Head of Sustainable Farming

Joe Stanley is an experienced livestock and arable farmer who is passionate about British agriculture and developing more sustainable and resilient farming systems which are fit for the future. He is often to be seen in national print and broadcast media talking about rural issues, and is a regular columnist for Farmers Weekly and Countryside magazines, as well as Chair of Leicestershire, Northants and Rutland NFU and trustee of the Henry Plumb Foundation.

Joe has a BA (Hons) in history from Durham University and a Graduate Diploma in Agriculture from the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. He is author of ‘Farm to Fork: The Challenge of Sustainable Farming in 21st Century Britain‘.

Business Development & Partnerships Manager

Jemma leads work across partnerships, business development, and strategic opportunities, and has worked for The Allerton Project since 2019. A former land agent and co-founder of The Rural Business Awards and The Rural Business Group CIC, she combines commercial thinking with a strong understanding of the rural sector.

Jemma has built her career around connecting people, projects and organisations in ways that create real value. Her experience includes sponsorship, stakeholder engagement, project development, marketing strategy, content and events, with a particular strength in turning ideas into practical, deliverable opportunities. With a lifelong passion for the rural economy and countryside, Jemma is committed to helping the GWCT Allerton Project grow its reach, strengthen partnerships and deliver impact.

Projects Officer

Amie joined Allerton in 2023 as Projects Officer. The role involves coordinating a range of existing projects, as well as assisting in the exploration of future opportunities for research and collaboration within the organisation. Amie also works alongside the comms team to assist in the management of social media, creation of content and training materials and organisation of Allerton outreach events.

In 2021, Amie achieved an MSc in Environmental Leadership and Management from the University of Nottingham. For her final project, she partnered with Natural England and a range of academics to examine conservation approaches and discourse in the UK. Amie also has a BSc in Geography and BASIS Certification in Sustainable Land Management. As a dedicated environmentalist and keen culinarian, Amie has always shown interest in the ways we grow, process and distribute our food, previously working on one of the oldest and largest allotment sites in Europe – St Ann’s Allotments.

Principal Scientist, Head of Agri-environmental Sciences

Dr Jenny Bussell specialises in exploring how soil management impacts on soil health in agricultural systems. She has previously worked as a research fellow for the University of Nottingham, investigating water uptake, nutrient acquisition, and soil structure in sugar beet fields, with an aim of improving land management and cultivation in sugar beet crops. Before this she studied how climate change predictions of elevated CO2 and UV-B influenced plant and soil interactions. The work focused on greenhouse gas emissions and soil microbial health, which have remained a key interest for Jenny during her career.

Trials Officer

Gemma is the research assistant at the Allerton Project working on a wide range of projects, both arable and livestock. Having an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and a BSc (Hons) degree in Environmental science she initially worked in the Livestock Sector, gaining both advisory and practical experience before joining the Allerton Project.

Having worked on a mixed farm in north Nottinghamshire Gemma has gained practical farming experience which supports her work as research assistant, and now has a herd of Pedigree Red Poll Cattle in Leicestershire.

Research Assistant

Katie is a research assistant here at the Allerton Project, supporting sustainability research, field trials, and occasional farm tasks.

Senior Scientist

Dr Ayman Asiri is an entomologist who completed his PhD at Cardiff University investigating the role of olfaction in honey bee social immunity. His research combined behavioural experiments with chemical and ecological approaches to understand how infection alters interactions within insect societies. He has worked across a range of entomological systems, including research on habitat complexity and spider biodiversity, climate-linked colour variation in ladybirds, and immune function and infection susceptibility in woodlice. He is particularly interested in the mechanisms that shape insect behaviour and community dynamics, and how these processes can support resilient and diverse insect populations in agricultural systems.

Research Placement Student

Rebecca is an undergraduate biology student at the University of Bath completing her placement year as part of The Allerton Project’s Research Team. Her interests lie in plant science and field research, and has experience conducting field work in Malaysian Borneo and as a lab technician. Rebecca assists with field trials and data collection, and is keen to explore the potential for a career in agricultural research.

Farm Manager

Ben, our Farm Manager, joined the Allerton Project in January 2025 from Dishley Farming in Loughborough. We’re excited to have him on board, bringing his experience and enthusiasm to the role. Ben will support our evolving crop rotation, new research trials, SFI initiatives, an ambitious capital grants scheme, and ongoing drainage work.

Farm Advisor

Saya has recently joined the Allerton project team as Training Manager. Saya studied Agriculture and Environmental Science at Newcastle University as an undergraduate and completed her PhD in 2008. Saya has a wealth of practical experience having worked as an ecologist for FWAG, ADAS and Scottish Power on Agri-environment research and management projects. She is now managing a small arable farm in Leicestershire and works as an environmental consultant delivering Countryside Stewardship and Rural Development applications for landowners. Saya is BASIS qualified and does all her own agronomy and fertiliser recommendations on the farm.

Conservation Officer

Jobe oversees our Countryside Stewardship areas, hedgerow, and woodland management. He plays a crucial role in implementing agri-environment schemes, working alongside the farm team on Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) requirements.