We are delighted to welcome Mariam Weston as our new Grants Officer at The Rufford Foundation!
Mariam is an Engineer in Sustainable Development with an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge. She brings with her more than six years’ experience in leading, promoting and developing sustainable and community-based conservation strategies for biodiversity conservation in Mexico and Latin America.
Having started her career designing and leading research and conservation projects on wild cats in Mexico, Mariam understands first-hand the challenges and complexities of being an early-career conservationist. She has experience in building strategic alliances between governments, the private sector, academia and NGOs and is deeply interested in producing creative and efficient communication and capacity-building strategies. When Mariam is not at work, she enjoys spending time in nature and with horses.
During her first three weeks with The Rufford Foundation, Mariam has demonstrated her passion for nature conservation and shared her enthusiasm for human-wildlife coexistence, sustainable development and nature-based solutions. In her role as Grants Officer, she has been reviewing and evaluating our successful series of Rufford Conferences, which will be developed into new-look learning events that are due to commence in 2023. She will also play a key role within the Rufford Small Grants programme. It is a pleasure to have her as part of the team!