Rachael Garrett

Professor Rachael Garrett is the Moran Professor of Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge Department of Geography and chairs the Conservation and Development Lab. Her research focuses on land system dynamics, forest conservation policies, and sustainable agriculture, with fieldwork in Brazil, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Indonesia, Switzerland, and the Republic of Georgia. She serves on the Cambridge Global Food Security Steering Committee and as Fellow at Homerton College.

Educational background:

• Ph.D., Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), Stanford University (2013)
• M.P.A., Environmental Science and Policy, Columbia University (2006)
• B.A., History and Environmental Analysis & Policy (dual major), Boston University (2003)

Research interests span tropical deforestation drivers, zero-deforestation supply chain policies, agroforestry scalability, and socio-bioeconomic transformations in forest landscapes. Her work integrates policy analysis, development studies, and spatial data synthesis.

Scientific contributions include systematic analysis of Amazon deforestation drivers (2023), cocoa deforestation mapping (2023), and transformative Amazon bioeconomy frameworks (2024). Awards include the 2023 International Geneva Award and 2024 ERC Starting Grant.

Advising and funding: Supervises postgraduate students and leads grants exceeding £5 million, including UKRI ISP ODA funds for Indonesia-Côte d’Ivoire and ERC grants for pan-tropical forest policy analysis.

Labs and collaborations: Leads the Cambridge Conservation and Development Lab, co-chairs the Global Land Programme Science Steering Committee, and collaborates with UN Science Panels and Evidensia.