Team

Convenor: Dr Hannah Rudman

Dr Hannah Rudman is Co-director of the Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre at SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College). Hannah is an applied action researcher, with interests in how digital technologies and their data can trustably validate and prove the natural economy sector’s positive influence on carbon sequestration, biodiversity and nature improvements – digital measurement, reporting and verification (dMRV). She is passionate about research’s impact into policy and professional practice, and have standing in the community as an expert on thriving natural capital. She engages nationally by building and maintaining interdisciplinary knowledge exchange networks and projects, and by directly advising senior government policy makers and industry bodies. She is recognised as an intellectual thought leader on digital transformation internationally, and is regularly is invited to international academic and sector conferences as keynote and Chair. She sits on the Founders’ Team of UK AgriTech Centre Agrimetrics, is a board director of Highlands Rewilding, is an expert evaluator for the European commission’s research Executive Agency, a board trustee and director at the National Galleries of Scotland, and is elected as Fellow of the British Computer Society and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce. Hannah has a PhD in Information Systems, an MRes in Drama and IT, and a PGCert in Computer Science.

Last year, Dr Rudman convened a stakeholder group of 35 organisations from farm to finance, which worked together to agree the problems around decision grade data from IoT sensors and digital devices that measure biodiversity: including the lack of authentication and calibration processes which affect the trustability of their data, and their lack of cybersecurity. Developing standardised processes for device authentication, calibration and cybersecurity solves these issues. Pilot sites are already or about to be hosting IoT and digital measuring devices, in a range of differently connected locations, will test and feedback on the practical application of standardised processes. These are SAOS demonstration farms at Tulloch Farms, Fordoun, Laurencekirk; and Titaboutie Farm, Coull, Tarland; SRUC’s Hill & Mountain Research Centre at Kirkton & Auchtertyre Farms; Lauriston Farm, Edinburgh; and RSPB’s Glencripesdale’s reserve, Morvern.