About Us

Interim Director

Sam Nadel

Sam has spent his career working with social movements to drive meaningful change.  He was previously Head of Policy and Advocacy at Oxfam Great Britain and holds research positions at the University of Bath and University of Exeter, where he has led qualitative and mixed-methods research projects.

Consultant Director of Research

Markus Ostarek, PhD

Markus is a researcher and data analyst with a background in cognitive neuroscience. He was previously a Lecturer in Psychology and Neuroscience and seeks to apply his skills from academia to the field of Effective Altruism to have a positive impact on crucial  social and environmental issues.

Senior Researcher

Cathy Rogers, PhD

After many years producing science television, Cathy completed a Psychology PhD.  As well as studying activism, Cathy writes about educational neuroscience, helping parents and teachers understand how brains work. She recently co-wrote an optimistic children's book about the future.

Founder & Chair of the Board 

James Özden 

James has spent several years building social movements to tackle climate change and reduce animal suffering. He worked on strategy for Extinction Rebellion and is a graduate of the Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program on how to launch highly impactful nonprofits. 

Board Member 

Amy Odene

Amy is Director of Campaigns at User Friendly, a marketing and campaigning agency for non-profits. She has worked in social good causes for over 15 years and co-founded Animal Ask, a charity supporting the animal protection space. Amy also co-hosts animal advocacy podcast, How I Learned to Love Shrimp.

Board Member 

Cleodie Rickard

Cleodie is Campaigns and Policy Manager at Global Justice Now, working on their trade campaign. She has a background in policy, campaigns and communications in various NGOs. Having studied Arabic, she previously spent a year studying and volunteering in Palestine. 

Board Member 

Aidan Alexander

Aidan is co-founder of FarmKind, a donation platform that makes it easy for anyone to be a part of fixing factory farming. He was Director of Programs at Charity Entrepreneurship, an incubator for effective charities and is co-author of How to Launch a High-Impact Foundation, a guide to impactful grantmaking.

Director (Parental Leave)

Mabli Jones

Mabli was previously Deputy Director of Asylum Matters, campaigning for reform of the asylum system. She worked as Chief of Staff and Research for Plaid Cymru in the Senedd and for LGBT charity Stonewall. She was also Chair of the direct action and campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society).

Associate

David Pomerenke

David is a data scientist interested in the impact of activism. He did his master’s research on this topic, and is now building the Media Impact Monitor to showcase current data on protests and their societal impact.

Associate

Lizzie Rose

Lizzie is a human rights and climate justice campaigner and researcher, working to catalyse climate concern into effective action. They work with Fossil Free London, GNDR and Young Greens, among others, to encourage more young people to become politically engaged. Their professional background is in data and fundraising. 

Associate

Sophie Sharp

Sophie has been a lifelong activist, fighting for peace and climate justice. She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a degree in Sociology & Psychology. Sophie is delighted to contribute to Social Change Lab and is invested in raising awareness about the impact of protest.