CRES is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Rachel Bathurst as CRES Principal Tutor. The retiring Principal Tutor, Dr. Martin Hodson, will conduct a handover of the role, which will be completed by the end of 2026. We all wish Rachel well in her new role.
Dr Rachel Bathurst has a Master’s degree in environmental biology, a PhD in theology and sustainable development, and is drafting her first book. Having published an early paper in 2017, she contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Assessment on Transformative Change in 2023. She wrote Module 9 of the CRES course and has been a Deputy Senior Tutor for CRES since 2019. Among various ecological roles, she has led mammal surveys in Amazonian Peru and worked for 11 years leading policy and strategy in Natural England, in urban planning, energy and climate change, and in strategic policy, including sustainable development. Closer to home in West Sussex, she is discerning ordination with the Church of England. She has been involved in setting up a local forest church community and is a member of the Anglican Community of Aidan and Hilda. Her other area of interest is in supporting marginalised people, including time as a chaplain in a homelessness charity and as the CEO for a charity supporting sexually exploited women. She is a Trustee with Off the Fence in Brighton.