Our Contributors

Toby is Professor of Cold Economy at the University of Birmingham and Heriot-Watt University and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Cooling. He is a multi-award-winning technology developer (Liquid Air Energy Storage) and he has extensive industry and academic experience in energy systems, energy storage, and sustainable cooling and cold-chains for food and health.

Toby’s research involves whole-system solutions to transition to sustainable cooling and cold-chain, and he is responsible for a series of flagship programs across the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Global South.

Toby is also a senior advisor on cooling and cold-chain for multiple international development organizations and a regular of author/co-author of key reports.

An internationally recognised expert in climate change adaptation and mitigation with specialist knowledge of clean energy, sustainable cooling, process engineering based industries and sustainable food systems, Dr Fox has extensive experience in thought leadership, public affairs and policy advocacy, communications, marketing and funding acquisition. He works as an independent consultant operating at the intersection of science-engineering-policy-business-communications and has been previously employed in small and large commercial enterprises, government agencies and educational institutions based in the UK, The Netherlands, Canada and Australia. Tim combines a global perspective and natural ability to communicate at all levels with clear strategic thinking, deep technical knowledge, analytical rigour, and high level writing skills. He is experienced in working with international bodies, such as the UN; EU; national governments in the UK, Europe, India, Africa and Japan; industry; business; financiers; academia; NGOs; the press, media and wider general public.

Dr Fox is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE), where he is Chair of the Biennial International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience as well as a past Chair of the Process Industries Division. Tim represents the IMechE on the UK Infrastructure Operators Adaptation Forum and the Sustainable, Resilient Infrastructure Community Advisory Body of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He is also a member of the Adaptation to Climate Change Group of BSI Committee SES/001/07, a Co-Founder of the International Fugitive Emissions Abatement Association (IFEAA), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

Tim has been lead author of numerous peer-reviewed papers, research reports, thought leadership reports and policy papers and has been featured in hundreds of press articles, op-ed pieces, broadcast media appearances, conferences and webinars. In 2022, he was awarded the 'Most Distinguished Achievement Award' by the IMechE for his work on clean energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and sustainability. The award citation read: "Tim has made and continues to make an outstanding contribution to mechanical engineering at national and international levels in areas such as climate change, energy and environmental issues. His efforts have influenced policymakers at a high level and raised the profile of mechanical engineering thus capturing the attention and respect of the engineering community and wider public as a whole."

Judith is a Professor at London South Bank University (LSBU). She has 35 years’ experience of working on food refrigeration operations throughout the food cold chain from harvest/slaughter to the consumer. During her career Judith has worked on a number of topics including frozen storage of meat, consumer handling of food and studies to improve the performance of domestic and commercial refrigerators, energy labelling, instrumentation performance, decontamination of food, cook-chill systems, novel refrigeration systems, optimising refrigeration systems and improving performance and temperature control in chilled and frozen storage rooms.

The current focus of her work is on efficiency and carbon/energy reduction as well as design and performance of refrigeration equipment. This covers cold chains in the UK and Europe but also in low-income countries such as Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Rwanda.

Judith has published 153 papers, 5 books and 17 book chapters. Professionally she is a Fellow of the IOR (Institute of Refrigeration), a member IOR national Technical Committee, president of the IIR (International Institute of Refrigeration) C2 commission (food science and engineering), vice presidents of the CaRe (careers in refrigeration) working party and the cold chain in warmer climates working party and a member of the D1 (retail display cabinets) committee. She is also the UK, IOR representative to the IIR and also an editor of the Journal of Refrigeration.

Jean Pierre Musabyimana is Research Lead at Africa’s Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), where he heads a One Health program that synchronizes immunization systems, seed systems and farming resilience, nutritional security and food safety, and health systems resilience—recognizing that human, animal, plant and environmental health are inextricably linked.

In this capacity, he actively contributes to conceiving and implementing innovative cold chain models for vaccines, diagnostics and antibody development that span sectors and geographies, applying renewable energy refrigeration, IoT-enabled temperature monitoring, and robust biobanking to safeguard biologicals and bolster supply chain integrity in low-resource settings.

An infection biologist with a PhD in Cell and Applied Infection Biology and dual MScs in Biotechnology & Bioinformatics and Global Health Delivery, Jean Pierre leverages his expertise in structural/comparative genomics, vaccine and therapeutic R&D, and advanced bioinformatics pipelines to align laboratory innovation with field needs.

He forges multisectoral partnerships with universities, industry, and government to pilot context-adapted interventions, drawing on One Health insights into urban agriculture, food systems, and resilience and addressing food safety risks through integrated approaches.

Regionally, he co-leads pandemic surveillance, genomics and climate modelling consortia, most notably the EDCTP3-funded GREAT LIFE initiative, which deploys field-portable genomics and novel diagnostics across the African Great Lakes, advancing early detection and response. As Co-PI of the KIVU JUA consortium, he spearheads Mpox epidemiology and immunology research in Central Africa, contributing to the WHO Mpox Genomic Surveillance Community of Practice and serving on Africa CDC’s RISLNET committee. He also co-leads malaria drug resistance surveillance in East Africa, integrating NGS workflows into routine monitoring for artemisinin resistance.

Passionate about sustainable cooling, Jean Pierre weaves environmental engineering, data analytics, and One Health principles to reinforce vaccine delivery, food safety, and overall health system resilience, positioning ACES and Rwanda as models for cross-sectoral, climate-smart public health preparedness.

Ian Thomson is Professor of Accounting and Sustainability at University of Dundee, having previously held chairs at Birmingham Business School, University of Strathclyde and Heriot-Watt University, Director of the Centre for Responsible Business and convenor of the Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research.

Ian has been researching topics relating to responsibility, sustainability and accountability for over 30 years. This research has included studies on the implementation of cleaner technology, effective stakeholder engagement, risk governance in water and salmon farming, sustainable development indicators, government policy making, climate change, effective pedagogy, use of accounting by activists, human rights, international development programmes, and football clubs.

I am a highly motivated and driven Technical Consultant with over 20+ years of experience in Sales & Business Management at Director level. I have a professional attitude and excellent communication and time management skills. I have a proven track record in achieving targets in large manufacturing environments and managing financial budgets. I have ensured business efficiency is maintained and have been involved with large complex project work / management, budget control and contractor control. I have Team Management experience and have lead teams throughout my career with a highly focused youth development & teaching.

Working across sustainable development, education, and applied research with a practical, community-driven focus. Currently leading international operations at the Clean Cooling Network (CCN), translating strategy into action across Africa. Holding Master’s degrees in Economics and Pedagogical Sciences. Experience managing multi-million-dollar projects in agriculture and value chain development. Skilled in designing inclusive, hands-on training programs with and for teachers. Committed to clarity, humility, and grounded solutions that meet real needs.