Prof. George Hutchinson
Director of The Gibson Institute
School of Biological Sciences
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Professor George Hutchinson is an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Contributing Author to the IPCC 5th Assessment Report which provides the scientific input to The Paris Agreement. He is a member of the expert advisory panel to the UK Climate Change Committee for the 2021, 3rd Climate Change Risk Assessment Report, where he commented on chapters on risks to natural capital, ecosystem services and on the sustainability of the UK food chain. Appointed as Professor of Rural and Environmental Economics in Queens in 2004 and as Director of The Gibson Institute for Land Food and Environment in 2006 he is a leading environmental economist representing Ireland as country board member on the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE) and on the scientific committees of The World Congresses of Environmental and Resource Economics. He has made important academic contributions introducing economic psychology, behavior change and experimental methods into environmental decision making with papers on the highest cited list of leading international journals such as The Journal of Environmental Economics and Management and Land Economics. His research interests address most of the UN SD goals covering biodiversity, water resources, climate action, renewable energy, outdoor recreation, agri-food, nutrition, health and physical activity, social capital, risk and uncertainty, time discounting, trust and equity, altruism and charitable giving. A partner and PI on large grants many funded by the EU and most of the UK Research Councils he was a partner on the Management Executive of the major UKRI Centre of Excellence for Public Health NI from 2008-18. Over the last 16 years he has worked with The Gibson Institute degree coordinators, Professor Alberto Longo and Dr Jude Stephens to build up the BSc Environment Management and MSc Leadership for Sustainable Development degrees to an annual intake of approximately 100 students many of whom are International students.
