Somerville’s Professor of Conservation Biology and Lead Tutor for Biology, Professor Alex Rogers, has been made the Director for the Oxford India Centre for sustainable development.
Alex is a marine ecologist with special interest in understanding the distribution of species in the ocean, especially in hotspots of species richness or endemism such as in the deep sea (seamounts, cold-water coral reefs, hydrothermal vents and in shallow water tropical coral reefs).
Alex also works on human impacts on the ocean and how to implement sustainable management that reduces or eliminates such environmental stressors. Through his work Alex has come to realise that a multidisciplinary approach is required to solve issues of sustainability in the oceans. Issues such as overfishing are a manifestation of complex socioecological systems where knowledge of marine science, economics, culture, law and human behaviour are all important in resolving the problem.
“I am excited at the opportunity to act as Director for the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development,” said Professor Rogers. “I strongly believe that the Centre will produce the young experts with interdisciplinary background to tackle such issues, including some of the frontline problems facing India and much of the rest of the world. Many of these issues are immediate and acute and I am keen to see the OIC scholarship and the outreach and research activities of the Centre to grow as quickly as possible.”
New addition to the MTST
Somerville is also pleased to announce a new addition to the Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust. Anita Bharucha has joined Somerville as Interim Programme Director, Margaret Thatcher Scholarship Trust. Her role will be to develop the selection process for scholarships, to make proposals for the development programme and develop plans for outreach. Anita has worked at Somerville previously on the India project, helping to establish the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development.