Mélanie Élouise Bennet is a PhD student at the University of East Anglia studying the potential toxicity of biochar from the university's combined heat and power gasification unit on plant growth. The goal is to develop a pilot field trial in Norfolk and provide support to farmers and environmental managers. As chairman of UEA's Gardening Group, she hopes to develop biodiversity conservation and small biochar trials on the university's new campus allotment site. Previously as an undergraduate, she created a successful school allotment project called SAPlings that provided hands-on science learning and won awards for its community engagement and "green" developments at the school.