Biographies

Quentin Cooper, Facilitator

Described by the Times as both "the world's most enthusiastic man" , Quentin hosts a diverse range of events in Britain and beyond as well as appearing regularly on radio, TV and in print.

He is best known for presenting the UK's most listened to science programme, The Material World on BBC Radio 4, but has also presented, produced and been a regular contributor to countless other science, arts and entertainment programmes across radio and television.

Quentin is much in demand to host conferences, chair panels, facilitate debates, conduct interviews, give talks, MC events and run science communication and media skills workshops. These include the Knowledge Transfer conferences at Heriot-Watt and St Andrews Universities, recent winner of the Times Higher award for best event, and real-forensics-meets-crime-fiction show Murder Mystery and Microscopes, winner of the CIB Scotland award for best live communications event. Among organisations he’s worked for regularly and recently are the Royal Society, BBC Training, the British Council, the British Science Association, the European Commission, the European Space Agency, the Institute of Physics, Channel 4, NESTA, Lego, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, the London School of Economics, the UK Energy Research Centre, many universities, most UK and European science festivals, various national governments and several UK research councils.

Many moons ago Quentin studied Artificial Intelligence and Psychology at Edinburgh University, and he also has a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from University College Cardiff and – as of June 2010 – an Honorary Degree as Doctor of Science from Heriot-Watt University.

Rene Bihan, Principal, SWA Group, San Francisco

Rene graduated as a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from California Polytechnic University and went on to do his Masters at Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He also studied at the School of Architecture in Florence, Italy.

His project experience has taken him from Salt Lake City, Utah and Oakland, California to Beijing, China, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Awards for these, and other projects include the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Centennial Medallion and the ASLA Honor Award in 2001, both for Charleston Park, California, the ASLA Firm Award in 2006, and the Urban Land Institute Global Award of Excellence for Beijing Finance Street in 2008.

Rene sits on the Better Streets Committee in San Francisco, in a San Francisco Arts Commissioner for the Civic Design Review. He is on the Design Advisory Board at Harvard University, a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Virginia and a Visiting Critic at the University of Berkeley, California, and Northern California Chair Juror for ASLA.

Click here for more detail of Rene and SWA's work.

Dr Mechtild Rössler, Chief, European and North America Section, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Mechtild Rössler (*1959) manages the Europe and North America team at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and has additional tasks in the coordination of the regional teams.

Dr. Mechtild Rössler is a cultural landscape specialist and has a MA (1984) in cultural geography from Freiburg University (Germany) with a focus on urban geography and landscape studies and a Ph.D. (1988) from the Faculty for Earth Sciences, University of Hamburg on the history of planning. She joined the Research Centre of the "Cité des Sciences et de L'Industrie" (Paris, France) in 1989 on a CNRS post and worked in 1990/91 as visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley, USA, in the Department of Geography.

In 1991 she joined UNESCO Headquarters in Paris at the Division for Ecological Sciences, and worked on Biosphere Reserves in the framework of the MAB programme. In 1992 she transferred to the newly created UNESCO World Heritage Centre as programme specialist and responsible officer for natural heritage and cultural landscapes. She was in charge of cultural landscapes, including the organization of many regional and thematic workshops and the dissemination of their results (documented here ). In July 2001 she became Chief of Europe and North America in charge of half of all World Heritage sites (today 440) and 51 States Parties. In August 2008 she took on additional tasks in the coordination of the Regional Units at the World Heritage Centre.

She has published 7 books, more than 80 articles mostly on landscape issues and nature/culture interaction, and contributed to the editorial board of three international journals.

Merrick Denton-Thompson OBE CMLI

Merrick is a Landscape Architect who has worked in the public and voluntary sectors all his life. He left his position as Assistant Director for the Environment at Hampshire County Council in 2006 when he was appointed to the Board of Natural England. Before that he directed the Rural Pathfinder for the South East of England, was a member of DEFRA’s Agri-Environment Review Group and a member of Cross Compliance Board for the Single Farm Payment. He worked with Downing Street Policy Unit in 1985 on the development of the first environmental grant schemes for farmland and directed the pioneering work on the countryside character assessment process.

He is the Founding Trustee of the Learning Through Landscapes Trust, Trustee and Council Member of the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom and Trustee and Chairman of the Conservation and Education Committee of Marwell Wildlife. He is on the Editorial Board of Landscape, the Journal of the Landscape Institute. He was awarded an OBE in 2002.

Maggie Roe

Maggie is a Senior Lecturer and Convenor of the Landscape Research Group, School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Maggie joined Newcastle University in 1994 following work in practice and research at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. She has experience on a wide range of multi-disciplinary research and consultancy landscape projects. Her research focus is generally on landscape planning and sustainability with recent work and publications focussing on:

• European Landscape Convention (ELC) implementation through policy in the UK
• Landscape change
• Landscape 'intelligence'
• New cultural landscape creation
• Green infrastructure as a landscape planning tool

Maggie's teaching of postgraduate and doctoral students focuses on landscape planning and planning for climate change. She has worked in a number of countries. She is a Director of the Landscape Research Group Ltd (LRG) and Editor of the international peer reviewed journal Landscape Research.

Steve Quartermain

Steve Quartermain was educated at Lord Williams Grammar School, Thame, before reading Geography at St Chads College, Durham University.

His first job as a trainee planner was at Epping Forest District council where he completed his post-graduate qualification in Environmental Planning in 1984.

Following a period of work at Dartford Borough Council, Steve moved to Hambleton in 1986 where he held several senior posts, becoming Director of Planning and Environmental Services in 1998. Hambleton District Council achieved an “excellent” performance rating and became a Beacon Council in 2007 for using the planning system to create sustainable communities.

A strong advocate of planning, Steve has worked with the Planning Officers' Society to promote good practice and was President of the society in 2007/8. Steve has been a member of the RTPI since 1982 and worked with the Yorkshire branch in various capacities from 1987 – 2007. Steve has worked as a peer support for other authorities.

Steve took up the post as Chief Planner in the Department for Communities and Local Government in August 2008 and brings practical planning experience to the role. Steve has been recently appointed as a champion for design within the CLG and acts as Head of Profession.