Transforming Biosecurity: Team

Biosocial Security: Social Science Transformations of Biosecurity BIOSSCI

Home | Where we are working | Team | Resources | News & Events | Contact Us

Professor Stephen Hinchliffe

Stephen is the Statutory Chair in Environmental Geography at the University of Oxford. He is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and has served on the UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Exotic Diseases, and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Science Advisory Group’s (DEFRA) Social Science Expert Group. He currently sits on OFFLU’s Applied Epidemiology Working Group and recently advised the Scientific Pandemic Insights Group (SPI-B), a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

Steve’s books include the monograph Pathological Lives (Wiley Blackwell) and he has published widely on One Health, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Biosecurity, and human-nonhuman relations.

Professor Stephen Hinchliffe | School of Geography and the Environment

Dr Ivo Syndicus

Ivo is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, focusing on the UK component of BIOSSCI. Ivo previously worked with the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) One Health Poultry Hub at the Royal Veterinary College, where he also was a Researcher Co-Investigator on the FluMap/FluTrailMap consortia on avian influenza in the UK. Ivo has an abiding interest in how transformations in land use and agricultural systems intersect with broader societal change and earlier work focused on Bolivia, India and Papua New Guinea. He holds degrees in Agriculture Ecology (BSc), Rural Development & Natural Resources Management (MSc) and Anthropology (PhD).

Dr Ivo Syndicus | School of Geography and the Environment

Dr Charity Nyasha Rusere

Charity is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow based at the Institute for Economic Justice, SA. She is an interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of agrarian political economy, rural livelihoods, food systems, development policy. Her research focuses on agrarian change, land governance and rural transformation, examining how institutions, markets and public policy shape agricultural systems and livelihoods. Charity holds a PhD in Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies from the University of the Western Cape, and MSc and BSc degrees in Agricultural and Applied Economics. Her current research explores livestock biosecurity, animal health and food-system resilience.

Dr Nusrat Zaitun Hossain

Nusrat is a Postdoctoral Fellow based at WorldFish Bangladesh. She completed her PhD in Economics from Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, and brings over a decade of extensive research experience in Bangladesh. Previously, she served as a Senior Research Analyst at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Her key areas of interest are sustainable food systems, smallholder aqua culture, and food and nutrition security, alongside a deep commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Combining advanced quantitative expertise with complementary qualitative tools into a mixed- methods approach, she focuses on translating rigorous economic data into actionable, sustainable solutions.

Dr David Verner-Jeffreys

David is Acting Director of Aquatic Food Biosciences at WorldFish, based in Penang, Malaysia. He provides strategic leadership across WorldFish’s research for development portfolio on genetics and breeding, feeds and nutrition, aquatic animal health and sustainable farming practices. His research interests include aquatic animal health, biosecurity, disease surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, One Health, food safety, and strengthening resilient aquatic food systems. With over 25 years of experience spanning government, international research, and development sectors, he works at the interface of science, policy, and implementation. He collaborates extensively with governments, industry, donors, and international partners to translate research into practical solutions that improve aquatic food productivity, sustainability, and livelihoods.

Shafiq Rheman

Shafiq Rheman is an aquatic animal health and One Health Specialist Scientist at WorldFish Bangladesh with over 15 years of experience in aquaculture, aquatic animal health, and sustainable food systems. He has extensive expertise in research, project design and implementation, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement across government, academia, and international development sectors. His work focuses on aquatic animal health management, biosecurity, antimicrobial use and resistance (AMU/AMR) surveillance, molecular diagnostics, community engagement, and One Health approaches in Bangladesh. He has successfully led and contributed to regional and international research initiatives, emergency response programs, and policy development, fostering partnerships to promote sustainable, resilient, and healthy aquaculture systems.

Dr Andrew Bennie

Dr Andrew Bennie is a Senior Researcher in Climate Policy and Food Systems at the IEJ. He has an extensive background in academic and civil society research, organising, and activism. He previously worked as a researcher, organiser, and popular educator with township and rural organisations, and coordinated national food justice campaigning. He has also worked in research and advocacy in the broader African food sovereignty movement. Andrew has an MA in Development and Environmental Sociology and a PhD in Sociology on food politics, the agrarian question, and collective action in South Africa, both from the University of the Witwatersrand. His research expertise is in political economy and ecology, land and agrarian studies, food systems and climate justice. He is passionate about using his capacities (including writing and photography) towards collective struggles for justice and equality.

Fereshteh Hojatisaeidi

Fereshteh is the BIOSSCI Project Support Officer at the University of Oxford. She provides administrative and project management support to the BIOSSCI team.

LinkedIn

Fereshteh Hojatisaeidi | School of Geography and the Environment

Information forthcoming.