Mrs Melissa Hawkins

Melissa is the Institute Administrator and Personal Assistant at the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute (LEEP), and Administrator and PA (Research) at the Global Systems Institute (GSI), both at the University of Exeter.

At LEEP, Melissa supports the Institute Director and the wider team. Her work includes supporting on key projects, managing diaries and correspondence, coordinating meetings and events, and running the day-to-day administration of the Institute. 

Melissa is currently working on the Dragon Capital Chair in Biodiversity Economics project by supporting with work to refresh and enhance all forms of communication for this influential and impactful research programme. DCC is a partnership between the University and the asset manager Dragon Capital, and it looks at how markets and policy can do more to protect biodiversity. 

At GSI, Melissa provides research administration and PA support to the institute. GSI’s work covers climate risk, sustainable finance, climate justice and green and blue carbon. She supports research projects and grant activity, coordinates meetings, seminars and visitors, and helps keep a busy, cross-disciplinary research community running smoothly.

Prior to these roles, Melissa spent four years working for CRPR (Cenre for Rural Policy Research) at the University of Exeter. 

She was the first point of contact for operational support within the Centre and core areas of support included:

• Co-ordinating meetings by carrying out effective agenda planning, note-taking, action tracking and reporting on outcomes
• Organising and delivering Centre events in conjunction with academic leaders and liaising with other relevant Professional Services to coordinate
• Co-ordinating Faculty processes
• Facilitating communications at a local level