Annayah Prosser
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of PsychologyStart date: September 2018
Research topic: From Action to Identity and Back Again: An exploration of the adoption, maintenance, and transmission of pro-environmental behaviour among moralised practice group members and non-members
Transport, diet and material consumption are widely identified as crucial sites for environmental behaviour change. However, these behaviours are woven into daily life, and their change requires a great deal of personal or social sacrifice. Despite this, many people adapt their daily behaviour drastically in light of moral sensitivity to environmental concerns- adopting new identities (e.g. Vegan or Voluntary Simplifier) and reorganizing their lifestyles in accordance with their moral values.My research examines intra and intergroup processes involved in the maintenance, transmission and adoption of pro-environmental identities, and their role in influencing or inhibiting social change in wider populations.
Research supervisors: Dr Tim Kurz, Dr Saffron O’Neill , Dr Jan-Willem Bolderdijk
Professional memberships/Positions held:
Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Society for Improving Psychological ScienceEmail: ap832@bath.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annayah-prosser-b966639b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annayahprosser
Basia Cieszewska
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental SciencesStart date: September 2021
Research topic: Accelerating the net zero transition: the case of whole house retrofit
Achieving net zero requires radical and transformative action in a short timeframe with no prior precedents for a systemic transformation at this scale and speed. I am interested in how transitions can be accelerated, while taking into account that fundamentally this is a social and not just a technological or economic transformation. My research will explore how acceleration of transitions is enabled or constrained by focusing on the challenges of retrofitting UK homes. Current climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete decarbonisation of the housing stock, while achieving it also offers numerous societal co-benefits.Research supervisors: Dr Catherine Butler , Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh , Dr Iain Soutar
Email: b.w.cieszewska@exeter.ac.uk
Ben Newport
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Natural Resource Management (ESRC/NERC +4)
University of Bristol, School of Geographical SciencesStart date: September 2018
Research topic: Integrating ecological and socioeconomic analysis to optimise forest protection and restoration to meet international climate targets and SDGs.
Reforestation plays a key role in many tropical countries’ pledges under the Paris Agreement, whilst simultaneously providing co-benefits such as biodiversity protection and income generation for local communities. However, there is often a disconnect between the social and biophysical sciences when planning and implementing such multifunctional forest interventions. By incorporating approaches from both disciplines, my research aims to develop a framework for designing reforestation interventions which provide the greatest overall benefits at a landscape-scale whilst being sustainable into the long-term. Specifically, I am focusing on the peatland forests of Malaysian Borneo and its resident Dayak communities.Research supervisors: Dr Naomi Millner , Dr T.C. Hales , Dr Jo House
Email: bn16912@bristol.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRNewport
Bethany Sugg
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Department of ManagementStart date: October 2019
Research topic: Exploring the Role of Circular Textiles within Global Fashion Operations
The fashion industry is increasingly coming under fire due to concerns surrounding its sustainability. As just one example, it is thought that if the sector continues on its current trajectory, it will account for a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions by 2050. A potential way to alleviate some of these concerns could be to transition towards using circular textiles, as opposed to virgin alternatives. These type of textiles align to the principles of the circular economy and can be created from bio-based or regenerated fibres. Through my interdisciplinary PhD I am exploring the barriers, motivators and relationships impacting the adoption of circular textiles within commercial fashion ranges.Research supervisors: Professor Ian Cook, Professor Agnes Nairn
Email: lo19663@bristol.ac.uk
Catherine Queen
Sustainable Futures Alumni, Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Environment, Energy and Resilience (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental SciencesStart date: September 2013
Research topic: The seldom-heard voice in public engagement with overhead power lines
I am exploring the tensions between the normative expectations of infrastructure planning, as a collaborative process, and the hard-to-reach public’s expectations of justice and fairness. There is limited literature exploring participation in Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, especially concerning publics who are involuntarily disengaged. I am using a Case Study approach, supported by qualitative methods of data collection, to identify the existing opportunities for public knowledge contributions and the barriers to participation for hard-to-reach groups or individuals. Focus groups, semi-structured interviews and walking interviews will help me to explore effective public engagement techniques focussing on the importance of place attachment.Research supervisors: Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, Dr Karen Bickerstaff (Exeter), Professor Alan Lewis (Bath)
Professional memberships/Positions held:
CMLI – Chartered Member of the Landscape InstituteAIEMA – Associate Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
Email: caq201@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherine-queen-72261518
Celia Robbins
Student Rep, Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC +3)
University of Bristol, School of GeographyStart date: September 2017
Research topic: Community energy landscapes
As we shift away from large fossil-fuel power stations, power generation is no longer the preserve of a few big companies. Community groups can own wind turbines or solar farms, generating profit to help local services while they tackle CO2 emissions. But community involvement does not guarantee local support, or a smooth path through the planning process. Most studies about contentious renewable energy projects have looked at private-sector schemes; my research will address what happens when there is disagreement within a community. I will look at different interpretations of what ‘community energy’ is and ask how people are affected by changes to places and landscapes arising from new ways of generating and managing power.Research supervisors: Professor Patrick Devine-Wright (Exeter), Professor Katie Williams (UWE), Dr Catherine Butler (Exeter)
Professional memberships/Positions held:
SWDTP Student RepEmail: cr481@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celia-robbins-09433aa4/
Claudia Fry
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
+3
University of Exeter, Sustainable FuturesStart date: September 2023
Research topic: Governance of planned relocation, Justice
I am a social scientist with focus on migration, the environment, climate change, and governance. My PhD project explores processes of planning for and resisting climate-related relocation in Fiji. I focus on the political and social relations between community members and other actors involved in adaptation and approach adaptation as an issue of political and social struggles. I use a social contract theory lens to understand how community members considered for planned relocation negotiate, develop and formulate their own visions of just and fair adaptation governance through contesting established, normative allocations of rights and responsibilities and pushing for new principles of climate justice.Publications
Fry, C., Boyd, E., Connaughton, M., Adger, W. N., Gavonel, M. F., Zickgraf, C., Fransen, S., Jolivet, D., Fábos, A. H., & Carr, E. (2024). Migrants as sustainability actors: Contrasting nation, city and migrant discourses and actions. Global Environmental Change, 87, 102860. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102860
Gini G, Piggott-McKellar A, Wiegel H, Neu F, Link AC, Fry C, Tabe T, Adegun O, Wade C, Bower ER, Koeltzow S, Harrington-Abrams R, Jacobs C, van der Geest K, Zivdar N, Alaniz R, Cherop C, Durand-Delacre D, Pill M, Shekhar H, Yates O, Khan MAA, Nansam-Aggrey FK, Grant L, Nizar DA, Owusu-Daaku KN, Praeto A, Stefancu O, Yee M. Navigating tensions in climate change-related planned relocation. Ambio. 2024 Jun 7. doi: 10.1007/s13280-024-02035-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38847970.
Kalubowila, Palindi, Buri, Sinja, Lietaert, Ine, Cissé, Jennifer D., Backhouse, Judy, Janz, Teresa, Orendain, Dan Jezreel A., Oakes, Robert, Consentino de la Vega, Rafael, Fry, Claudia, Dietrich, Stephan and Okunola, Olasunkanmi H. (2024). How Can Urban Governance Better Respond to Climate Risks in the Global South? A Multi-Disciplinary Review. United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies.
Zickgraf, C., Jolivet, D., Fry, C., Boyd, E., & Fábos, A. (2024). Bridging and breaking silos: Transformational governance of the migration-sustainability nexus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121(3). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2206184120
Durande-Delacre D, et al. (2023) Integrating Planned Relocation in National Climate Action Five key insights for consideration by governments and policymakers. UNU-EHS Policy Brief. Bonn.
Olsson, L, Jerneck A, Fry C, Habib A.B. 2023. Civil Society and Social Integration of Asylum Seekers: The ‘Strength of Weak Ties’ and the Dynamics of ‘Strategic Action Fields’.Social Sciences 12: 403
Fry C and Islar M (2021) Horizontal Local Governance and Social Inclusion: The Case of Municipality-Civil Society Engagement During Refugee Reception in Malmö, Sweden. Front. Polit. Sci. 3:643134
Research supervisors: Prof. Neil Adger, Dr. Alice Venn, Dr. Ricardo Safra de Campos, Dr. Rachel Turner
Email: c.fry@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-fry-2a73041a7/
Twitter: https://x.com/FryTClaudia
Emma Atkins
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
ESRC +3
University of Bristol, Centre of Sociodigital FuturesStart date: September 2022
Research topic: Food Wast and the Fridge
I am interested in food waste, technology and gender, and how objects and systems affect our food waste practices. I will be taking a case study of the fridge and looking at 1) how the fridge evolved to what it is today, 2) how people are using it now and 3) what claims are being made about the future of the fridge, and by whom. I hope to uncover whether food waste was factored into the modern design of the fridge, and to what extent the fridge has agency in our household food waste.Research supervisors: David Evans, Dale Southerton
Email: emma.atkins@bristol.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emma_Atks
Fay Kahane
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Geography and Environmental ScienceStart date: October 2020
Research topic: Saving which bees? Investigating the social & economic impacts of rewilding honeybees.
I’m an ecologist moving into social science, and this interdisciplinary project will explore sustainability in beekeeping. There’s increasing interest in rewilding honeybees to facilitate survival of this economically and environmentally critical pollinator outside of managed hives. Working with beekeepers and other stakeholders, I’ll investigate ecological impacts of changing practices using field data, the BEEHAVE model and disease analysis. Using Q-methodology and Social Network Analysis, I’ll investigate how perspectives and practice change over the course of this collaborative research, with aims to enhance communication among the beekeeping community, scientists and policymakers, and facilitate evidence-led action for pollinators (managed and wild).Research supervisors: Dr Karen Scott, Professor Martin Parker, Professor Juliet Osborne, Professor Stefano Pascucci
Professional memberships/Positions held:
MCIEEM: Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental ManagementEmail: fk300@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faykahane/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayKahane
George Hoppit
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Natural Resource Management (ESRC/NERC +4)
University of Bristol, School of Geographical SciencesStart date: September 2018
Research topic: Beyond paper parks: Managing Marine Protecting areas for ecological and social benefits
Research supervisors: Daniela Schmidt, Rachel Turnet, Margherita Pierracinni
Email: george.hoppit@bristol.ac.uk
Hannah Hayes
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, Faculty of Environment, Science and EconomyStart date: October 2020
Research topic: Climate justice dimensions of flood risk adaptation
My PhD research specialises in flood risk and her PhD research focuses on the climate justice dimensions of flood and coastal risk management approaches in the UK.Research supervisors: Prof. Julie Barnett (University of Bath), Dr Saffron O'Neill (University of Exeter) , Professor Julie Barnett (University of Bath)
Professional memberships/Positions held:
Member of CIWEM (Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management).SWDTP Student Rep
Email: hh547@exeter.ac.uk
Isabella Hawkes
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
+3
University of Exeter, Geography DepartmentStart date: September 2023
Research topic: Mapping and appraising diverse engagement with energy systems and transitions in Cornwall, UK
My research explores the diverse ways in which publics engage with energy, with a view to delivering citizen-led research that contributes to the development of just energy transitions. I am interested in how citizens are implicated within energy systems, how they conceptualise these engagements and how these conceptualisations may change over time. The aim is to use this knowledge to consider how diverse engagements implicate regional, and broader, energy transition decision making. Utilising mixed-method, deliberative methodologies (deliberative mapping and longitudinal profiles) I hope to generate new ways of thinking about public engagement and appraisal of energy futures.Research supervisors: Dr Cat Butler, Dr Christina Demski
Email: ih371@exeter.ac.uk
Jordane Liebeaux
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Bristol, Law SchoolStart date: September 2024
Research topic: Towards the Ecocentric Governance of Global Commons: Ethics, Justice, and Rights in the Antarctic
Antarctica is one of the four global commons, which are area and resources beyond national jurisdiction. As there is no permanent human population in Antarctica, more-than-humans are the only residents of the region. My research aims to provide a critical ecocentric study of Antarctic law and governance drawing on the rights of nature and multispecies justice discourses and contribute to the legal debate around the exploitation of global commons in the larger context of environmental change. Based on posthuman and decolonial theories, it deconstructs and challenges the very notion of global commons.Research supervisors: Margherita Pieraccini, Mark Jackson and Adrian Howkins
Email: gm23357@bristol.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordane-liebeaux-3012571bb/?locale=en_US
Kai Greenlees
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter September 2024Start date: September 2024
Research topic: Positive tipping points for UK domestic heat decarbonisation: Bridging psychology and complexity science in agent-based models
Domestic heating is a significant source of carbon emissions in the UK; however, it has been a difficult sector to decarbonise, partially because social barriers have not been adequately addressed. My research will identify social enablers that underpin the decarbonisation of domestic heating in the UK. The pace of change needed is significant, therefore, I will explore the potential for positive tipping points to accelerate non-linear transformation to lower carbon heating. I aim to build on the social theory of positive tipping points and create applied tools to aid more inclusive social interventions to decarbonise domestic heating at scale.Publications
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13412-021-00686-1
Research supervisors: Professor Tim Lenton, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh
Email: og330@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-greenlees/
Twitter: https://x.com/Kai_Greenlees
Website/Blog: https://medium.com/@kaigreenlees
Rose Bevan-Smith
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
1+3
University of Bath September 2023Start date: September 2023
Research topic: Criminalising Environmental Damage through the Introduction of an International Ecocide Law
My research aims to explore the scope and significance of criminalising environmental damage through the introduction of an international ecocide law. Employing qualitative methods, including ethnography and semi-structured interviews, I will examine current legal practices and gather insights from relevant legal practices and those closer to the ground. This data will inform an in-depth analysis of alternative approaches for criminalising ecocide, with the goal of advancing scholarly and policy debates. Ultimately, my project aims to protect vulnerable communities and nature from harm by developing, reframing and enriching the discourse on ecocide law.Research supervisors: Dr Sophia Hatzisavvidou , Dr Oscar Berglund
Email: rhabs20@bath.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
Sam Collier
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC/NERC +3)
University of Bristol, School of Geographical StudiesStart date: September 2017
Research topic: The geography of local energy and its role in the energy transition
My research seeks to determine the role of local energy actors in the spatial diffusion of solar photovoltaics, and their contribution to overcoming the energy trilemma of energy security, energy affordability (and equity) and environmental sustainability. Spatial analysis will identify factors associated with the uptake of small-scale solar at various geographical scales, reflecting energy governance as multi-scalar. This spatial work will inform a subsequent case study approach, which will assess local energy’s current role in the energy system and how this might evolve in the future.Research supervisors: Dr Jo House (Bristol), Dr Peter Connor (Exeter), Professor Rich Harris (Bristol)
Professional memberships/Positions held:
British Institute of Energy Economics – Student MemberBristol Futures – Mentor
Email: sam.collier@bristol.ac.uk
Sam Taylor
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of PsychologyStart date: October 2020
Research topic: Promoting Social-Environmental Participation and Well-being Through Shared Values
People tend to share compassionate values, but they tend not to accurately perceive the level of similarity. My research aims to develop interventions based on demonstrating the extent compassionate values are shared by others in one’s community. The effects of these on a number of outcomes related to social and environmental sustainability will be examined, such as well-being, civic participation and intellectual humility in public debate and discussion.Research supervisors: Professor Gregory Maio (University of Bath), Professor Richard Harris (University of Bristol
Email: sjt80@bath.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-taylor-a0763018b/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamTaylor475
Sophia Buchanan Barlow
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
Sustainable Futures 1+3
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental SciencesStart date: September 2021
Research topic: Investigating human and environment interdependency through relational wellbeing in blue-green spaces
Social scientists have become increasingly interested in human-environment interactions. Alongside this, policy instruments are grappling with how sustainability and human wellbeing can be simultaneously enhanced. My research aims to further the concept of relational wellbeing to connect ideas around stewardship, care and empathy. Using qualitative research methods – such as walking interviews and photo-elicitation workshops – I will analyse how resource-users and the public, more generally, experience blue-green spaces and the impact this has on their relational wellbeing. This research aims to contribute new knowledge on human-environment interdependency and how sustainability and wellbeing can be fostered for those interacting with blue-green spaces.Research supervisors: Dr Louisa Evans, Dr Hannah Parrott, Dr Catherine Butler
Email: sjb281@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/sophia-buchanan-barlow-5616a3184
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiabbarlow
Sylvia Hayes
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
PhD Researcher in Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental SciencesStart date: September 2019
Research topic: Constructing Climate Change in an Online World
I am interested in the way climate change is communicated and discussed in an increasingly online media landscape. My research attempts to investigate the impact of institutional norms and pressures on media representations of climate change by assessing how the modern newsroom impacts upon the framing of climate change in media content produced. I am particularly interested in the way that new digital technologies and platforms are having an effect on climate change in the media.Research supervisors: Dr Saffron O’Neill, Dr Tim Kurz
Email: sh737@exeter.ac.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sylviahayes98
Veronica White
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
Sustainable Futures (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, Geography; Faculty of Environment, Science and EconomyStart date: September 2022
Research topic: Visualising future food: imaginaries of UK food system transformation
The contemporary food system is both a driver of climate change and vulnerable to the changing climate. But what does a healthy, sustainable and climate-resilient food system in the UK really look like? And how can our collective imaginary of future food systems help bring about the transformational changes that are needed?Using creative methodologies, such as photo elicitation, this project will allow me to combine my interests in climate change, agriculture and photography to co-produce imaginaries of the UK’s future food system, from production to consumption.
Research supervisors: Dr Saffron O’Neill (Exeter), Dr Julie Barnett (Bath), Dr Angela Cassidy (Exeter)
Email: vmw210@exeter.ac.uk
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicaa-white/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Veronicaa_White
Website/Blog: https://veronicaphotoswhite.wixsite.com/v-for-visual
Yu Shuang Gan
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
Sustainable Futures
University of Bath, University of BathStart date: October 2023
Research topic: Choosing Sustainable Meat? Understanding and Fostering Consumer Adoption of Alternative Meat
My research focuses on sustainable food consumption, in particular the transition towards alternative meat (e.g., plant-based meat and cell-cultured meat). I will be using a combination of Psychology and Geography approaches (e.g., the concept of “foodscape”) to examine the contextual and socio-psychological drivers and barriers behind consumption of alternative meat, and will also design and test behavioural interventions to encourage consumer acceptance of these novel food products. The research projects will involve qualitative studies and quantitative methods, in collaboration with multiple public and private partners to inform both future research and policies.Publications:
Toy, S., Whitmarsh, L., Mitev, K., Gan, Y.S., Player, L., McGuicken, T., Thorman, D., Wilson, M., Graham, K., Hayden, N. (2023). Motivating a low-carbon workforce – Insights from Cornwall Council. CAST Briefing Paper 18. https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-CAST-briefing-18-motivating-low-carbon-behaviours-in-the-workplace-insights-from-cornwall-council-3.pdf.pdfResearch supervisors: Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh & Dr Catherine Butler
Email: ysg20@bath.ac.uk