Interim Director of Sustainability and Just Transition
Julie joined The Young Foundation in 2025. She is passionate about democratising place-based innovation to recognise the ingenuity of citizens and communities in shaping their neighbourhoods, towns, and cities.
Julie brings experience from across the research and innovation system. She previously held senior roles in the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), where she designed and led national and international collaborative research and innovation programmes in areas including global uncertainties, urban transformations, the future of housing, and the creative industries. Julie has also held academic and professional roles at the University of Bath, the University of Exeter and University College London, and worked freelance as a Senior Innovation Practitioner, mainly with policy makers in local and national government.
Beyond The Young Foundation, Julie is mid-way through a PhD at the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, UCL, on community-led everyday innovation. She is also a Trustee of CoLab, a health and wellbeing charity based in the South-west.