Episode 1: Professor Kathy Willis CBE

Welcome to “Spirit of the Hall”, a podcast series brought to you by the alumni of St Edmund Hall, one of the University of Oxford’s oldest colleges. In this episode, Olly Belcher, President of the St Edmund Hall Alumni Association, talks to the Hall’s first female Principal, Professor Kathy Willis CBE. Professor Willis is a biologist, specialising in the relationship between long-term ecosystem dynamics and environmental change. She is Professor of Biodiversity at the University’s Department of Zoology and heads the Oxford Long-term Ecology Group. She is also a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee, advising on the 25 Year Environmental Plan. Prior to her election as Principal of The Hall, she was Director of Science at The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Hear Professor Willis talk about her research career, her thoughts on an ecologically-sustainable future for the University, and the unique challenge of steering an Oxford college through a pandemic. Spirit of the Hall podcast is produced by the St Edmund Hall Association, the voluntary alumni body independent which represents all Aularians.  The views and opinions expressed in the podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Association, St Edmund Hall or the University of Oxford