News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of the latest news, jobs and opportunities
News
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NEW: 2025 Annual Assembly Evaluation Report
We have just published our 2025 Annual Assembly Evaluation Report.
This report will support the ACCESS team as we plan our final Assembly for 2026 and any other projects and centres trying to create their own inclusive, impactful events.
This is the fourth in-depth evaluation of the Assembly and
ACCESS Director, Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, explains why we spend so much time and effort collecting and analysing our event data:
"We go beyond gut feeling and ensure our assumptions and future plans [for the Assembly] are based on the careful analysis of evidence... we are continuously refining the formula to produce ‘better’ outcomes...Year on year, we have increased the number of participants, while maintaining our focus on creating a welcoming and genuinely inclusive event that connects people and organisations across boundaries of discipline, sector and career stage."
Spotlight Interview*: How Aryo Feldman's Asian heritage shapes his work on food systems, science, and justice
Aryo Feldman’s work is rooted in food systems, but it stretches far beyond the field or the lab. For him, food is the anchor that connects science, community, culture, and justice.
Aryo is Course Co-Director for the Global Health and Food Security MSc, delivered in partnership between Royal Holloway, University of London and Kew Gardens. The role allows him to blend his expertise across disciplines, while guiding students to think more broadly and critically about the systems they are preparing to work in:
“I take a systems view of things. I want students to consider not just the science but also the structures around it. Who decides what counts as knowledge? Who gets to shape research priorities? These are questions that matter.”
Read Aryo's Spotlight Interview
*Aryo was interviewed by Jaya Gajparia as part of her new ACCESS interview series, spotlighting environmental social scientists with global-majority backgrounds.
Crossing disciplinary boundaries: Concepts, confidence and courage
On the ACCESS blog, Patrick Devine-Wright shares his reflections on crossing disciplinary boundaries and enabling interdisciplinary collaborations.
The piece was inspired by preparations for a webinar he delivered at the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment last month.
"The experience reminded me that when we step outside of our disciplinary bubbles, we put ourselves in a risky position, requiring a bit of confidence and courage, something that we, as social scientists, don’t always possess."
Patrick goes on to describe some of the activities and interventions that ACCESS has designed to help instil more courage and conviction in early career social scientists.
First roundtable for the new Environmental Social Science in Interdisciplinary Working project
Earlier this month, ACCESS, along with project partners, IES (Institution of Environmental Sciences) held the first of three roundtables for the new Environmental Social Science in Interdisciplinary Working project.
The meeting brought together a dozen professionals from across the social and natural sciences to discuss and share their experiences of interdisciplinary working.
The ACCESS and IES team are now compiling, analysing and reflecting on all the discussions of the day, which will form the foundations of the project, and the starting point in co-producing resources that will support future interdisciplinary working. Watch this space!
Thanks to everyone who has sent in news, events and opportunities to share in today's newsletter.
If you have anything you'd like to share with the ACCESS Network, I'd love to hear from you. You can reply to this email or reach me (Suzy) at: s.p.a.darke@exeter.ac.uk
Events
Just Transition – Climate Action, communities and fairness
Monday 1 December, 1.30-2.30pm, online
This Migrations Mobility Bristol webinar brings together three perspectives – academic, organisational and community partner – to explore how we can build a future that is not only sustainable, but fair for everyone, and how sharing ideas and practices across borders contributes to building justice.
TARG:ET Webinar: “STEEP” Approach for a Multidimensional Assessment of the Transition of Carbon Intensive Industries towards Decarbonization & Circularity
Friday 5 December, 1pm, online
In this TARG:ET seminar, Roh Pin Lee (Brandenburg University of Technology) will be talking about how a socio-technological-ecological-economical-political (“STEEP”) approach –
building on system analysis and integrating a consideration of the human dimension – can contribute to a systemic assessment of alternative transformation routes based on the example of the chemical industry in Germany.
Register here
Sustainable AI Workshop
Friday 12 December, 11.30am-1.30pm, University of Exeter
This short workshop explores how we can understand and reduce our environmental impact of artificial intelligence (AI) at the University of Exeter. As a part of the University’s commitment to taking meaningful action on the climate emergency crisis, it is important to consider the sustainability of our growing use of artificial intelligence.
In this workshop, we will discuss how and where AI contributes to environmental impact at the University and explore potential avenues towards more accountable and sustainable AI practices.
This workshop is a part of the Research Sessions at the Computer Science Department with lunch sponsored by the Centre for Environmental Intelligence & the Environmental Intelligence CDT.
The agenda will include a few short presentations about ongoing work in this area.
If you would like to give a presentation, please contact May Rodriguez: m.rodriguez3@exeter.ac.u.uk)
Training
Systems Mapping for Environmental Domains
Are you interested in attending training in Systems Mapping, specifically designed for those working in the environmental sector?
ACCESS, in conjunction with CECAN Ltd, would like to deliver training in Systems Mapping for Environmental Domains. Can you help us by completing this very brief expression of interest form to help gauge appetite. Let us know if you are interested (or not!).
This one day event would be held in-person at the University of Surrey, Guildford UK in March 2026. Due to the interactive nature of the workshop, hybrid attendance is not being offered.
Previous participants feedback has included:
“The detailed training about different aspects of system mapping has been really useful. Excellent facilitators, brilliant mix of theory and practical sessions. Enjoyed the interaction and enjoyed meeting people from public and private sector organisations.” (Systems Mapping Workshop 2024 delegate)
ReSToRE Summer School
Monday 29 June – Friday 3 July 2026, University College Dublin
The ReSToRE (Researching Social Theories, Resources, and Environment) Summer School is a catalyst for developing future global leaders in sustainability.
It offers educational and professional opportunities, bringing together early career geoscientists, social scientists and environmentalists to collaborate on real-world Earth challenges.
The theme for ReSToRE 4 is: Delivering Sustainability to the Global Community.
Deadline for applications: Monday 1 December
Funding
UKERC Whole Systems Networking Fund for Early Career Researchers
UKERC (UK Energy Research Centre) are issuing a call for applications under their Whole Systems Networking Fund, which is designed to improve Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), collaboration and networking in energy research.
They have £354,000 to allocate to up to four, early career researcher (ECR) led projects through grants of up to £88,500 (at Full Economic Cost). UKERC will fund 80% of the total project costs.
They welcome proposals that align with UKERC’s current Research Activities.
They also welcome proposals for interdisciplinary research, approaches, and methods that speak to more than one current research area.
For more information, contact the UKERC Engagement Manager, Oluwatobi Balogun: oluwatobi.balogun@ukerc.ac.uk
Deadline: Friday 30 January, 5pm
Jobs
Project Manager – Seabird Recovery (Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust)
As Project Manager, you’ll play a central role in preparing for the successful delivery of a complex and high-profile rat eradication programme, one that will have lasting benefits for wildlife, habitats, and island communities.
You will have substantial experience of working in conservation or in other equally complex situations, and will be confident managing contractors, technical specialists, and community engagement activities.
You will be comfortable managing budgets, reporting to funders, and speaking with members of the public. You will excel at developing efficient processes, navigating complex logistical challenges, and bringing together diverse partners and stakeholders.
This is initially a fixed-term contract to 31 March 2027 with the possibility of extension dependent on funding.
Deadline: Tuesday 2 December, midnight
Research Associate (JUST Centre, University of Manchester)
Understanding what works, where, and why (and for whom) is a key focus of a new multi-university consortium: the ESRC-funded Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre.
The role holder will principally be responsible for carrying out place-based research in Greater Manchester (GM), identifying and investigating examples of transition initiatives in the region.
This work will involve using mixed methods to understand how and why the identified initiatives were successful and what lessons they may hold for the wider region and the UK. The role may also include participatory action research (PAR), partnering with local actors to develop and scale up transition initiatives.
This work will be carried out as part of the Centre’s GM Place-Based Action Research Team (PART), led by James Evans, in close collaboration with the University of Manchester JUST leadership team, led by Centre Director Sherilyn MacGregor.
Deadline: Monday 8 December
Postdoctoral Research Associate/Fellow (University of Exeter, Cornwall)
Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach (RENEW) Project
The RENEW project seeks to develop solutions to one of the major environmental challenges for humankind, the renewal of biodiversity. It is funded by NERC and involves 33 project partners. The programme includes academics and partners across environmental sciences, data science, environmental intelligence, social sciences, politics, humanities, business and economics.
The post entails quantitative data collection and analysis to address key questions about the variation in and temporal dynamics of people's relationships with nature, and their consequence.
It will contribute to delivery of Theme 1 which focusses on better understanding the determinants, patterns, and consequences of individuals’ engagement with nature in order to improve the effectiveness of the methods used by many environmental organisations to develop public support for biodiversity renewal.
Deadline: Thursday 11 December
Strategy Lead – Nature Recovery (South Downs National Park Authority)
We are recruiting a Strategy Lead to be responsible for the delivery of nature recovery and water elements for the next South Downs National Park Partnership Management Plan 2026-2031.
You will need to have knowledge and experience of the legislative framework for biodiversity and the water environment, and a proven track record in project delivery and advisory work.
As Strategy Lead, you will be expected to work with a wide range of partners and stakeholders from land managers to statutory bodies, water companies and environmental charities, as well as Officers across all departments of the South Downs National Park Authority.
Deadline: Sunday 14 December
Apply here
Research Associate (JUST Centre, Newcastle University)
The ESRC-funded Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) Centre brings together five universities in the North of England with partners in the policy, innovation, business, local government, community, and voluntary sectors, to accelerate understanding of a just transition.
The role holder will principally be responsible for carrying out place-based case-study research in North East England.
The applicant will identify and investigate examples of place-based transition initiatives in North East England. This work will involve using mixed methods to understand how and why the identified initiatives were successful and what lessons they may hold for the wider region and the UK. The role may also include participatory action research (PAR), partnering with local actors to develop and scale up transition initiatives.
This work will be carried out in collaboration with the Centre's North East Place Lead, Danny MacKinnon.
Deadline: Sunday 11 January
Assistant Professor in Social Psychology / Environmental Psychology (London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE))
The LSE is recruiting for for an Assistant Professor in the areas of social psychology, environmental psychology, and/or consumer psychology with, for instance, application to societal transformation, sustainable transitions, or system change.
The successful candidate will contribute to teaching on a range of programmes, including on the MSc Societal and Environmental Psychology.
Applicants should have expertise and research interests in social, environmental, and/or consumer psychology; expertise in innovative qualitative methods, combined with quantitative skills; a track record or trajectory of internationally excellent publications; and a clear, well developed and viable strategy for future outstanding research that has the potential to result in world-leading publications.
Deadline: Sunday 25 January 2026, 11.59pm
PhD studentships
Fully-funded PhD Studentship (Loughborough University)
CARE: Climate Risk Evaluation Using Participatory Mapping for Flood-Prone and Data-Scarce Environments
This PhD project offers an opportunity to rethink how we understand and map urban flood risk in ways that are fairer, more inclusive, and scientifically robust. You will work at the intersection of community knowledge-building, geospatial data science, and disaster risk reduction, developing methods that combine participatory mapping with advanced spatial modelling.
With support from UNITAC and academic partners, you will co-design workshops with communities in flood-prone cities (locations chosen to fit your background and experience). Residents will share insights about safe and unsafe spaces, overlooked risks, and coping strategies. These insights will be digitised and scaled using open datasets (e.g. WorldPop, OpenStreetMap, satellite imagery) and advanced tools such as GIS, Python/R, and small area estimation methods. The resulting models will integrate hazards, exposure, and vulnerability to produce high-resolution risk maps.
Deadline: Thursday 8 January
Opportunities
Call for abstracts: Livable Cities Conference
Wednesday 17 - Friday 19 June 2026, University of Salford, Manchester
Final call for abstracts for the Sustainability and Resilience strand of the Livable Cities Conference.
Themes include, but are not limited to:
- Sea-level rise
- Strategic retreat
- Net zero energy
- Architecture
- Resilient city initiatives
- Urban heat islands
- Circular economy
- Urbanisation
- Resource use & accessibility
Publications will be with Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UCL Press and AMPS Publishing.
Deadline: Monday 1 December
Neurodiversity in Higher Education (NDinHE) Community
Neurodiversity in Higher Education (NDinHE) is a community for neurodivergent individuals working in Higher Education, as well as allies and others with an interest in this area.
The group is based on LinkedIn but also has an email list.
Their primary focus is to improve support for neurodivergent staff across the HE sector – including both academic and professional services colleagues. They also hold a particular interest in the impact of neurodivergence on women in the workplace. The group welcomes new members from across the sector – whether you’re here to connect, learn, share experiences, or champion change.
They also hold NDinHE Connect meetings, these are a relaxed online space to connect, share and chat with others in the community.
These currently run once every three months or so, for an hour over lunch time.
The next session is on Tuesday 2 December 12.30-13.30.
Call for submissions: 2026 Behaviour Change Conference for Health and Sustainability
Wednesday 17 - Friday 19 June 2026, Lisbon & online
This is the 10th International Conference from the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change in partnership with NOVA National School of Public Health, Portugal.
The conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and professionals from around the world to share knowledge and form collaborations for a healthier, sustainable future.
Submissions are invited for abstracts, symposia, panel discussions, and pre-conference workshops.
Deadline: 15 December 2025
UK Parliament, Call for Evidence: International climate policy
Interested stakeholders are invited to submit evidence on any or all of the following questions:
UK Government leadership
- How important is domestic delivery on climate action and climate governance to the UK’s climate leadership on the global stage?
- How adequate is cooperation between the UK Government and devolved administrations in implementing, developing and presenting the UK’s international climate policy?
- How can the UK most effectively engage with the UN climate architecture in developing, establishing and implementing international climate policy?
- How do the UK’s 2030 and 2035 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) impact domestic climate action, and how does it compare globally on NDCs?
Non-state actor involvement and leadership
- What impact does the increasing involvement globally of non-state actors - such as local governments, businesses, investors, NGOs and communities – in leading on climate action have?
- What role do UK non-state actors have in leading on international climate action and how cant he UK Government best support them?
Climate finance
- How successful has international climate finance, and the UK Government’s contribution to it, been in supporting developing countries to respond to the challenges of climate change? What improvements could be made?
- What approach should the Government take to the UK’s climate finance arrangements post-March 2026? How much difference does political uncertainty make to climate finance?
- What is the balance to be struck between support for mitigation and for adaptation, and which finance instruments work best for each?
Submissions should be no more than 3,000 words and should not include material that is already published.
Deadline: Wednesday 7 January 2026, 11.59pm
Call for abstracts: Civil Service Climate + Environment (CSCEN) Conference 2026
Wednesday 25 March 2026, London
The conference aims to bring a broad audience together to explore how climate, environment and nature-based actions can drive sustainable economic growth.
Moving beyond traditional ‘greening’ narratives, the conference will showcase work that connects people, ideas, and sectors to unlock innovation, build capability, and deliver tangible impact for climate, nature, environment and economic growth.
Eligibility Criteria
Conference contributions are open to individuals who meet one of the following criteria:
- Civil servants – Individuals employed by UK government departments and agencies who adhere to the Civil Service Code, which promotes integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality
- Arm’s length bodies (ALBs) – Employees of organisations linked to government but operating independently (e.g. executive agencies, non-ministerial government departments, non-departmental public bodies), eligible due to their role in contributing to public service delivery and government policy implementation
- Public servants – Staff working in public sector organisations (e.g. local authorities, the NHS) who serve the public interest and uphold similar standards of conduct to the Civil Service Code.
Call for abstracts: Building Capability in Behavioural Research 2026 Conference
Tuesday 30 June 2026, University of Birmingham
In partnership with Behavioural Research UK (BR-UK), this Conference will convene an interdisciplinary community of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for a dynamic programme of discussion, exchange, and collaboration to build new networks and strengthen existing ones. The conference will include interactive sessions, keynote talks, and networking forums.
Abstracts may be submitted under one of two categories:
- Research Abstracts – presenting original behavioural research, including research conducted in applied settings
- Knowledge in Practice Abstracts – showcasing behavioural insights in action, such as interventions, tools, or programmes developed and applied outside academic environments
Both categories welcome submissions related to the following themes:
- AI, Digital and Technology
- Health and Wellbeing
- Environment and Sustainability
Deadline: Thursday 15 January 2026
Online survey: Supporting children and young people with climate distress
Do you have direct or research experience of supporting children and young people (CYP) with climate distress?
Sophie Randall (Cardiff University) is conducting a survey which seeks to understand the psychosocial support needs of CYP experiencing climate distress and how these can be supported in practice.
Details:
Completion of an anonymous online survey via Qualtrics. A few weeks later you will be sent the survey again with some feedback from the responses of the first round. Each round of the survey will take approx. 20 minutes.
Info
Place-sensitive understandings of nature recovery in the UK
The British Academy has just published their Nature Recovery Discussion Paper Series, which shares insights from the Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts for People and the Economy (SHAPE disciplines) in relation to nature recovery projects and approaches in practice across the UK.
The 11 papers include considerations for policymakers informed by case studies and enhance understanding of the relationships between place, people, and policy in relation to nature recovery.
Cross-cutting themes are:
place-sensitive delivery and governance
effective participation
cultural understandings and creative practice
opportunities for innovation
Please contact Isabelle Taylor (i.taylor@thebritishacademy.ac.uk) if you have any questions or would like to discuss opportunities to collaborate on the topic of nature recovery policymaking and delivery.
The New BPS Environmental Psychology Section Committee
The first full committee for the British Psychological Society’s Environmental Psychology Section has been announced. This new section provides a dedicated home for environmental psychology within the BPS, aiming to strengthen research, practice, and collaboration across the UK.
The Environmental Psychology Section's goals are to:
- Advance research and practice in environmental psychology.
- Build a vibrant community for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
- Support career development and mentoring opportunities.
- Champion evidence-based approaches to address pressing environmental and societal challenges.
Committee Co-chairs:
- Chris Jones – University of Portsmouth
- Melissa Marselle – University of Surrey
Committee Members:
- Archontia Manolakelli – AtkinsRealis
- David Uzzell – University of Surrey
- Eddie Edgerton – University of the West of Scotland
- Harriet MacLachlainn – University of the West of Scotland (PhD student)
- Leanne Haywood – University of Chichester (PhD student)
- Lora Denkovic-Kraljev – Independent Researcher
- Stacey Heath – Open University
- Stephanie Wilkie – Northumbria University
- Steven Kator Iorfa – University of Nottingham
- Sue Wilbraham – Cumbria University
- Victoria Carr – RSPB
Climate Change and Sustainability Education in Additional Learning Needs and Alternative Provision Settings
This report from Shannon O’Connor, Jennifer Rudd, and David Thomas (Swansea University) and Bryony Bromley (Keep Wales Tidy), looks at the challenges of delivering compulsory Climate Change and Sustainability Education(CCSE) to pupils with additional learning needs.
It shares key findings from interviews with 26 educational settings across Wales and provides a roadmap for transforming CCSE delivery.
The authors write:
“Implementation of these recommendations will ensure that all learners in Wales, regardless of their educational needs, can access high-quality climate and sustainability education that prepares them to contribute meaningfully to Wales’s environmental future.”
We mustn’t scrap net zero – but we need a radically different way to talk about it
This piece by Rebecca Orr on the Climate Outreach blog argues that 'net zero' is, for many people, an abstract and remote concept that is disconnected from the realities of daily life.
Drawing on findings from Climate Outreach's Britain Talks Climate and Nature 2025 Report, Orr argues that net zero has become a polarising term, weaponised by an increasingly vocal opposition to our climate targets:
"Now is not the moment to be talking to people about lofty targets... People have far too many worries in their lives to engage in what feel like abstract and remote concepts.
"Instead we need to keep talking about progress we have already made and continue to make... and talk about building a more prosperous future, together."
Tipping Point: BBC Radio 4 Drama
This drama is part of the OKRE (Opening Knowledge across Research and Entertainment) Experimental Stories series, an annual collaborative scheme, supported by Wellcome, which brings together scientists, experts and researchers with radio drama writers and producers to generate compelling ideas for storytelling inspired by science.
In 2040, a Middle Eastern nation is struggling to survive rising temperatures and rolling power cuts. Architect Noura Halim has devoted her life to designing a new kind of city, one that could protect people from the worsening climate and keep her country alive. But as construction begins, the project drains the nation’s fragile resources, workers are pushed to breaking point, and her teenage daughter Amal begins to question everything her mother believes in.
As tensions rise at home and across the country, Noura must confront the cost of her own ambition and the possibility that her dream of salvation could destroy the very place she’s trying to save.
Tipping Point was developed in consultation with Robert Hughes (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Candice Howarth (London School of Economics & ACCESS Adaptation and Resilience Task Force).
Are you on the ACCESS Environmental Social Science expert database?
Join our searchable database of social scientists and experts working in the fields of climate and environment. The database includes both academics in universities as well as those working in the public sector, charities and businesses. It's quickly becoming one of our most visited web pages. A useful resource for people looking to collaborate and connect with environmental social scientists.
It only takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete the online form.
