Accountant
Zhen is a Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant with 20 years of accounting experience across various industries, including biotech, food, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and blue-chip companies. Zhen holds a Master’s degree in International Consultancy and Accounting from the University of Reading and a first degree in Law from the University of Dalian, China.
Nick Scott
Manager (Law & Climate Change)
Nick leads the Centre’s ‘Law for Climate Action’ programme, which engages academics, legal practitioners, and corporates to determine legal solutions to the climate crisis. This includes finding ways to leverage existing legislation to address climate change, and also investigating emerging climate law and policy measures, particularly those relevant to business. Nick has law degrees from the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkeley.
Sofie Surraco
Researcher (Policy & Law)
Sofie is a Researcher on the Law for Climate Action programme. Sofie is an experienced sustainable development practitioner, with a passion for low carbon technologies and placemaking. With over six years of experience working across academic, corporate, and voluntary sectors, Sofie helps create impactful research and infrastructure delivery programmes.
Angela Walters
Head of Operations, Centre for Climate Engagement
Angela provides executive support to the Centre for Climate Engagement, working across programmes to provide operational management of core functions, including supporting colleagues with administrative functions that drive the Centre, such as finance, HR, IT, communications and engagement. Angela has worked within the university environment for over 25 years, supporting research centres and initiatives in administrative operations, communications and engagement capacities, including at a centre that partnered Cambridge University and the UK Government.
Researchers
Jessica Crow
Cambridge Hoffmann Fellow
Jessica is a doctoral candidate and an affiliated Lecturer in climate law and environmental policy at the University of Cambridge, as well as a Researcher at C-EENRG. She is delighted to be the working with the CCE as the Cambridge Hoffmann Fellow in Global Climate Governance with the World Economic Forum and Hughes Hall. Her research focuses on corporate climate litigation risk, looking specifically at the evolving strategic and evidentiary landscape informing climate litigation and the expansion of climate liability for corporate actors and states.
Dr Jellie Molino
Research Associate
Jellie is a Post-Doctoral Research By-Fellow with research focusing on private law, procurement, and climate change. Dr Jellie Molino is an international legal expert on sustainable public procurement (SPP) and a member of the Philippine Bar specialising in environmental law and corporate compliance. She has worked for international organisations including UNOPS, UNEP, UNDP, World Bank, IFC, OECD, ITC-ILO and ADB. She serves as International SPP Expert for the World Bank in Bangladesh, Türkiye and Angola.
Dr Samuel Ruiz-Tagle
Research Associate
Samuel is a Research Associate at the Centre for Climate Engagement. He completed his PhD in the Faculty of Law at Oxford University. A public lawyer, he began his career as a legal advisor to the General Secretariat of the Presidency of Chile, where he is originally from. He also practised law for several years advising private and public companies in all aspects of public law, including planning and environmental law and natural resources law.
Join our team
Job opportunities will be listed below as they become available.
CCE Easter Intern – Law and Climate Programme
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Law and Climate team at the Centre for Climate Engagement, to work on projects at the intersection of law, corporate governance, and climate change. This is a three week internship opportunity between 24 March and 25 April 2025.
The Hughes Hall Centre for Climate Engagement (CCE) was established in 2019 and seeks to engage with corporate, financial, and legal actors at the highest level; as well as encourage scholarship in climate law, regulation, finance and other disciplines to scale-up climate action. This Easter, the CCE team have an internship opportunity to work in the centre’s Law and Climate programme. The Easter Intern will support the law and climate team by:
- Engaging with key stakeholders to inform research and drafting.
- Providing high quality research to support key CCE outputs focused on law, policy and corporate governance.
- Drafting targeted climate policy outputs which explain complex climate law and policy issues in a concise manner.
- Reviewing and providing comments on key internal and external policy-focused documents and resources.
The deadline for applications is 20 March 2025. To find out more about this opportunity and apply please:
Slingshot