Who We Are

Scotland Map

The Hydro Nation International Centre is a virtual centre to coordinate and amplify the impact of a range of waters-related initiatives and groupings. It is based in Scotland but has an international focus, links and spheres of activity that will extend the benefits from these groups and initiatives.

The centre operates under the direction of Dr Rachel Helliwell of the James Hutton Institute and is nominally based at that Institute’s site in Aberdeen, Scotland, though it is effectively a virtual centre.

Core Team

image showing Rachel Helliwell

Dr Rachel Helliwell

Director

Rachel Helliwell is the Director of the Hydro Nation International Centre and Centre of Expertise for Waters. She works at the science: policy interface delivering evidence and knowledge gathered by Scottish and international academics to the water community of practice (policy, industry and regulators).  She is a board member of the Hydro Nation Chair Programme, member of the Hydro Nation Forum, a representative on the research and innovation committee for the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience Environment and Society, and Scottish Freshwater Group. Rachel also sits on local, national, and global stakeholder consultation groups covering pressing policy issues including net zero, climate crisis, circular economy and resource efficiency.

image showing Maricela Blair

Dr Maricela Blair

Hydro Nation Policy Officer / Project Manager

Maricela Blair is an accomplished interdisciplinary researcher and leader with over 15 years bridging environmental science, public policy, and strategic foresight, with expertise in research and development (R&D) and science and technology (S&T) frameworks, sustainable development, innovation systems, science-policy interfaces, and international cooperation. Proven capacity to lead high-level negotiations, shape organizational and national strategies, and foster global partnerships for transformative impact. She has served as Chief Science Officer, Policy Adviser for Government, and acted as focal point and national delegate for multiple national, regional and international partnerships, dialogues and forums. Maricela is also the primary coordinator for the Hydro Nation Scholars Programme.

image showing Kerr Adams

Dr Kerr Adams

Interim International Development Officer

Kerr Adams is a Hydro Nation Alumnus and International Development Officer within the Hydro Nation International Centre based at the James Hutton Institute. His research focusses on partnership working to develop risk-based decision support tools to inform sustainable water management. In his PhD research, Kerr supported the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Water’s One Planet Choices decision-making method by developing a tool to map complex catchment systems and investigate the impacts of future climatic, population and land use change on the system. The decisionsupport tool informed the identification of adaptive water management options across multiple participating sectors.

Melvin Woodhouse

Senior International Development Officer

Melvin has an academic background in Water Resources, Environmental Biology, Water Law and Policy. He has 40 years of international experience living and working in several countries working for multilateral and bilateral agencies, national and community-based organisations, the private sector and as a self-employed consultant. Melvin works as a Senior International Development Officer with HNIC and the SPARKE project and is exploring opportunities and mechanisms to enable sharing of Hutton Science through collaboration and partnering approaches beyond current audiences.