We caught up with Samantha for a quick-fire round to find out more about her work, inspiration and what she’s looking forward to at the upcoming event.

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your current role?
I’m the Learning and Engagement Lead for BIFoR (Birmingham Institute of Forest Research), based at the University of Birmingham. We’re home to one of the world’s largest climate change experiments, BIFoR FACE (Free Air Carbon Enrichment), which explores the impact of elevated CO₂ across whole ecosystems. My role is to translate our research into education programmes that inspire future plant scientists and foresters.

2. What first sparked your interest in environmental or plant-based education?
I’ve always loved plants and green spaces, growing up within walking distance of parks in an inner-city area. During my PhD, I realised how much I enjoyed teaching and bringing topics to life, which led me to complete a PGCE and move into education. I’m passionate about the power of education to support behaviour change for the climate crisis.

3. What does winning the Gail Bromley Award mean to you?
It felt like huge validation that we are on the right path. I’ve long admired BGEN members such as Oxford University Botanic Garden, BSBI, RHS and Eden Project for their impactful education work, so it’s an honour to be recognised within this community.

4. What are you most excited about as part of the award experience?
Being part of a wider network of people doing incredible work in environmental education. I’ve already learned so much from coffee mornings and training sessions, and I really value the opportunity to share ideas, collaborate, and access mentoring.

5. Can you share a project or piece of work you’re particularly proud of?
A Sustainability Micro-Internship programme I co-designed with Careers Network, which included fieldwork at BIFoR FACE, STEM ambassador training, and a school knowledge exchange event. It’s led to further funding, repeat delivery, and ongoing engagement from students in the environmental sector.

6. Your upcoming talk focuses on climate change research—what inspired this topic?
I’m fascinated by nature-based solutions and the role of trees and forests in addressing climate change. My academic background spans plant genetics through to social-ecological systems, and I’m passionate about bringing research into classrooms and communities.

7. What can members expect from your virtual coffee morning session?
I’ll be sharing five practical tools for bringing climate change research into education and community settings. I’ll use BIFoR as a case study, but all tools will be adaptable across disciplines.

8. What do you enjoy most about working in this field?
I love the creativity of teaching and the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines. Working with researchers, cultural organisations and communities makes the work dynamic and meaningful. Education offers a hopeful, proactive way to respond to the climate crisis.

9. What advice would you give to someone starting out in environmental education?
Be creative, experiment, and don’t be afraid to refine your practice. Join networks, learn from others, and treat teaching as a craft that is always evolving.

10. Quick-fire: favourite plant, and tea or coffee?
Sweet peas — they smell incredible and flower more the more you cut them!
Tea in the morning, decaf coffee in the afternoon (ideally outside!).

Join us for the Virtual Coffee Morning – 15th April

Samantha will be joining us live to explore how to bring cutting-edge climate research into classrooms and communities, sharing practical tools and real-world examples from her work at BIFoR.

Register here