New director: Emily Boyd takes the helm

On 1 September 2025, Professor Emily Boyd assumed the role of Director of the Beijer Institute, following the retirement of Professor Carl Folke. With an international career spanning leading universities in Sweden and the UK, she brings with her extensive expertise in sustainability research, leadership, and collaboration.

Emily Boyd is Professor of Sustainability Science at Lund University, where she has led the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) for seven years.

“Growing up between Sweden, the UK, and France gave me an early appreciation for different cultures and ways of thinking,” Boyd reflects.

“I studied International Development with a focus on sustainability, and my career has included positions at Stockholm, Oxford, Leeds, Reading, and now Lund University. This has allowed me to develop research at the intersection of environmental change, societal responses, and justice.”

Climate loss and damage – home and across the globe

Her current research centres on climate loss and damage, an area that is rapidly gaining attention in global policy and practice.

“My research focuses on climate loss, particularly loss and damage, looking at it both as a policy process and as an experienced phenomenon,” she explains.
“I pay special attention to non-economic loss and damage, and I study how people respond – through mobilisation, resistance, or legal understanding. I also explore emerging work on empathy and immobility – why people choose to stay despite changing climate and human conditions.”

Her team’s work in Falsterbo, Sweden, exemplifies this focus.

“We are studying how climate extremes affect citizens, especially those who wish to stay, and what kinds of loss and damage they experience – a topic that’s still new and not fully integrated into daily conversations about adaptation justice: what counts as fair adaptation?” Boyd adds.

This local research is complemented by comparative projects in Africa, Colombia, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe, providing a rich global perspective.

At the heart: Ecological change and social justice

When asked what drives her, Boyd highlights her commitment to justice and lived experience.

“I’m driven by a desire to address critical, often overlooked questions at the intersection of environmental change and social justice. Understanding how people experience and respond to environmental change is both scientifically fascinating and socially relevant.”

This commitment underpins her vision for the Beijer Institute. “I want to lead the Beijer Institute because it’s a unique place where ecological science, economics, and social justice come together. The institute has a global reputation for excellence, and I see an opportunity to guide its future growth while nurturing collaborative, high-impact research,” she says.

Boyd sees the Beijer Institute’s role as both scientific and societal.

“The Beijer Institute brings together ecology, economics, and society, pushing excellent science forward while mentoring the next generation. It connects with policymakers, practitioners, communities, and financiers, making sure that research actually meets the real world.”

Visions for the Beijer Institute

Looking ahead, she envisions the Institute as a hub for transformative research.

“I see the Beijer Institute as a hub for innovative and policy-relevant research on ecological-economic challenges. I want to strengthen partnerships, mentor new researchers, and foster a research culture that balances curiosity-driven science with strategic impact. I also aim to create stronger linkages between Stockholm and Lund, which are both outstanding hubs of sustainability research, education and action.”

In terms of research priorities, Boyd identifies several areas.

“There’s so much to explore. One of my first tasks will be helping Beijer define its core priorities. In my work, I’d like to advance climate loss beyond the numbers, explore immobility and empathy in how we act individually and collectively, study how institutions adapt and see how AI can reshape ecological-economic research. I also hope to spark conversations across disciplines and, if there’s interest, extend our work toward planetary wellbeing.”

Grounded leadership inspired by nature

Her approach to leadership is both grounded and aspirational.

“Sometimes, being a leader means stepping back and letting people just get things done. Other times, it’s about being present, encouraging, guiding, helping others reach their potential. For me, leadership is about holding both together with care: grounded and inspirational.”

For Boyd, connection to nature is also central, personally and professionally.

“I connect with landscapes, forests, coasts, urban coasts, and historical mountains and rivers – places that encompass both ecological and cultural stories. Nature, like art, gives us room to be ourselves, to reflect, to imagine, and to learn. These spaces inspire and ground me.”

She sees today’s most pressing challenge as both profound and urgent.

“At the core, the breakthrough question is simple but huge: how do we build systems – economic, social, ecological – that stay within the limits of the biosphere, support people and nature, and respond justly to global change? That’s what’s pushing sustainability research forward today.”