Prof Jacqueline McGlade

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Jacqueline is a leading marine biologist and environmental informatics professor. Her research focusses on the spatial and nonlinear dynamics of ecosystems, climate change and scenario development.

She is the current Executive Director of the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. Following this appointment, she took leave from her post as Professor of Environmental Informatics in the Department of Mathematics at University College London.

At the EEA, Professor McGlade has introduced a fundamental shift in the thinking behind environmental reporting and indicator development towards a shared European spatial environmental information system. Such an information system would bring together key aspects of national and international research outputs including those from the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative.

Under her leadership, the Agency is reinforcing its capability to produce integrated environmental assessments, analysing the state of Europe’s environment as a whole, and providing reliable projections. Professor McGlade has worked to strengthen the link between science and policy. She has not only pointed at the magnitude of climate change but also urged policymakers to start developing and applying adaptation measures.

She is also a firm advocate of informing and involving the public in all aspects of the environment. To this end, she has been striving to strengthen the information and feedback channels between researchers, public and policymakers, and making environmental information understandable and accessible through technological media.

In conjunction with her role at the EEA, she is playing an active role in promoting environmental issues in European and international fora, including various UN committees, European Agencies and Environment Protection Agencies networks, and as well as a number of research, institutional and non-governmental advisory committees.