Professor Liz Price

My profile

Biography

Liz Price is Professor of Environmental Education and serves as Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability at Manchester Metropolitan University, responsible for driving sustainability across education, research and partnerships and developing a sustainable mindset and skills for students, colleagues and within communities, including accelerating Education for Sustainable Development, Carbon Literacy and Net Zero skills. Prior to this she was Head of Department of Natural Sciences and Institutional Academic Lead for the Environment at Manchester Met.

She is a Council Member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences, a member of the Quality Assurance Agency and Advance HE Advisory Group that reviewed the Education for Sustainable Development Guidance for the UK, a member of the Advisory Board of the Association for Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development, University Partner in the Department for Education National Education Nature Park consortium and is Co-Lead of the UK Consortium on Sustainability Research. Liz is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators, promoting a diverse and sustainable environment. She is a Chartered Environmentalist, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, and a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

She represents the University on the Universities UK Climate Action Steering Group, Manchester Climate Change Partnership and Board, Oxford Road Corridor Executive where she supports sustainability priorities and she Chairs the Greater Manchester Civic University Green Skills Working Group.

Liz was awarded an MBE for services to sustainability education in 2024.

External examiner roles

Postgraduate Programme External Examiner: School of Law and Social Sciences (Education for Sustainability) London South Bank University (2021 – 2024)

External Academic Member for Validation Panel: MSc Sustainability and Social Responsibility, University of Winchester (2020)

Undergraduate Programme External Examiner: Faculty of Science and Engineering (Environmental Science), Plymouth University (2018 – 2022)

Periodic Curriculum Review External Panel Member, University of the West of England, Bristol (2016)

Postgraduate Programme External Examiner: Faculty of Sciences and Social Sciences (Geography), Liverpool Hope University (2013 – 2017)

Undergraduate Programme External Examiner: School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University (2013 – 2017)

External Adviser: Faculty of Applied Sciences, the University of the West of England, Bristol (2007 - 2013)

Undergraduate Programme External Examiner: the University of the West of England, Bristol (2004 - 2007)

Editorial Board membership

Editorial Board Discover Sustainablity, Springer Nature

Associate Editor International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Emerald

Editorial Advisory Board for the Fairer Society gateway, Emerald Open Research platform

Membership of professional associations

2024 - present: Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators

2024 - present: Chair Greater Manchester Civic University Green Skills Working Group

2024 - present: Oxford Road Corridor: Manchester’s Knowledge Quarter Executive Member

2023 - present: Advisory Board of UNICEF and Association for Learning Design and ESD GREEN-Pal FunDoo Climate Action Now

2022 - present: Member Universities UK Climate Action Steering Group 

2022 - present: Member Advisory Board of Association for Learning Design and ESD

2022 - present: Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology

2021 - present: Member Manchester Climate Change Board

2020 - 2024: Chair Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences now Community for Environmental Disciplines in Higher Education 

2020 - present: Council Member and Trustee Institution of Environmental Sciences

2020:   Member QAA Education for Sustainable Development Guidance Advisory Group

2019 - 2020: Member Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Leaders

2018 - present: Partner European School of Sustainability Science and Research

2018 - present: Member Manchester Climate Change Partnership

2017 - present: Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2016 - 2020: Vice Chair Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences

2016 - present: Member Institution of Environmental Sciences

2015 - present: Fellow Leadership Foundation for Higher Education

2014 - 2024: Member Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences

2013 - present: Member of the Royal Society of Biology

2010 - present: Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

2005 - present: Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv)

2002 - present: Full Member Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management

1987 - present: Member British Ecological Society

Impact

Significant Contribution to Conservation Education Award, National Conservation Education Awards, Chester Zoo, 2024.

Invited Speaker, ETC (Education and Training for the Climate) Hub Webinar: Higher Education institutional responses to climate change, University of Oxford, March 2024

Invited Speaker, Driving Strategic Change, EAUC Leadership Academy, University of Cambridge, March 2024

Invited Speaker, Changing the Curriculum, UUK Universities, sustainability and the climate emergency conference, January 2024

Selected Speaker, Curriculum design and ESD in practice supported by the CoDesignS Learning Design and ESD Framework and Toolkit, Greening Education Hub at COP28, December 2023

Invited Chair Advance HE Education for Sustainable Development Summit, November 2023

Invited Speaker Baltics Education for a Green Transition Conference, October 2023

Invited Panel Chair Science Council Workforce Conference, October 2023

Panel Chair Our Future Green Workforce, Greater Manchester Green Summit, October 2023

Invited Speaker International Green Skills Conference, September 2023

Inspiring Women Awards Sustainable Award for Women Making an Impact Finalist, 2023

Invited Keynote Speaker Association for Learning Design and ESD and UNESCO IESALC CoDesignS ESD Bootcamp, May 2023

Invited Speaker UUK Climate Conference, January 2023

Invited Panel Member British University in Egypt COP27 simulation model event COP27 Green Zone, November 2022

Plenary Speaker GMCA Green Summit, October 2022

Invited Speaker Advance HE Provocation: Sustainability and Higher Education – the future cannot wait, June 2022 and January 2023

Invited Speaker British Council UK Russia University Alliance Forum: Young People and Global Climate Action, February 2022

Invited Speaker IES COP26 Reflections from across the sector webinar, January 2022

Invited Speaker IES COP26 Solutions ‘Big Picture’ expert panel discussion, October 2021

Plenary Speaker GMCA Green Summit: Delivering skills for a sustainable future, October 2021

Invited Speaker International Conference on Sustainable Development 2021. Plenary 7: University Transformations for the SDGs: From Concept to Action, September 2021

Invited Speaker IES STAGES on the road to COP26: Paving the way for a green society: upskilling the workforce, July 2021

Invited Keynote Speaker Advance HE Virtual Sustainability Symposium: Facing Forward with Sustainability: Principles, Progress and Partnership, March 2021

Invited Speaker British Council UK Russia University Alliance Climate Change Forum, February 2021

Member QAA Education for Sustainable Development Guidance (ESDG) Advisory Group, 2020

Member Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education Leaders, 2019 – 2020

Projects

Projects include:

National Education Nature Park

UK Consortium on Sustainability Research (UK-CSR)

European Green Deal TULIPS: Innovative and Sustainable Airports

QAA Enhancement project on Education for Sustainable Development and Academic Quality processes

Learning Design and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) 

Innovate UK Net Zero Living: Net Zero Pioneer Manchester

Teaching

Why study…

Understanding community composition and the processes governing this are challenges for conservation biology with innovative applications in habitat management, creation and restoration.

Acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future is also a challenge. Living Labs and Responsible Futures initiatives can be transformational for Education for Sustainable Development.

Subject areas

Conservation Ecology and Education for Sustainable Development

Supervision

Alison Brown (completed 1999), Katherine Lawton (completed 2005), Jill Edmondson (completed 2005), Emma-Lee Glen (Director of Studies, completed 2009), Jonathan Davies (completed 2016), Emily Schofield (completed 2020), Sara-Xaali O’Reilly Berkeley (completed 2022), Sigrun Wagner (completed 2021), Franziska Wolf (PhD by published works; 2020 – ongoing), Markus Will (PhD by published works; 2020 – ongoing), Rosalind Ridout (Principal Supervisor, 2021 – ongoing).

Research outputs

Understanding plant community composition and the processes governing this are long standing challenges for plant ecology. My research has identified mechanisms to explain plant responses to spatial and temporal change and the implications for community composition, with applications in vegetation responses to pollution, habitat management, creation and restoration.

I also have expertise in education for sustainable development and implementation of sustainable development in practice.

Early publications focus on the ecology of clonal species and implications for their management. Later publications examine effects of nitrogen pollution and environmental management techniques for mitigation of eutrophication in the field of restoration ecology. Subsequent work focuses on the role of temporal dynamism in understanding diversity-function relationships in plant communities. Current projects explore education for sustainable development and implementation of sustainable development in practice.

Career history

2021 - present

Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor Sustainability, Manchester Metropolitan University

2019 - 2021

Institutional Academic Lead for the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University

2014 - 2021

Head of Department of Natural Sciences (formerly School of Science and the Environment), Manchester Metropolitan University

2016 - 2017

Acting Head of Education, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University

2014 - 2016

Associate Dean for Student Experience, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University

2010 - 2014

Head of Division of Geography and Environmental Management, Manchester Metropolitan University

Press and media

BBC Radio 4 Costing the Earth: Jobs for a Green Future https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001k7p0