Philip Thornton

Professor Philip Thornton joined GALVmed’s Board in September 2023 and is the Chair of the Impact, Monitoring & Evaluation Advisory Committee.

Philip holds a BSc (Hons) degree from Reading University and a PhD degree from Lincoln College, New Zealand. He has many years’ experience in agricultural research for development in countries throughout the tropics and subtropics, particularly in Africa and Latin America. Much of his career has been with the research institutes of CGIAR, and he is an Emeritus Fellow of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya. His research has centred on assessing the impacts of climate change on livestock systems and livestock-based livelihoods, and prioritizing and targeting adaptation options and policy support in smallholder farming systems.

Philip has contributed to several UK government and global assessments in the area of agriculture and food systems. He was a Lead Author for the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report for Working Group II and the chapter on food, fibre and other ecosystem products, and also contributed to background papers for the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.

Philip is currently a part-time Research and Innovation Strategist with Clim-Eat, a think tank working to accelerate climate action in food systems, and a Visiting Professor, Food Systems & Global Change, Cornell University. He is an Honorary Professor in University of Edinburgh, a member of several journal editorial boards, and listed among the most influential climate change scientists on Reuters Hot List.

He lives in Edinburgh.