Sustainable Global Food Systems

Dr. Fiona Borthwick is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for the MSc in Global Food Security and Nutrition at the University of Edinburgh's Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems. With a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy from Central European University, she has over 15 years of teaching experience in environmental management and impact assessment. Dr. Borthwick's research focuses on food security, sustainable agriculture, and behavior change, utilizing social network analysis to investigate barriers to agricultural innovations. She has held key roles such as Programme Director for the campus-based MSc in Food Security at SRUC/University of Edinburgh and chair of the Professional Certificate in Strategic Food Security Planning. Currently, she serves as the Director of Postgraduate Teaching at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and has developed various postgraduate programs, including the MSc in Global Food Security and Nutrition and the MSc in Planetary Health. Dr. Borthwick has also launched public courses like a MOOC in Sustainable Food Systems and continues to contribute to the field through her research and educational leadership.

Dr. Jonathan Hillier is Chair of Mathematical Modelling & Global Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh's Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems. His academic journey began with a First Class BSc in Mathematics from the University of Wales Bangor and a PhD from the University of York. Throughout his career at various institutions including Bangor, UCL, Aberdeen, James Hutton Institute, and INRA Grignon, he has focused on modeling environmental impacts of agriculture, particularly greenhouse gases, nitrogen use, water use, and biodiversity. Hillier is renowned for developing the Cool Farm Tool, a farmer-focused GHG calculator used globally by major companies and organizations. He also contributed to the CCAFS-MOT tool, which helps identify agricultural mitigation options. As a member of the EU Nitrogen Expert Panel, he works at the intersection of science, policy, and industry to improve nitrogen management in agriculture. His research aims to address the challenge of providing sufficient food for over 8 billion people while preserving natural resources and preventing environmental degradation. Hillier continues to supervise PhD students and advance the field of agricultural environmental modeling through his work at Edinburgh.

Dr. Elaine Bannerman is the Programme Coordinator of the MSc Global Food Security and Nutrition at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. With a BSc in Dietetics from Leeds (1993) and a PhD focusing on nutritional risk in older adults from The Open University (1998), she brings over 20 years of teaching experience across the UK and Australia. Her research focuses on nutritional risk assessment, health-related quality of life, food access, and lifestyle behaviors. Prior to her current role, she served as joint-lead for the Nutrition Theme at the University of Dundee's Medical Programme and developed curriculum for St Andrews University's SCOTGeM Programme. Dr. Bannerman has extensive experience working with third-sector organizations and has served on numerous national committees, including as Food & Nutrition Advisor to the Scottish Government. She currently teaches in the Sustainable Global Food Systems course on edX, which examines global food security challenges from a systems perspective. Her expertise spans nutritional assessment, diet across the life-cycle, and non-communicable diseases, contributing to both academic research and practical policy development in hospital nutrition standards and public health initiatives.