The University of Edinburgh is producing transformative solutions to the multidisciplinary global challenges of today and the future.
Our research is changing the world, making lives healthier, safer, more resilient and more fulfilled.
Our vision is to inspire today’s brightest researchers to make a major impact on global society, and to become the leaders of tomorrow in Agriculture Science and Food Security.
Our collective strength is in applying systems thinking and data skills to investigate challenges and opportunities in agriculture, food and environmental security. We are uniquely placed, with skillsets and partnerships that arch across agri-food supply chains and beyond, in both the Global North and South.
Key areas of expertise
Complex Fluids
Scientists in the Edinburgh Complex Fluid Partnership (ECFP) specialise in understanding interactions between components in soft materials and complex fluids and how they influence product performance and manufacturing challenges. They also have expertise in working with live microorganisms within complex fluids and in developing instruments for characterising material properties.
Global Agriculture and Food Security
The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security is an interdisciplinary hub of research, teaching and consulting expertise, to support decision making to transform agri-food systems and food security. Our interdisciplinary research focuses on three key themes. These are Agri-Food Systems Innovation, Food, People, Planet and Data-Driven Innovation.
Agri-Food Systems Innovation
The transformation of global agri-food systems is central to achieving food and environmental security. Agri-Food Systems Innovation investigates and promotes innovation in complex food-supply systems – including appropriate new technologies - to deliver sustainable, healthy diets, to drive the transformation towards resilient, fair and sustainable food systems, and to support growth in the wider bio-economy.
Food Security
The One Health FIELD Network researches Food Security Intelligence and Evidence-based Interventions for Local Sustainable Development in Fragile and Conflict-affected States. Food Security is an all-encompassing One Health issue. It underpins human health through human nutrition, animal health through animal agricultural practices and planetary health through the impacts that food production has on the environment and civil society.
Planetary health: Food, People, Planet
Human health and wellbeing are inextricably linked with animal, crop,
soil and environmental health. Our agri-food systems are putting an
increasing burden on the environment and affecting ‘planetary health’. Food, People, Planet investigates agri-food system innovations most likely to improve human
health and wellbeing and wider planetary health.
Molecular Plant Sciences
The Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences (IMPS) is one of the most active university departments for plant sciences in the UK. We have close links with the Centre for Synthetic & Systems Biology at Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and Scotland’s Rural College allowing for collaboration and consortia.
