Richard Pywell

Principal Scientist - Nature Recovery, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Professor Richard Pywell is a Principal Scientist at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, specialising in agricultural ecosystem science to balance nature recovery with regenerative, low-emission food production. He co-leads AgZero+, a major UKRI-funded programme working with farmers and the agri-food sector to develop resilient, sustainable farming systems. His work spans commercial farm research networks, innovative field trials on lowland peat re-wetting and the development of AI-assisted sensors, mobile apps and digital tools to support farmer-led monitoring and data-driven decision-making on natural capital. He has also led pioneering research on future crop suitability under climate change, including the UK’s first successful outdoor rice cultivation on re-wetted peat soils.