News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of this week's news, jobs and opportunities
News
New ACCESS/IES Toolkit for Collaborative Working
Over the past year, ACCESS and the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) have been working together to develop a toolkit for collaborative working across disciplines and sectors in environmental science. This toolkit provides a practical framework and supporting resources to build more effective interdisciplinary collaborations in projects spanning research, policy, and practice.
The toolkit will be launched at the IES's flagship conference, Dialogue Between Disciplines, this September, where an interactive, skill-building workshop will introduce the framework and related resources (see Events item below).
Events
Workshop: Low Carbon Computing
Thursday 10 & Friday 11 September, Lancaster University
The 2nd Low Carbon Computing Workshop (LoCo 2026) brings together researchers and practitioners to examine the environmental sustainability of computing and approaches to reducing the impacts associated with AI.
The workshop will provide space for discussion on current research through papers and lightning talks on the first day, followed by two hands-on tutorials on “low footprint” AI on the second.
The event is hybrid, although the tutorials are currently planned as in-person sessions. Participants are welcome to attend either or both days.
The social and environmental impacts of AI data centres
Monday 14 September, 12.30-1.15pm, online
In this talk, hosted by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), Rory Murphy (University of Exeter, ACCESS) explores the social and environmental impacts of AI data centres, setting academic evidence alongside the experiences of communities living near data centres.
He asks how the UK planning system identifies AI’s socio-environmental impacts, and considers to what extent that system addresses public concerns.
This webinar is free and open to all.
Webinar: 'Communicating the Unpopular' CAST Centre
Wednesday 16 September 2-3pm, online
Hosted by the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation (CAST)
The UK’s transition to net zero is already underway, but reaching the 2050 target will also require changes to everyday behaviours, including reducing meat consumption and air travel. Such measures can be controversial and risk provoking public resistance.
How can we talk about these ‘sticky’ climate topics in ways that build support for the social and behavioural changes needed?
This seminar brings together researchers and communications experts from CAST, Climate Outreach, the Economic and Social Research Institute's Behavioural Research Unit and Local Storytelling Exchange to explore how challenging climate issues can be communicated effectively to diverse audiences.
Workshop: 'Sustainable AI: Challenges, Impacts and Responses' University of Exeter
Friday 18 September 9am-3.30pm, Reed Hall, University of Exeter
How sustainable is artificial intelligence, and what would it take to make it more responsible? This interdisciplinary workshop will bring together researchers, policymakers, technologists, businesses and civil society to examine the environmental impacts of AI, including its energy, water, material and infrastructure demands.
Discussions will consider how these impacts are defined and governed, and what practical and policy responses could support more sustainable approaches to AI.
The event will be particularly relevant to environmental social scientists interested in the relationships between technological change, sustainability, governance and public responses to emerging infrastructures.
Lunch will be provided.
IES Conference: Dialogue Between Disciplines
Tuesday 22 September, 9am-5pm, London
Dialogue Between Disciplines is the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) conference focused on facilitating effective interdisciplinary working between environmental professionals.
During the conference the IES will be launching a new toolkit, developed in collaboration with ACCESS, aimed at supporting collaborative working across disciplines and sectors in the environmental sciences. There will also be a tailored workshop delivered by the project co-leads Birgitta Gatersleben (ACCESS, University of Surrey), Anita Lateano (ACCESS, University of Westminster), Ethny Childs (IES) and Amy Bond (IES).
Keynote presentations will be delivered by Tim Lenton OBE (University of Exeter) on positive tipping points, and Gideon Henderson CBE (University of Oxford) on the benefits of interdisciplinary working and the importance of co-design.
Funding
Centre for Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST)
The JUST Centre Commissioning Fund is providing £25,000-£62,500 to support collaborative research projects exploring how climate action and social justice can be joined up to accelerate a just transition across the UK.
Webinar: JUST Deputy Director Matthew Paterson gives an overview of the new Commissioning Fund in a recent webinar. He provides a rundown on key information including priority themes, key dates and assessment criteria, and answers a wide range of attendee questions including ECR eligibility, secondments and scope of project themes.
Closing date: Tuesday 15 September
Jobs
Research Officer, HIT Project, Swansea University
The Research Officer will take responsibility for delivering key research objectives on the new Horizon Europe-funded project Historical and Regional Imaginaries Shaping Transitions Project (HIT), managed by Chris Groves (Swansea University) and Sara Macbride-Stewart (Cardiff University).
This is an exciting opportunity for an applicant with proven research, organisational and time management skills, and with expertise and academic qualifications in relevant subjects (science and technology studies, sociology of expectations, economic sociology, economic geography), together with a strong interest in just transitions research.
This is a temporary post of 36 months in duration.
Closing date: Tuesday 8 September
UKRI/Environment Agency policy fellowship
Environment Agency place-based impacts of the net zero transition fellowship
The proposed fellowship focuses on the net zero energy transition and its societal impacts and primarily supports the Government’s Clean Energy Superpower mission and the Clean Energy Industries sector of the IS-8 which prioritises accelerating the transition to secure, low carbon energy while safeguarding environmental and societal outcomes.
Closing date: Thursday 10 September, 4pm
Senior Specialist, Social Science, Natural England (hybrid)
Natural England is looking for an experienced Social Science specialist to join its interdisciplinary Science team. You’ll lead influential research and evidence projects, including the Children’s People and Nature Survey, providing expert insight into how people experience, understand and engage with the natural environment.
This is a great opportunity to apply your expertise in social research, evidence and behavioural or environmental social science to work with real impact for both people and nature.
Closing date: Sunday 13 September 2026
Academic Engagement Adviser, Government Office for Science
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, London, or Salford
Are you passionate about improving how government works with academia?Do you have experience in academic policy engagement, knowledge mobilisation, research impact, evidence use, or working at the intersection of policy and research?
The Government Office for Science is recruiting an SEO (Senior Executive Officer) grade Academic Engagement Adviser. This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of government, helping civil servants access and use academic expertise more effectively.
Closing date: Monday 14 September, 11.55pm
Postdoctoral Researcher, FRONT research programme, Finland (University of Oulu)
The University of Oulu, Finland is seeking a Postdoctoral Researcher to join its FRONT (Frontiers of Arctic and Global Resilience) research programme.
The two-year project will explore critical emotional awareness as a potential resilience factor against disinformation and for civic engagement among young people in the context of climate change, conflict and other societal challenges. The role will involve both qualitative and quantitative research, including interviews, survey development, data analysis and academic publication.
Applicants should have a recent PhD in psychology, education or a related social science field, with experience in quantitative and qualitative research methods and an interest in interdisciplinary research.
The position is full-time and fixed-term for two years, starting no later than January 2027.
Closing date: Wednesday 30 September
Opportunities
Join the Defra Biodiversity Expert Committee
The Biodiversity Expert Committee (BEC) provides independent expert advice and constructive challenge to Defra on biodiversity evidence, analysis and approaches, supporting delivery of Defra’s biodiversity commitments and wider biodiversity priorities.
Defra are recruiting five experts for the committee, one of whom will have expertise in the social sciences, particularly in the behaviours, values, incentives and decision-making that drive environmental change, impacting the design of effective, equitable and lasting solutions.
Experience of working with stakeholders to translate evidence into action to accelerate the transition to a nature-positive future would be an advantage.
Deadline: 12pm Monday 14th September
Read more
British Academy Call for Discussion Papers: Humanity, Climate & Nature
Do your interests lie at the intersection of climate change, nature and human wellbeing?
The British Academy are seeking proposals for discussion papers as part of their new international policy programme, ‘Humanity, Climate & Nature’. This paid opportunity invites fresh and creative thinking on synergistic approaches to addressing environmental and development challenges.
They are commissioning around 20 papers from researchers, policymakers, practitioners and independent experts that will help shape the programme’s initial thinking, challenge existing frameworks, and inform future policy and practice.
Closing date: Wednesday 16 September, 5pm
Forest Research survey for volunteer observers and recorders of nature
Do you participate in nature-related citizen science – or would you like to?
Researchers at Forest Research are interested in understanding what encourages people to get involved in nature recording and what challenges they may encounter.
They are looking to hear from people who enjoy, or are interested in, recording or observing nature in support of scientific research.
Online Training: Bayesian Multilevel Models with brms for Social Sciences (Delivered by PR Stats)
Monday 26 – Thursday 29 October, online
Researchers looking to develop their quantitative modelling skills may be interested in an upcoming four-day online course on Bayesian multilevel modelling with brms. The course is designed for social science researchers working with grouped, clustered, longitudinal or repeated-measures data, and covers both the conceptual foundations of Bayesian inference and practical implementation in R.
No prior experience with Bayesian methods or brms is required, although familiarity with R and regression modelling is expected. The course is delivered live online, with recordings available afterwards. The registration fee is £400.
Info
Resource: New Academic Engagement Toolkit Published
The Government Office for Science has published a new Academic Engagement Toolkit, providing practical guidance, tools and resources to support effective engagement between UK government and academia.The toolkit brings together practical guidance, tools and resources on:
- Identifying and working with experts
- Choosing appropriate engagement routes
- Supporting inclusive engagement to build mutually beneficial relationships
The aim of the toolkit is to help civil servants engage more confidently and effectively with academics, and for academics to better understand how engagement with government works and how their expertise can be used most effectively to government decisions.
Blog: 'Social Capital in Academia: Why Networks and Special Interest Groups Matter'
Susann Power (ACCESS Leadership College Fellow, University of Ulster) has written a blog about social capital in academia reflecting on the importance of being part of academic networks and joining Special Interest Groups.
In it, she draws on her experience as a Leadership College Fellow.
Susann writes: "My experience within ACCESS has highlighted the value of supportive academic communities in shaping both scholarly identity and confidence. Networks grounded in trust create spaces where ideas can be tested, interdisciplinary collaboration encouraged, and expertise shared openly. Such environments reduce barriers to cooperation and enable collective forms of knowledge production."
Paper: 'How China overtook Europe and America in clean-tech transitions (2000-2025)
This paper by Frank Geels (University of Manchester) in Energy Research and Social Science offers a synthetic comparative explanation of China's dominance in clean-tech transitions (particularly solar-PV, wind, electric vehicles, batteries), investigating how it overtook the European Union and America, despite initially lagging.
Project: It’s Getting Hairy: Starting climate conversations
It’s Getting Hairy is a new project bringing climate conversations into everyday spaces such as barbershops and salons.
Starting in Exeter, the pilot uses simple conversation prompts to explore how trusted, familiar settings can encourage people to engage with climate change — with the ambition to develop insights that can be scaled across the UK and beyond.
The idea was inspired by recent research by Briony Latter (Universities of Cardiff and Oxford) et al., published in Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, which found that hairdressers are well placed to spark meaningful conversations and encourage behaviour change. It is a project by the University of Exeter’s Nature and Climate Impact Team.
Podcast: Water Conversations
This new, 3-part podcast series explores public engagement with water and sustainable water futures in the UK, building on the University of East Anglia (UEA)'s work as part of the Enabling Water Smart Communities project.
In each episode, Tom Hargreaves (UEA) is joined by an expert guest to explore the issues, talk about existing research and action, and think through potential solutions.
Episode 1: Public Engagement Challenges - featuring Catherine Moncrieff from CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management)
Episode 2: Improving Public Engagement - featuring Helen Pallett from the Science, Society & Sustainability (3S) Research Group.
Episode 3: Engaging Water Futures - featuring Claire Hoolohan from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
Join the ACCESS Expert Database of environmental social scientists
Join our growing Expert Database to connect with other environmental social scientists, share your research and find opportunities for collaboration.
Our database includes social scientists working in academia, the public sector, charities and businesses.
Joining takes only 15 to 20 minutes through our online form.
Send in your news
Thank you to all the contributors who sent items in for this week's newsletter.
Do get in touch if you have any events, job or funding opportunities or new research that you would like to share with the ACCESS Network.
And if you have any feedback on the newsletter, we'd love to hear it.
Email me (Kirstie) at: k.hatcher@surrey.ac.uk
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