Kathy Willis

Professor Baroness Kathy Willis, CBE, is Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and also Professor of Biodiversity in the Department of Zoology. Prior to this, between December 2013 and September 2018 Professor Willis was Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where she spearheaded the launch of Kew’s Science Strategy 2015-2020. Professor Willis’ research interests focus on the relationship between long-term ecosystem dynamics and environmental change. She has published extensively and written several popular science books (including Plants: From Roots to Riches and Botanicum) and she explored the importance of plants through the BBC Radio 4 series Plants: From Roots to Riches. She also sits on the Natural Capital Committee, an independent advisory body to the UK Government which will take forward the implementation of the new 25-year Environment Plan. Professor Willis was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list in June 2018.