Professor Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), University of Oxford, has been named in the ENDS Power List 2026, marking his third consecutive appearance in the annual ranking of the UK's most influential environmental professionals.
Professor Malhi has been recognised in the Academics category alongside leading researchers from across the UK. His inclusion in 2026 follows appearances in the ENDS Power List in 2024 and 2025, reflecting his continued influence in ecosystem science, nature recovery and climate change research.
Professor Malhi said: “I am grateful to be recognised on this list, alongside a wonderful array of practitioners, researchers and activists striving to repair our relationship with the rest of the living world, a relationship essential for our collective flourishing.”
Compiled by environmental news and intelligence service ENDS Report, the Power List celebrates individuals who have made a significant impact on environmental policy, practice, research and public understanding over the past two years.
Based at Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, Professor Malhi is internationally recognised for his work on tropical forests, biodiversity, climate change and ecosystem functioning. He is also the founding Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery (LCNR), which brings together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to understand and support effective, scalable and socially inclusive approaches to nature recovery.
A Fellow of the Royal Society, Trustee of the Natural History Museum and recipient of the 2025 Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, Professor Malhi has played a leading role in advancing understanding of how nature recovery can support climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing.
Also included on the list of academics is LCNR researcher Dr Sophus zu Ermgassen from the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford.
The ENDS Power List showcases environmental professionals whose work is helping to shape policy, influence practice and deliver positive environmental outcomes across the UK.