Dr Marta Meschini is a Project Officer on the Coast-R Network, funded by the ReCCS programme. She is based at the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Liverpool.
Tell us about yourself and the Coast-R Network
I am an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researcher and consultant specialising in participatory governance, coastal resilience, and stakeholder engagement. My work focuses on bridging the gap between science, policy, and industry through participatory approaches that integrate the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. Recently, I transitioned from a purely academic career to launching my own business, PART Research & Consulting. Simultaneously, I began a new part-time role at the University of Liverpool as a Project Officer for the Coast-R Network—a move that reflects my dual interest in project management and independent consultancy.
The Coast-R Network is a UK-wide initiative funded within the £14.8 million Resilient Coastal Communities and Seas Programme (ReCCS). It is led by six founding academic partners —University of Hull, Aberystwyth University, University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool and University of Southampton —working alongside a wide range of non-academic partners. Coast-R Network, in fact, is designed to bring together academics, agencies, industry, local authorities, the voluntary sector and communities most affected by coastal change to build knowledge, action and resilience for UK coastal communities and seas. The network aims to move beyond fragmented and siloed approaches by fostering a collaborative environment where diverse stakeholders share knowledge and co-create sustainable, long-term solutions for UK’s coastal communities.
What will you be doing as part of the Coast-R Network?
As a Project Officer for the University of Liverpool team within Coast-R Network, I am responsible for the delivery of engagement activities and project outputs. My role involves organising and hosting events—ranging from regional workshops to national conferences—while ensuring they are accessible, inclusive, and aligned with our project goals. I act as the primary point of contact for our diverse stakeholders, facilitating collaboration between them. Beyond event logistics, I am involved in the synthesis of data and materials into tangible project outputs, such as policy documents, reports, and academic papers to ensure our collective research translates into actionable coastal resilience strategies.
What did you do before joining the Coast-R Network?
Prior to joining COAST-R in February 2026, I worked as Postdoctoral Researcher on the “Resilient Coasts: Optimising Co-Benefit Solutions” project, funded by the Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) Strategic Priorities Fund that was a £12.4m initiative dedicated to funding marine research to address critical gaps in understanding that have been identified by UK policy makers. In this role, I investigated social-ecological coastal systems in the UK with a focus on participatory decision-making.
Beyond academia, I am the Founder of PART Research & Consulting, where I help organisations build sustainable solutions through participatory approaches. My recent work includes a short-term involvement for a consultancy project for the Environment Agency and a collaboration with Area Europa – development consulting to write projects mainly for EU funding calls. My background also includes coordinating large-scale citizen science projects like “Sea Sentinels” at the University of Bologna and working as a consultant for Worldrise NGO to promote sustainable small-scale fisheries.
What excites you about the Coast-R Network?
What excites me most about the COAST-R Network is its commitment to transdisciplinary collaboration and the development of a community of practice that can share learnings and experiences to co-design more sustainable and long-term solutions.
