Dr Elena Cantarello PhD, MSc, BSc, SFHEA

SFHEA, University of Bournemouth, 2018

PhD Forest Ecology, University of Padova, 2007

Italian professional qualification to practice forestry (equivalent to Chartered Forester Status in the UK), 2004

BSc&MSc Environmental and Forestry Sciences, 2003

Dr Elena Cantarello is an Associate Professor in Sustainability (Education) whose career reflects a sustained commitment to integrating research, teaching and practice to advance sustainability education and contribute to solutions addressing global environmental challenges. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has supervised more than 80 undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and doctoral students to completion, covering topics such as forest ecosystem resilience, biodiversity conservation in protected areas, climate change impacts on agriculture, and environmental and financial performance of organisations.

In September 2025, she joined the University of Birmingham Dubai, where she contributes to the growth of sustainability education in the region. She has led the design and development of core teaching provision for the newly launched BSc Sustainability programme, including modules such as Sustainability Assessment Methods and Global Environmental Challenges. Her work aligns curricula with regional priorities, including sustainability reporting in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) context. Her teaching adopts experiential and applied approaches, incorporating field visits, industry engagement and guest speakers to enhance student learning and employability. Her approach integrates environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability alongside policy, reflecting the interdisciplinary perspective required to address complex global challenges. Beyond teaching, she contributes to impact activities, including delivering Climate Fresk workshops and engaging with schools and external partners. She is also a Climate Reality Leader and engages with the media on climate-related issues.

Dr Cantarello holds a three-year PhD in Forest Ecology from the University of Padova (Italy), undertaken in collaboration with Bournemouth University (UK), focusing on developing cost-effective indicators to maintain Natura 2000 sites in favourable conservation status. She also holds a combined six-year BSc and MSc in Environmental and Forestry Sciences (cum laude), which included advanced training in landscape planning, restoration and environmental protection using geographic information systems (GIS), alongside an independent research project on the spatial analysis of woody hedgerows. This strong scientific and applied foundation has shaped her interdisciplinary approach to sustainability.

Her academic career at Bournemouth University progressed from research positions to senior leadership roles, including Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Principal Academic and Associate Professor. She played a key role in sustainability education through the creation and leadership of the interdisciplinary MSc Green Economy. As Programme Leader for five years, she transformed the programme into a globally recognised distance-learning course, achieving high student satisfaction and attracting a diverse international cohort.

She has led and delivered modules such as Climate Change and Carbon Management, Sustainable Development and Globalisation, and Green Technology and Renewable Energy, using innovative, inclusive and digitally enhanced pedagogies that promote critical thinking and real-world application. Throughout her career, she has also contributed to institutional sustainability strategies, including embedding the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across curricula and supporting organisational change through committees and academic networks. Her contributions were recognised through the 2021 Bournemouth University Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Enriching Society.

Her research centres on socio-ecological resilience, particularly in forest ecosystems, with a strong emphasis on climate change and biodiversity loss. She brings over fifteen years of experience conducting field-based and modelling research across Europe, Latin America and Central Asia, collaborating with academic institutions, government bodies and industry partners. Her work includes contributions to major international initiatives such as the EU Horizon 2020 RESONATE project on forest resilience, alongside research funded by organisations including NERC, the Leverhulme Trust and the Forestry Commission.

LC: Global Environmental Issues (Lead)

LC: Sustainability Assessment Methods (including ESG reporting) (Lead)

LC: Research Methods and Fieldwork (Co-lead)

LC: Tutorial Programme and Study Skills (contributing)

LI: Environmental pollution and its Mitigation (Lead)

LI: Sustainability Analytics (Lead)

LI: International Fieldtrip (Lead)

LI: Ecological and Environmental Economics (Co-Lead)

LI: Energy Future (contributing)

Programme Director: BSc Sustainability

• April 2021-April 2025 - RESONATE project, Resilient forest value chains – enhancing resilience through natural and socio-economic responses. Funding body: EU, Grant agreement ID: 101000574. Role: WP2 Leader, responsible for assessing past and recent resilience of forests in different systems and regions. Also, one of the four WP2 Task leaders (T.2.2).
• February 2017 – February 2019 - Up scaling microclimate to macro-ecological importance for global conservation. Funding body: Leverhulme Trust. Role: Co-investigator.
• June 2017 – December 2017 -   Survey and assessment of Long-spined ant status in the New Forest. Funding body: Forestry Commission. Role: Principal investigator.
• March 2016 – December 2016 - Survey of Formica candida nests in the New Forest and at Roydon Woods. Funding body: Forestry Commission. Role: Principal investigator.
• September 2015 – July 2018 - BU match-funded studentship: Relationship between SMEs environmental and financial performance. Funding body: Daisy's Property Management Ltd and BU. Role: Co-investigator.
• September 2014- December 2017 - BU match-funded studentship: The relationship between environmental management and financial performance of Ghanaian SMEs. Funding body: Easy Investment Services Ltd and BU. Role: Co-investigator.
• October 2013- November 2017 - BU match-funded studentship: Evaluating extinction risk in the world’s timber tree species. Funding body: Botanic Gardens Conservation International Ltd and BU. Role: Co-investigator.
• September 2013 – October 2015 – Dynamics and thresholds of ecosystem services in wooded landscapes. Funding body: NERC. Role: Co-investigator and coordinator.
• April 2008 - Aug 2011 – Provided expertise to implement international and regional projects, including:

-        Transactional Environmental Support System for Europe (TESS) project, Funding body: EU, Role: Research assistant.

-        New Forest Open Forest Survey project, Funding body: Forestry Commission, Role: Research assistant.

-        Poole Harbour project, Funding body: Natural England, Role: Research assistant.

-        Conserving Eden: participatory forest management in the Tien Shan region project, Funding body: DEFRA, UK Darwin Initiative, Role: Research assistant.

-        Restoration of forest landscapes for biodiversity conservation and rural development in the drylands of Latin America (ReForLan) project, Funding body: EU, Role: Research assistant.