Dr Rachel Slater

Professional biography

I am currently Head of School for Engineering and Innovation, prior to which I was Deputy Head for four years. I am a Chartered Waste Manager and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. I hold a PhD in organic waste management, an MA in Environmental Law and Policy and a First Class Joint Honours Degree in Environmental Management and Business Administration.

I first joined the Open University as a research student back in 1998. After completing my PhD I have gone onto work in different roles at the OU, incuding Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer. Before joining the OU I worked as a manager for several years in the commercial waste and recycling sector.

Research and scholarship interests

My research focuses on social and policy aspects of environmental and resource management, particularly waste, recycling and composting.  Externally funded projects have included: the role of partnerships for innovative approaches to re-use, recycling and composting; decentralised biowaste systems and community composting; public attitudes and participation; recycling scheme performance; and social value from recycling and composting.

My research is underpinned by collaborative and interdisciplinary ways of working using participatory and stakeholder engagement methods and I have carried out research with policymakers and practitioners in the public, private and community sectors.

I am passionate about distance learning and teaching, and my scholarship has focused on improving accessibility, widening participation and closing awarding gaps. 

I have successfully supervised PhD students in environmental management and education for sustainable development. 

Teaching interests

I have been involved in the production and presentation of environmental management related teaching at all stages of undergraduate curriculum as well as postgraduate, but my heart lies with Stage 1. I am passionate about supporting students new to Higher Education, distance learning and the OU. I enjoy designing, authoring and creating teaching materials designed to help build students’ confidence and develop their skills to become independent learners. I was Chair of the OU’s core Stage 1 module U116 Environment: Journeys through a changing world for around 15 years. During this time, over fifteen thousand students studied the module, we received two OU teaching awards for inspiring, innovative student-centred learning, and to this day it remains one of the best teams I have worked with!

Alongside this core teaching work, I have also been involved with supporting colleagues in designing, developing, producing and delivering more accessible and inclusive distance learning content.