Sayyidah Salam

I am a Senior Project Coordinator, currently supporting the management and delivery of four research projects within the Revolution Plastics initiative and wider Sustainability and Environment theme. 

The Global Plastics Policy Centre, funded by Flotilla Foundation, was announced during COP26 in Glasgow. This undertakes evidence-based analysis of over 100 plastics policies worldwide to help generate better policy and decision making to tackle the global plastics crisis. The website can be viewed here, and the report will be launching in the Autumn 2022.

As a Research Assistant on the STEPP project (Sustainable Transitions to End Plastic Pollution) funded by GCRF, we are seeking to identify pathways towards effective plastic waste solutions in the global South, primarily working in Nairobi, Kenya and Sylhet, Bangladesh. We are working with local and national governments, universities, environmental and development organisations using a variety of research and creative, participatory methods to produce actionable policy recommendations. 

The NERC funded Portsmouth Environmental Jam - making environmental science diverse, equitable and inclusive. Working specifically with Bangladeshi heritage students using participatory and creative methods to identify drivers and challenges faced by ethnic minorities within the field.

Lastly, SMMR Integrating Diverse Values into the sustainable management of marine resources in the UK. This project brings together a transdisciplinary team of scientists, economists, creatives and more to identify a range of values within under-represented communities in Portsmouth, the Severn Estuary and the Shetland Island. We are working with a number of governing institutions and decision-making bodies to implement a theory of change with these diverse values in mind. 

Previous action research project included - ACT (Action against COVID Transmission) Nairobi.

I am part of the Revolution Plastics team which seeks to tackle the plastics crisis on three levels - within the university, within the city of Portsmouth and the wider world. Being part of this group allows us to address one of the world's most pressing issues. 

I have a background in Social Sciences with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Southampton. I have worked at a number of charitable organisations and NGOs with extensive experience in delivering international events and project management.

During my time at the university thus far, I have helped to develop a number of international and local partnerships with community and environmental development organisations, governments and academia in the global south. This includes the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding with Strathmore University, Kenya and Shahjalal University, Bangladesh. 

My interests lie primarily in international development particularly in relation to environmental/climate concerns and sustainability. I'm driven by impactful research activities and seeing greater social inclusion, diversity and climate justice.