Kerry is a Principal Science Advisor within the Scottish Government, advising Ministers and policy teams on a broad range of subject areas from agriculture and greenhouse gas emissions to circular economy and waste. She has a background in biogeochemistry, with a strong publication record focusing on carbon and greenhouse gas cycling through peatland and tundra ecosystems. During her research career, Kerry managed multiple international research projects, supervised successful PhD students, was secretariat to the Royal Society’s Global Environment Research Committee, and sat on the leadership committee for a NERC doctoral training partnership.

Kerry then moved to environmental charity, Fidra, where she led the development of a chemical pollution programme. By sharing scientific expertise and a passion for environmental improvement, she worked with UK supermarkets and suppliers to initiate a phase-out of PFAS from food packaging, developed investor initiatives to encourage responsible chemical management, and fed into multiple forums on post-Brexit UK chemicals policy. Kerry is also a strong science communicator, having spoken across multiple popular media outlets (Channel 4 News, Costing the Earth), investor platforms (Environmental Funders Network) and expert panels (pre-screening and promotional events for the Dark Waters movie).

She was elected to the IES Council in April 2024