Dr Katerina Psarikidou
Dr Katerina Psarikidou (centre) collecting the Environmental Sustainability award from Chief Operating Officer Jim Andrews (left) and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sasha Roseneil (right).
The Sussex Awards ceremony took place in April 2026, celebrating outstanding achievements across the University. In a series of interviews, we’ll hear from award winners and get a closer look at their work.
Here, we speak to Dr Katerina Psarikidou about winning the Environmental Sustainability award for her role on a UKRI project addressing food poverty in disadvantaged communities, combined with strong leadership in sustainability education.
Describe the moment you found out you’d won a Sussex Award
I felt very honoured! I am committed to sustainability through my research and teaching, so I was very happy that my work has been recognised by Sussex colleagues.
What advice would you give to those who would like to run a successful initiative?
Stay focused and persevere! Sustainability policy and impact can take time.
What was the most challenging obstacle you overcame while working toward this achievement?
Balancing academic and real-world impact.
Describe the impact of your work
I am a sustainability scholar based in the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex Business School. I am committed to having a positive sustainability impact through my research and teaching. The Sussex Award for Environmental Sustainability has been exactly in recognition of that!
In the past few years, I have been Co-Investigator and Policy Lead for the £6 million UKRI FoodSEqual project, working very closely with community and public sector organisations, engaging local communities in conversations about food policy, and influencing regional food policy development in line with community needs. The work to roll out bus stop advertising for Healthy Start Vouchers is an example of what we achieved through our collective efforts for food system change.
While my research has an emphasis on the local, my teaching has an impact on sustainability on an international scale, especially through my course convenorship for the Online Distance Learning Sustainable Development MSc programme, shaping sustainability mindsets and practices of our international cohort of students, scholars and professionals doing sustainability on the ground.
I am a strong sustainability advocate for the University of Sussex Business School, a fact that is also manifested in my work for Business School’s sustainability reporting to the UN PRME, evidencing the School’s commitment to the Principles of Responsible Management Education.
If you had to describe your work in three words, what would they be?
Sustainability; Innovation; Impact.
Share something about yourself that people might not know
Fun fact: when I was little, we had a goat as a pet.
Find out more about Katerina’s work shaping policy within communities on our website.