Members of the ACSS

The ACSS comprises an independent chair and nine independent members.

The members of the ACSS are:

Ms Julie Hill - Chair

Julie Hill has had a career in environmental policy and politics, working primarily in the UK.  She is presently an inaugural Non-executive Board Member of England and Northern Ireland’s Office for Environmental Protection (OEP); President of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) as well as Chair of the Advisory Committee for Social Science (ACSS) for the Food Standards Agency (FSA).  Former roles include Chair of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), board member of the Eden Project, the Environment Agency (EA) and the Consumer Council for Water (CCW). She has written and presented widely, including a popular science book ‘The Secret Life of Stuff’.   

Professor Julie Barnett - Deputy Chair

Julie Barnett is Professor of Health Psychology and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Bath. Julie is a social and health psychologist with research experience and expertise around risk perception and risk communication, loneliness and social connection and managing food hypersensitivity.

Professor Eleonora Fichera

Professor Eleonora Fichera is a leading expert in health economics. She is a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Bath, where she is also Director of Research of the Centre for 21st Century Public Health. With a PhD in Economics from the University of Nottingham, an MSc from University College London, and a BA from Bocconi University in Milan, she has built a distinguished academic career focused on the wider determinants of health in both high and low-middle income countries. Before joining the University of Bath in 2017, she was a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, where she held an MRC Early Career Fellowship in the Economics of Health. Her research explores how individuals and organisations interact within health systems, using policy evaluation methods to analyse health behaviours, policy interventions, and long-term health outcomes. She has particularly focused on the impact of information and taxation on dietary choices, the impact of environment on health, the economic consequences of early-life health shocks, and the relationship between physical and mental health. Beyond her research, she plays an active role in the academic community as a co-editor of Health Economics. She is a member of the Social Sciences Advisory Group of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the Register of Specialists for the Food Standards Agency. Through her work, she contributes to a deeper understanding of the economic forces shaping health outcomes, helping to inform policies that promote well-being across different populations. 

Professor George Gaskell

George Gaskell Emeritus professor social psychology and research methodology.  At the London School of Economics, he co-founded the Department of Methodology and was Pro-Director Planning and Resources (2007-2014).  External roles include vice-chair of the European Commission’s Science and Society Advisory Committee for the 6th FP (2003-2005) and membership EFSA’s Advisory Group on Risk Communication (2005-2012).  He was awarded the Gago Medal for lifetime contributions to European Science Policy (2017).  He is a member of LSE and Partners Consortium on Behavioural Science, conducting studies in support of European Commission policy making. 

Professor Fiona Gillison

Fiona Gillison is a Professor of Health Psychology and Deputy Director of the Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change at the University of Bath. Her research interests include the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions, particularly related to the promotion of a healthy weight, and the application of health communication theory.

Professor Charlotte Hardman

Charlotte Hardman BSc PhD FHEA is Professor of Psychology of Eating Behaviour at the University of Liverpool. She has over 20 years’ experience of conducting research on the psychology of food-related behaviours (>95 peer-reviewed publications), and brings a wealth of methodological skills, knowledge, and networks in healthy and sustainable food choices. She leads research teams in major interdisciplinary projects funded by UKRI’s Transforming UK Food Systems Strategic Priorities Fund, and the European Commission’s Horizon 2020-funded SWEET consortium. She is a founding member of the Liverpool Food Growers Network and a trustee of Feeding Liverpool.

Professor Spencer Henson

Spencer Henson is a Professor at the University of Guelph in Canada and Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK. He is recognised internationally for his expertise on food safety and quality.

Dr Hannah Lambie-Mumford

Hannah Lambie-Mumford is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Sheffield. She has undertaken research on food insecurity, food charity and public policy responses to food access issues for funders including the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the British Academy. 

Dr Rounaq Nayak

Dr Rounaq Nayak (they/them) is a Senior Lecturer in Farming Systems at UWE Bristol and a member of the FSA's Advisory Committee for Social Science. Their work focuses on systems thinking and systems mapping to support inclusive, evidence-informed decision-making in agri-food policy. Rounaq brings particular expertise in embedding lived experience evidence and expertise in policy processes and researching how to deliver equitable transitions across food systems.

Dr Raymond Obayi

Dr. Raymond Obayi holds a BSc in Zoology with a specialization in Fisheries and Hydrobiology, an MSc in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management, and a PhD in Operations and Supply Chain Management, with a focus on knowledge management and system transitions. He is currently a Lecturer in Project, Operations, and Supply Chain Management at the University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School where he also teaches logistics and systems design. His research explores food systems transitions, regulatory innovation, and institutional change; with a focus on food supply chains in the UK and global south contexts. He brings interdisciplinary experience spanning environmental sciences, supply chain management, and systems thinking to address challenges across supply chains and public policy.

Dr Luca Panzone

Dr Panzone is a food economist who studies what motivates consumers to make environmentally friendly choices when they shop in retail environments, and how policy and marketing (e.g., taxes, promotions, ‘nudges’) can facilitate large-scale transitions to low-carbon food consumption choices.