News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of the latest news, jobs and opportunities
News
ACCESS Annual Assembly 2026
This week, we hosted ACCESS's fourth and final Annual Assembly at the University of Exeter's beautiful Streatham Campus.
We brought together 140 environmental social scientists (and guests from outside ESS), from across academia, policy and the third sector for two days of thinking, connecting and network building.
This year’s Assembly had a stronger emphasis on international perspectives and intersectionality. We sought to champion and explore what social science can look like across boundaries, both within the UK and globally, while broadening the range of voices represented.
We're looking forward to sharing more on the Assembly, as well as recordings of many of the excellent keynote sessions, presentations and discussions, with you very soon.
NEW ACCESS Film: Environmental Leadership Together
If you're interested in bringing together people from diverse sectors to work, learn and grow as emerging leaders, watch our new video about the ACCESS Leadership College.
It features Leadership College Director, Saffron O'Neill and our Leadership College Fellows, and follows our final College retreat in South Devon in April
Film maker Niall McLoughlin has done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and story of the Leadership College and what it has meant for our fellows over the past few years.
Watch here
Carrie Heitmeyer awarded MBE for Services to Social Science
ACCESS would like to extend our congratulations to Dr Carrie Heitmeyer who has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026, for Services to Social Science.
Carrie is Head of Social Science at the Government Office for Science, and a member of ACCESS’s Policy and Practice Working Group and Adaptation and Resilience Task Force.
Carrie’s MBE demonstrates her commitment to ensuring that social science evidence informs policy as much as possible.
Congratulations Carrie!
Events
How do we live with Climate Change? A Conversation with Neil Adger and guests
Tuesday 30 June, 5-5.55pm, online
Join Neil Adger and guests to explore how we live with climate change.
The event from EXPeditions will feature four short conversations followed by audience questions and discussion:
- Can Cities Adapt to Climate Change? Chandni Singh (Indian Institute for Human Settlements)
- Is Climate Migration a Failure? Alex Sam Thomas (Gram Vikas)
- Can We Ever Compensate for Climate Loss? Peter Newell (University of Sussex)
- Can Climate Resilience Be Taught? Sandra Bogelein (Climate Change Committee)
Webinar – Attitudes on adaptation: How to build a resilient present & future
Thursday 16 July, 11am-12pm, online
How do we tell the story of a hopeful, resilient future to help build support for the solutions we need to implement at scale? Climate Outreach share insights from their latest research, in partnership with MACC Hub.
You'll discover:
- How people across the UK view climate impacts in their local area—and what they want a well-adapted future to look like.
- Current sentiment on adaptation actions, and who should implement them.
- How to talk about adaptation in a positive light to bring people along with you – including what works and what backfires.
Funding
British Academy International Interdisciplinary Research Projects 2027
The purpose of each project will be to develop new international research led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences, to further understanding of mobilities.
Genuinely productive and integral interdisciplinarity is a requirement, with the expectation that this will involve collaboration across disciplines. The collaboration can include any SHAPE or STEM discipline as long as the research is led by and grounded in the humanities and/or social sciences.
Deadline: Wednesday 7 October, 5pm
Jobs
Sustainability Officer, Butterfly Conservation
Home based with some travel
Butterfly Conservation are looking for a dynamic individual to develop Butterfly Conservation’s Sustainability Strategy.
You will lead the process of developing a sustainability strategy including stakeholder consultation, preparing a delivery plan and set strategy metrics to report to Senior Leadership Team, the Board and more widely.
This is a full-time, 2-year contract.
Closing date: Monday 29 June, 12pm
Research Fellow, Young Adolescents & Active Travel, University of Surrey
This is an exciting opportunity to join i-MOBYL (Inclusive Mobility Interventions for Young Adolescents and Livable Urban Spaces), a European consortium project exploring how young adolescents (aged 11-15 years) can be empowered to travel more actively, independently, and sustainably in their everyday lives.
This Research Fellow role is offered at 0.8 FTE for two years. Working with Eleanor Ratcliffe and an international consortium of academics, practitioners, and community partners, you will:
- Coordinate a Living Lab based in north-west Guildford, with a local secondary school and municipal partner; and
- Lead mixed-methods research to assess the acceptability, feasibility, and potential impacts of mobility interventions.
Closing date: Monday 13 July, 11.59pm
Senior Impact Officer, University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic individual to join the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (FHMS) as a Senior Impact Officer, supporting the university's ambition to translate high quality research to real world impact and societal benefit.
In this role, you will be based within the FHMS Faculty Research and Innovation Office (FRIO) on our Manor Park campus. You will play a key part in the preparing for REF 2029 in addition to ongoing Impact activities. You will work closely with academics, researchers and professional services colleagues.
Closing date: Wednesday 15 July
Thematic Research Lead on Infrastructure, Planning and Land Use, including Clean Energy Industries
House of Commons, London
As a Thematic Research Lead (TRL), you will be an established researcher who will be embedded part-time in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology to deliver the role. You will bring your expertise and experience of working with research evidence to the policy, research and analysis work that is carried out across Parliament.
The role is 0.6 FTE, for a period of 24 months.
Closing date: 9 August
Eleven Senior Research Fellowships at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
The FCDO is recruiting for eleven Senior Research Fellowships in the fields of:
Gender and Equity; Conflict; AI for Development; Food and Agriculture; Economic Development; Systemic Resilience of Combined Human, Social, Economic, Political and Ecological systems; Hybrid and Transnational Threats; Polar Regions; Critical Minerals; Technology, Geopolitics and Information Manipulation; and Global Health.
Closing date: Sunday 30 August, 5pm
Sector transition: UKRI policy fellowships 2026
Apply for this sector transition fellowship to transfer knowledge and skills across academic and policy sectors and increase sector porosity.
You will spend 18 months as a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) core policy fellow, a Natural Hazards and Resilience policy fellow or a What Works Innovation fellow to inform policy to address pressing national and global challenges.
Closing date: Thursday 10 September, 4pm
Opportunities
2 Geo: Geography and Environment editorial roles
Geo is looking to appoint two new Editors. Geo is a fully open access journal which publishes articles focusing on the environment, climate change, and sustainability. It has a broad geographical reach in both authorship and readership, welcoming submissions from authors based in the Global South and those in underrepresented academic communities within the Global North.
The new Editors will be recognised scholars with excellent networks and a research background in environmental geography. They will have a broad interest in the full range of research work undertaken across environmental geography and a strong commitment to attracting and encouraging submissions from all parts of the world.
Application deadline: Tuesday 30 June
ACCESS Autumn School 2026
Monday 12 – Wednesday 14 October, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor
Join a small group of environmental social scientists from diverse sectors at our final residential training event – the ACCESS Autumn School.
Autumn School 2026 focuses on fostering collaborative research.
We welcome social scientists working on three main themes:
- Sustainable Production & Consumption
- Mitigating & Adapting to Climate Change
- People & Nature
We particularly welcome applications from individuals working in the charitable, consultancy and commercial sectors and government agencies.
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 8 July
Call for Submissions: Special Issue of Environmental Psychology Research
Moments of Change: Harnessing Life Events to Enable Sustainable Behaviours
This Special Issue explores how key life events—such as relocation, parenthood, retirement, or health challenges—can act as “moments of change” that open up opportunities for shifts toward more sustainable behaviours. While behaviour change research has traditionally focused on how change occurs, this collection emphasises when change is most likely to happen, and how these windows can be better understood and leveraged.
The editors welcome submissions that examine the relationship between life events and environmentally relevant behaviours, including pro-environmental actions, adaptation behaviours, and resilience practices. Contributions may take qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods approaches, and the editors particularly encourage interdisciplinary and globally diverse perspectives with a clear psychological focus.
Submission deadline: Monday 15 February 2027
Project Cosmos - Mapping the universe of human knowledge on climate change
Carbon Brief has just launched Project Cosmos, a groundbreaking digital database that maps the "universe" of climate science.
The Cosmos database contains more than 1.8 million unique publications linked by 40 million citation relationships. It represents the most complete and expansive mapping of human knowledge on climate change ever assembled, tracking more than a century of academic research.
The Cosmos database now represents a significant new resource for the global climate community.
Carbon Brief is inviting academics, journalists, analysts and other researchers to submit proposals – via cosmos@carbonbrief.org – for future co-authored research projects, literature reviews and analytical studies using the Cosmos database.
Info
Watch: Social and spatial dimensions of low carbon energy transitions
Watch the replay of ACCESS Director Patrick Devine-Wright's talk on the social and spatial dimensions of low carbon energy transitions.
Patrick shares his energy research findings, taking a place-based approach to understanding social dimensions of low carbon energy transitions, specifically the siting of controversial large-scale infrastructures such as grid powerlines, drawing on the concept of spatial imaginaries. He also talks about the research/policy agenda, sharing insights about practices of boundary spanning from ACCESS.
Flood Risk and Social Deprivation – New Environment Agency Report
This new Environment Agency report by Ariana Orasanin and Anna
Lorentzon is an updated analysis of social deprivation and flood risk in England.
Their analysis shows that more than 2.5 million people who are vulnerable to flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water also live in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England.
Coastal communities experience some of the most pronounced inequalities. Around one-third of people living in coastal areas at risk of flooding also live in the most deprived areas of England.
RENEW Guide to Collaborative Environmental Research
As environmental challenges become more complex, effective collaboration across disciplines, sectors and organisations is increasingly important.
The Guide to Collaborative Environmental Research from The RENEW (Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach) Collaborations Team brings together insights from research, policy and real-world experience to provide practical guidance for successful environmental collaborations.
The guide offers useful "rules of thumb" for anyone involved in collaborative projects, helping to foster transparency, shared understanding and stronger partnerships.
How mental health, environmental justice, and cultural identity intersect through community-led climate solutions
The Global Psychology Alliance (GPA) Climate Work in Action series highlights how mental health, environmental justice, and cultural identity intersect through community-led climate solutions.
The GPA Climate Work in Action series showcases the lived experiences, innovations, and partnerships that bring psychology to the forefront of climate justice. Each feature draws on interdisciplinary research and advocacy to guide how psychologists can support sustainable well-being and advocate for climate change.
Climate Politics: Can't Live with It, Can't Mitigate without It
This new book from Caroline Kuzemko (University of Warwick), explores the dynamic relationships between politics, policymaking, and policy over time, aiming to explain why climate change mitigation is so political, and why politics is also indispensable in enacting real change.
It argues that politics is poorly understood and often sidelined in research and policy circles, which is an omission that must be rectified, because the policies that we rely on to drive down greenhouse gas emissions are deeply inter-connected with political and social contexts.
Incorporating insights from political economy, socio-technical transitions, and public policy, the book provides a framework for understanding the role of specific ideas, interests, and institutions in shaping and driving sustainable change.
Are you on the ACCESS Network database?
ACCESS aims to make social science expertise more accessible. We have created a publicly available, searchable database (The ACCESS Network) of social scientists and experts working in the fields of climate and environment.
Join the ACCESS Network to share your research and start making connections with other environmental social scientists.
