Kathryn Brown is an SEI Affiliated Researcher with SEI Oxford. In 2022, she was appointed as the first Director of Climate Action for The Wildlife Trusts. The permanent role was created in response to the intertwined climate and nature crises. Prior to this appointment she was The Wildlife Trusts’ Interim Director for Climate Action. She leads advocacy, and internal work programme on climate change mitigation and adaptation, for the Trusts, a UK charity that looks after some 2,300 nature reserves.

Kathryn has worked on climate change policy and evidence for nearly 20 years. In 2022, she was awareded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) medal in the New Year Honours List for her services to climate change research.

Before moving to The Wildlife Trusts, she was Head of Adaptation at the UK Climate Change Committee, managing the Secretariat to the Adaptation Committee, and leading the production of the UK’s third independent assessment of UK Climate Risk and analytical work on progress in adapting to climate change.

Kathryn has a degree in Biological Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and an MSc in Ecology and International Development from University College London. She was the recipient of a research fellowship at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London and is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics.

Her research interests include climate change adaptation; risk assessment;  decision-making under uncertainty; monitoring and evaluation frameworks; and natural environment, natural capital and health.