Glasgow Changing Futures

Three associate leads are joining the GCF delivery team to support the Sustainable Futures Lead, Professor Jaime Toney. They will work across the University and beyond to develop and implement high-impact, collaborative activities aligned with the Sustainable Futures ambitions. 

The Sustainable Futures Challenge Area is particularly concerned with responding to the complex challenges created by our changing climate. 

Following their initial discussions, the team agreed on guiding principles that will drive their work:

• Seeding activity that provides benefits and value to future generations
• Rethinking and reimagining our worldviews and challenging the norm
• Valuing all forms of data, evidence, and knowledge and the importance of finding pathways for these to inform action
• Valuing the unique contributions that each of us make as a newly formed team
• The "how" we do things and the process is as important as "what" we do

Jill Robbie is a Professor of Property Law and the Natural Environment at the University of Glasgow and Deputy Chair of NatureScot.  

Jill says:

I am very excited about joining GCF-Sustainable Futures. I have always been passionate about building capacity in the University for interdisciplinary, impactful research that addresses pressing global problems. In my role in GCF, I hope to enhance international partnerships that bring together expertise from around the world to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises.

Read more about Jill and her research.

João Porto de Albuquerque is a Professor in Urban Analytics and the Director of the Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC).  

João says:

I’m very excited to join Glasgow Changing Futures as Associate Lead of the Sustainable Futures programme and to work with colleagues across the colleges to nurture ambitious transdisciplinary research initiatives to shape just and sustainable futures. My contributions to GCF will build upon my experience as a Director of the Urban Big Data Centre and as a leader of a coordinated programme on ‘Participatory Analytics’ for large, transdisciplinary projects spanning Global North and South contexts, combining cutting-edge data analytics and AI with participatory and co-production approaches. I'm particularly interested in advancing methodologies and practices to build equitable partnerships that bring diverse types of knowledge into dialogue to co-create socially robust, rigorous evidence, leading to transformative policies and practices.

Read more about João and his research. 

Mo Hume is a Professor of Latin American Politics at the School of Social and Political Sciences.  

Mo says:

I am looking forward to engaging with the dynamic and collaborative ethos of GCF and to working in partnership with a wide range of groups and communities within and beyond the University of Glasgow. I am particularly excited to be part of a team that will facilitate clear pathways for our University Community to engage in inclusive and creative ways to develop meaningful responses to major societal challenges.

Read more about Mo and her research.

Welcoming new colleagues to the team, Prof Jaime Toney said:

As Sustainable Futures builds momentum, I am delighted that the leadership team is growing and has attracted such passionate, dedicated and experienced individuals to help shape our portfolio of work.

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First published: 16 June 2026