1. Faculty of Environment
  2. School of Earth and Environment
  3. People
  4. Profile
Prof Stephen Whitfield

Prof Stephen Whitfield

  • Position: Professor of Climate, Agriculture and Food
  • Email: S.Whitfield@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 9754
  • Location: 11.112 School of Earth and Environment

Profile

Stephen’s research interests are in the social and political dimensions of international development in the context of agriculture and food systems. His active research project include:

  • Food Systems Transformation in Southern Africa for One Health (FoSTA Health) (2022-2026), a Horizon Europe programme evaluating the human, animal and environmental health implications of changes in agriculture, land use, supply chains and diets in southern Africa.
  • Voices4JRT (2025-2029), a project under the Just Rural Tranitions Programme of the UK Governemt FCDO, in which University of Leeds and Clim-Eat are working with civil society organisations to bring grassroots voices into high level debates around agricultural policy.
  • UK-CGIAR iSPARK (2023-2026), a project in which is developing metrics for agricultural resilience that can be applied within agricultural advisory services in western Kenya.

Recently completed projects in which Stephen had a leadership role include:

  • CGIAR ClimBeR (2021-2024), which aimed to transform the climate adaptation capacity of food and agricultural systems in low- and middle-income countries.
  • GCRF-AFRICAP (2017-2022) which focused on improving teh resilience of food systems to climate change in eatsern and southern Africa
  • GCRF Challenge Cluster on African Food Systems Transformation and Justice (2020-2021), which synthesised lessons on social and environmental justice within the context of food system transformation from across GCRF-funded projects.
  • IPACE-Malawi (2018-2020), a NERC SHEAR-funded project, which focused on improving preparedness to climate extremes in agricultural systems in Malawi, through climate information service provision.

He is a Senior Engagement Lead for the Knowledge Equity Network and an Editor of Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems.

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Responsibilities

  • Director of the Global Food and Environment Institute
<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD, Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies/STEPS Centre, University of Sussex
  • MSc, Environment and International Development, University of East Anglia
  • BA (Hons), Geography, Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge

Student education

I teach on the MSc Sustainable Food Systems progrramm and on the second year Undergraduate module SOEE2372 'People, Environment and Sustainability'

Research groups and institutes

  • Environment and Development
  • Sustainability Research Institute

Current postgraduate researchers

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>