Origination and Innovation Lab™
SAFL’s Origination and Innovation Lab (SOIL) links academia with real-world sustainability challenges. In partnership with universities like Exeter and Plymouth, we collaborate with PhD and MSc students on live projects, blending finance, sustainability and the blue economy. This drives innovation, generates investment opportunities and directs capital to the green and blue economy.
The process
Previous alumni
Each year, a small group of students joins SOIL to engage with complex, real-world challenges at the intersection of finance and sustainability. Through critical thinking, fresh insight, and a willingness to explore new approaches, they contribute meaningfully to our work and help shape the direction of emerging ideas.
See below for some of our past alumni profiles.
Kishanth Prabhakaran
2024 alumni
Kishanth, a graduate of the MSc in Global Sustainability Solutions program at the University of Exeter. As an ESG research intern at SAFL, he gained experience while exploring the role of investment funds in driving sustainability.
Sebastian Born
2024 alumni
Seb recently graduated with distinction from the MSc in Global Sustainability Solutions program at the University of Exeter. He was pleased to be offered the opportunity to combine his passion for science, environmental policy, and financial markets to drive positive change as part of the SAFL team.
Sophie Jackson
2024 alumni
Sophie actively sought out opportunities to gain interdisciplinary experience related to sustainability. As a University of Exeter UNFCCC delegate at COP26, Sophie's interest in the role of finance in addressing pressing social and environmental challenges was sparked by discussions on 'Finance for Climate Adaptation'.
Alexios Philalithis
2025 alumni
With a background in computer science, Alexios supported the team by applying his technical background to projects with a sustainability focus while also helping to explore and implement AI tools to enhance internal processes and research capability.