About me:

I am a social scientist focused on understanding processes of change within energy systems. I draw on ideas and methods from multiple disciplines to a) advance our theoretical understanding of energy system change and b) develop practical recommendations for stakeholders seeking to affect change towards more sustainable energy systems.

Specific research interests include:

• The role of policy, politics and governance in shaping energy system change
• Public participation and engagement in energy system change
• The role of place-based sustainability experimentation in wider transitions
• The social construction of, and interaction between, the 'megatrends' of decarbonisation, decentralisation, digitalisation and democratisation
• Community energy as a site of socio-technical innovation

Research interests:

I am interested in the drivers and implications of processes of transformation within the energy system. Ongoing social and technological innovation is changing both the structure and the functioning of energy systems around the world. The processes and outcomes of such change can be understood as transformational: they comprise technologies and infrastructures that are fundamentally different in terms of nature, scale and geography, and involve broader, deeper and more dynamic forms of engagement with the society in which they are embedded. My research is concerned with understanding both the factors and the implications of these changes.

Qualifications:

2016 PhD From local to global value: The transformational nature of community energy (University of Exeter)
2009 MSc Economics for Natural Resource and Environmental Management (Cranfield University)
2004 BSc Environmental Science (University of Dundee)