Dame Judith Anne Rees, (born 26 August 1944), is a distinguished academic

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

, was interim director of

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

(LSE) from May 2011 until September 2012. Professor Rees also acts as director for its

Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy The Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP) is a climate change research centre in England, which studies the economics of global warming. It is hosted jointly by the University of Leeds and the London School of Economics and Polit ...

(hosted jointly with the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

) and is Vice-Chair of the

Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is a research institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science founded in May 2008. The centre is a partner of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at I ...

Education

Rees was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, where she attended Bilborough Grammar School. She then went on to study Economics at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, graduating in 1965. She completed her MPhil and PhD also at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

Career

Rees joined LSE in 1969 as a lecturer in Geography. Her main research interests include

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

and the governance of environmental resources and risk. In the early 1990s she was the dean of Geography and pro-vice chancellor at the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hu ...

. She then became head of Geography and deputy director of LSE until 2004. From May 2011 until September 2012, Rees was the acting director of the

. She was the President of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

from 2012 to 2015, the first woman to take on this role in the society's history and working with Dr Rita Gardner as Director. Rees is also chair of the LSE's Grantham Institute on Climate Change, a board member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation and the International Scientific Advisory Council (ISAC), a director of the Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, and a member of the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

national research programmes on Climate changes Spatial Planning (CcSP) and "Knowledge for Climate" (KfC). Formerly, she acted as an adviser to the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

water privatisation Water privatization is short for private sector participations in the provision of water services and sanitation. Water privatization has a variable history in which its popularity and favorability has fluctuated in the market and politics. O ...

Awards

Rees was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in 2006 and

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to higher education.

Personal life

She is married to David Jones, Professor Emeritus at

LSE LSE may refer to: Education * London School of Economics, a public research university within the University of London * Lahore School of Economics, a private university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan * Lincoln Southeast High School, a public gove ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rees, Judith 1944 births Living people Academics of the London School of Economics British geographers Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Fellows of the London School of Economics People associated with the London School of Economics Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society British women geographers