Piran is Professor of Environmental Management at the University of York and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Global Development Centre. He carries out research on people, wildlife and the environment, including the services and benefits we derive from nature, and the links between ecosystems, health, and development. Much of this work involves the use of interdisciplinary approaches from the social and economic sciences alongside more traditional ecological research. His grant income includes funding from NERC, ESRC, BBSRC and Defra.  He is former Director of the NERC-funded Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) research programme. He has worked in the UK, Australasia, Latin America and the Caribbean. His current research includes projects on the impact of the environment on mental health and wellbeing, the protective value of ecosystems, vulnerability and resilience in relation to environmental hazards, and the implications of political and land use change for climate risk and vulnerability.