Keynote Speakers

Rajul (raj) Pandya is Vice President, Community Science at AGU. AGU is an international organization to advance Earth and Space Science; Community Science is the equitable collaboration of science with communities to advance community and societal priorities. At AGU Raj founded AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange, a program that helps volunteer scientists and community leaders work together to use science, especially Earth and space science, to advance community priorities related to sustainability, resilience, disaster risk reduction, and environmental justice.  

Raj is interested in how the sciences can be more participatory, how inclusivity contributes to both discovery and solutions, and how the sciences can be allies in advancing justice. 

Nicky Buckley is Associate Director with the Policy Fellowships team at the Centre for Science and Policy, University of Cambridge. She has been responsible for a programme matching policy makers to relevant academics as part of a unique professional development offer. Nicky is also the institutional lead for the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) project, funded by Research England and one of the Vice-Chairs of the Universities Policy Engagement Network in the UK, responsible for strategic partnerships.

Nicky is currently on secondment to the Knowledge Exchange Unit in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) at the UK Parliament. She is working with several Select Committees to disseminate Areas of Research Interest to the academic community nationally. She is combining gathering research insights into evidence use by select committees with carrying out knowledge exchange initiatives.