We are delighted to welcome Dr Edward Hobson to NRI, where he takes up the role of Associate Director for Business Development. Dr Hobson, who joined us on 7 April, will play a crucial role in expanding our partnerships, driving innovation, and growing our commercial and enterprise portfolio.
He brings extensive experience in building strategic partnerships and driving innovation across sectors, with a particular focus on sustainability, design and systems change. His work sits at the intersection of human-centred design, sustainability, and the built environment, where he has a strong track record of leading diverse teams of experts to tackle complex environmental challenges.
He joins us from the Design Council, where he spent four years as Director of Partnerships He directed the organisation’s strategic partnerships, particularly its contribution and growth across UKRI, working alongside multiple Research Councils and Innovate UK. He also oversaw the delivery of capacity building programmes with Government Departments and key national bodies such as Network Rail.
Before his time at the Design Council, Dr Hobson served as Head of Design and Innovation at Innovate UK KTN, the UK's innovation network. There, he successfully delivered an unprecedented £6m in investment grants to help early-stage companies across multiple industries apply human-centred design thinking to commercialise their ideas.
Prior to focusing on sustainability, design and innovation, Dr Hobson was an urban designer, planner and strategist. A formative decade at the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was spent advising local and national government on urban policy, strategies and design interventions. During his tenure, he established CABE Space to pioneer a strategic national approach to green infrastructure and led the Sustainable Cities programme to support UK cities' responses to climate change. He is also a former Policy Director at the environmental thinktank Green Alliance, where he advocated for progressive energy, circular economy, and land use policies.
He earned a PhD in Values in Urban Design and Planning from the University of Sheffield and has authored several publications.
Dr Hobson said: 'I am delighted to be taking up this role at NRI. The Institute has an outstanding global reputation for addressing some of the most pressing environmental and developmental challenges of our time. I am particularly looking forward to applying my experience in design thinking and innovation to help NRI forge new partnerships, drive commercial opportunities and translate its world-class research into lasting, real-world impact.'
We look forward to the experience, energy, and vision Dr Hobson brings to NRI. He will play a central role in strengthening our business development and fostering partnerships across industry, government, and international organisations. He will focus on expanding NRI’s impact, supporting the translation of our research into practice, and developing new opportunities that align with our mission to deliver sustainable and equitable solutions across food systems, agriculture, environment and livelihoods.