Keith Hyams has been appointed to the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund Strategic Advisory Group, where he joins Professor João Porto de Albuquerque, Director of Warwick’s Institute of Global Sustainable Development.
The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) supports research across all disciplines to address challenges faced by developing countries as part of the UK’s overseas development assistance. The Strategic Advisory Group provides independent expert, multidisciplinary advice to ensure GCRF addresses the problems faced by developing countries. Along with Oxford, Warwick is now one of only two universities with two representatives on the Group.
Keith holds a number of GCRF awards, including most recently an AHRC GCRF project entitled 'Supporting Just Response and Recovery to COVID-19 in Informal Urban Settlements: Perspectives from Youth Groups in Sub-Saharan Africa' (Principal Investigator), GCRF/Newton Fund 'The COVID Observatories: Monitoring the Interaction of Pandemics, Climate Risks, and Food Systems among the World’s Most Disadvantaged Communities’ (Co-Investigator) and AHRC GCRF 'Inserting Ethics into Adaptation and Resilience Policy' (Principal Investigator).
Commenting on his award, Dr Hyams said:
It's a real privilege to have the opportunity to shape the future direction of GCRF funding and to contribute to thinking about how the research community can continue to play a key role in addressing the challenges faced by developing countries over the coming years. As a member of the Strategic Advisory Group, I look forward to representing the views of colleagues and working to ensure that the fund is able to leverage the best research from across all disciplines and career stages for the benefit of global development and sustainability.
Professor Jackie Hodgson, Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) congratulated Dr Hyams on his appointment:
We are delighted to have a second Warwick colleague appointed to the Strategic Advisory Group, recognising the importance of Dr Hyams’s work and the expertise that he can offer in shaping GCRF strategy going forward. GCRF is a vital area of work, bringing real change to societies and economies across the globe, and as an institution, we are very pleased to have a strong voice in this area.
The University has made a number of strategic investments to address global sustainability challenges in recent years, with a significant focus on collaborating with partners in the global south. Warwick has provided funding to support more than 40 GCRF projects in the past two years, delivered in collaboration with partners in 16 countries.