Prof Cornelia (Conny) Guell is Associate Professor (Reader) in Anthropology of Health and Environment at the University of Exeter’s European Centre for Environment and Human Health, which she led as Co-Director (Jan 2022 – July 2024). She is Co-Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Natural Environments and Health, and the Deputy-Director of the UKRI funded Centre for Net Positive Health and Climate Solutions.
Her research addresses key planetary health priorities to create healthy, sustainable and socially just environments in both Global South and Global North settings with a focus particularly on food systems for better nutrition and healthy infrastructure to support physically active lives. Conny leads highly interdisciplinary international research teams across the social sciences, humanities, health and environmental sciences in Small Island Developing States as well as European settings and the UK funded by most major UK funders. Conny’s research on food systems and food sovereignty investigates the historical, political-economic and socio-cultural contexts of contemporary foodscapes and related food practices and subsequent health outcomes. Her other research focus is on active living and physical activity practices, including how transport planning policies can support equitable and sustainable active travel.