When the calendar turns to 2023, sustainable food and agriculture researcher Meredith Niles will take a new role at the University of Vermont—as acting director of the Gund Institute for Environment.
Niles will lead the Gund Institute for Environment—a research center with the ambitious mission of mobilizing scholars and decision makers to tackle urgent environmental challenges—until August 1, 2023, while director Taylor Ricketts embarks on a research sabbatical.
“This is a tremendous honor, and I’m eager to work with the Gund community of faculty, students and partners,” said Niles, who is associate director of UVM’s Food Systems Research Center, a collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. “I strongly believe in the Gund Institute’s vision of bringing together UVM researchers, government, business and communities to help solve the world’s greatest problems.”
During her term, Niles will oversee all aspects of the Gund Institute, from annual funding competitions—such as Catalyst Award seed grants and PhD and Postdoc Fellowships—to relationships with industry, policymakers, donors and the UVM community, as well as leadership of the Institute’s six staff members. Niles will also lead special projects focused on external impact and real-world change, including the launch of a new Global Impact Fund, continued advancements in open research and science, and the Gund Research Slam, an annual showcase of UVM environmental research.
“We are so fortunate to have Meredith Niles leading the Institute for the next seven months,” said Taylor Ricketts. “As a Gund Fellow, Meredith has distinguished herself as a talented researcher, generous collaborator, and effective leader. The Gund Institute will benefit from her fresh perspective and her experience connecting research with policy to produce real-world change in VT, across the US, and beyond.”
Research that inspires action
Since becoming a Gund Fellow in 2017, Niles has successfully proposed and launched several research projects with Gund support, including one of the largest studies of U.S. food insecurity during COVID-19; an analysis of the best places to tackle U.S. farm nitrogen pollution, and food waste research that shows that the average American produces six pounds of food waste daily.
Led by Niles, the National Food Access and Covid Research Team (NFACT) found that food insecurity impacted over 30% of households during the pandemic—both nationally and across Vermont—with adverse health impacts. Since NFACT’s findings have been published, Vermont’s government has contributed millions of dollars to address food insecurity, including a new staff position dedicated to food security. NFACT’s work has attracted $1.65M in external grants, will inform future disaster responses by the USDA, and has been cited by Senator Patrick Leahy in U.S. Congress, national advocacy groups, and food banks.
Niles, recently named an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar by the National Academy of Medicine, is an Associate Professor in UVM’s Dept. of Nutrition and Food Sciences. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and holds a PhD in ecology from the University of California, Davis.
During his sabbatical, Ricketts will pursue a variety of new research projects. He will travel to South Africa to help lead the Nexus Report of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). He will also spend time at sister institutes in the U.S. and abroad, working to develop partnerships and joint initiatives. He also plans to reconnect with the field work that initially drew him to a career in ecology. Spring will see him back on Vermont farms, measuring the economic value to agriculture from wild species that help to pollinate crops and control pests. Ricketts will return from sabbatical on August 1, resuming his role as Gund director.
Solutions for people and nature
Niles joins the Gund leadership team after five years of tremendous growth since the Institute launched in 2017. Now 250 members strong, the Gund Institute has launched over 80 research projects involving more than 180 scholars. Gund research has inspired real-world action, including the Vermont Climate Assessment, which is guiding statewide climate action; urgent research on Greenland’s ice sheets and projected climate impacts; and a national study of COVID-19’s impact on the U.S. seafood industry, helping Congress to understand the problem and act swiftly.
In five years, the Institute has generated over $38 million in external support, surpassing the Gund Family Challenge. Gund Catalyst Award seed grants have generated a 29:1 return in external funding. The Institute has forged 30 new partnerships with the United Nations, USDA, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Ben & Jerry’s, state agencies, and more. The Institute has also supported and trained over 150 outstanding young researchers from around the world to become environmental leaders of tomorrow.
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