News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of this week's news, jobs and opportunities
News
Last month some of the ACCESS team met up in Surrey to reflect on the past year's work and look forward to the next two. Impact was at the top of the agenda.
Our new annual report is due out in early spring and will highlight the growing impact the project is having across various areas and with different stakeholders. It's an exciting time with three Flex Fund projects on the go and a Net Zero citizens survey report due to be released later in the spring to support Task Force One's work Making a Net Zero Society: Follow the Social Science.
There will be a strong focus on communicating our work and the value of environmental social science more widely. We are excited to welcome Suzy Darke, our new Communications Manager, who starts next month. Suzy will be developing our communications further, including the newsletter.
ACCESS Director, Patrick Devine-Wright talked to the Institute of Environmental Studies at the end of last year. In this recording he talks about the ACCESS project and the role of social sciences in addressing environmental challenges.
Events
Using Analytic AI to improve Behavioural Research
Wednesday 12 March at 11.30 am, online
This Behaviour Research UK (BR UK) webinar will cover the use of ontologies and machine learning to build tools to identify studies relevant to a research question and capture key information in reports intervention evaluations, and to use those data to make predictions of outcomes in novel intervention scenarios. It will present the Human Behaviour-Change project, a collaboration between computer and behavioural scientists.
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Intersectionality in Behavioural Research
Monday 24 March at 11 am, online
Attendees will learn how BR-UK is integrating EDII principles into our research design, data collection, and analysis to avoid bias and exclusion. We will delve into the key issues, including the underrepresentation of marginalized groups, the need for recognition of differences, and the ethical implications of research practices. Participants will be encouraged to consider approaches to foster more equitable and inclusive research, contributing to better understanding and addressing the diverse needs of society.
Livable cities. Barcelona.
Wednesday 16 to Friday 18 July
Using the city of Barcelona as an example then, this conference explores how cross-disciplinary readings of cities the world over shed light on what makes the places we inhabit ‘livable’. It welcomes debates around community participation; research projects on design and planning; investigations into urban infrastructure and case studies on smart cities. It seeks critiques on accessibility and social justice, examinations of local and migrant cultures, and studies of transport, urban heritage, public health…. and more.
Abstracts: Friday 25 April (Final Round)
Jobs
Climate Policy Advisor, GO-Science
The Climate, Energy and Environment Team at the Government Office for Science (GO-Science) are recruiting for a Climate Policy Advisor.
This is an exciting opportunity to work on the Government Chief Scientific Advisor (GCSA)’s key priorities – ensuring science and innovation is at the heart of cross government policies on net zero, climate and the environment. The successful candidate will get the chance to lead engagement with multiple departments, National Academies, UKRI, industry and academia to bring together cross-cutting science and evidence. The role bridges between science and policy, ensuring a joined-up approach is being taken across Government and ensuring science and evidence is cutting through to policy.
Essential requirements include a degree in a climate or environment-related subject OR a degree in a science subject (including social science) with prior work experience of climate/environment.
The closing date is Sunday 23 February
Senior Research Associate
The focus of the research at the University of Portsmouth is on better understanding the factors likely to drive the acceptance and use of the charging technology among different societal actors (including project stakeholders and publics).
The social scientific studies are an essential and valued part of the project, bearing in mind the key role that social acceptance can have on the commercial viability and real-world success of innovative technologies. The precise nature of the studies to be completed by the senior research associate are currently open for discussion, but would likely comprise a mixture of qualitative (e.g., focus group, interview) and quantitative (e.g., survey-based) investigations.
The closing date for applications is Friday 28 February
CENTRE-UB Studentships & Fellowships
Applications are now open for 15 brand new studentships within the Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (CENTRE-UB). CENTRE-UB is funded by ESRC under their national capability in behavioural research investment. Each studentship is co-designed and co-supervised by researchers at the University of Birmingham together with partner organisations from a range of sectors. This close link with partner organisations provides a unique learning opportunity for the PhD students to apply their learning across different contexts, sectors, and environments beyond that of traditional academia.
The closing date to apply for a studentship is Wednesday 5 March
Climate Change Committee is hiring
Events and Content Senior Manager
The CCC is hiring an Events and Content professional at Senior Manager level. This role would be responsible for leading the stakeholder engagement being undertaken as part of CCRA4-IA, reporting to the Head of Communications and Engagement.
The closing date to apply is Sunday 2 March
Team leader: Built Environment
The Climate Change Committee is seeking an outstanding analytical leader to lead the team advising on buildings and the built environment within the CCC secretariat. You will lead on one of the most challenging and high-profile areas of the UK’s transition to being a Net Zero climate-resilient nation, where, in the context of recent heat waves and energy bill crises, policy is regularly headline news. It is intended as a permanent appointment but could be arranged as a secondment or a loan.
The closing date to apply is Sunday 16 March
Social acceptance of energy storage PhD studentship
The studentship is based at the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge campus). The PhD student will look at the relationships that people have with energy storage projects, and through an applied approach will develop understandings of how energy project developers could better incorporate these relationships into their practices. The research will take a Social Sciences approach, drawing upon qualitative methods.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 16 March
Underground Futures: Place-based decisions for NetZero - PhD Studentship Opportunity at Lancaster University
This interdisciplinary studentship will take a place-based approach to exploring the role the underground/subsurface might play in the transition to NetZero and the socio-political questions that emerge at the surface. It will address interlocking research questions focused on ‘Resources, Community and Place-making, and Governance’ and will use a mixed-methods approach including qualitative, quantitative and spatial techniques, as its methodology.
The closing date to apply is Monday 24 March
Lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Surrey
The University is seeking outstanding Lecturers (and, in exceptional cases, Senior Lecturers) in Social Psychology. Candidates with expertise in the following areas are encouraged to apply:
- Digital Technologies (Cyberpsychology, Gaming, VR/XR)
- Aging
- Adolescent Mental Health
- Future of Work
- Green Transitions
- Advanced Quantitative Methods
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 1 April
Funding
The Minor Foundation supports new and unexpected ways of communicating the need for transitioning to a low-carbon economy
The Minor Foundation supports European-based organisations and communication projects that:
– Lead to changes in policies or practises in public or private institutions in line with pathways for 1,5C
– Increase knowledge and implementation of needed policies and technologies
– Reduce new build out or use of fossil fuels
– Increase the uptake and use of carbon-free solutions
– Create positive mobilisation for the actions and policies needed to keep global warming within the pathway of 1,5C
– Increase the number of voices and narratives in climate advocacy
Funds available 10,000 to 200,000 euros.
The next closing date is Thursday 10 April
Climate Impacts Awards
The aim of this scheme from the Wellcome Trust is to make the impacts of climate change on physical and mental health visible to drive urgent climate policy action at scale. They will fund transdisciplinary teams to deliver short-term, high-impact projects that maximise policy outcomes by combining evidence generation with influencing and engagement strategies.
Join the webinar on Monday 3 March to find out more
The closing date for submissions is Wednesday 30 April
Pushing the frontiers of environmental research
Apply for funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to pursue an ambitious, high risk and high reward curiosity-driven project in environmental research.
They welcome:
- multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research
- projects delivered in partnership with other research funders and users
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 16 July
Opportunities
Clean Air Community Survey
The Clear Air Programme is conducting a research survey to explore the role of social sciences within the clean air community, both in academia and policymaking. This initiative is part of the Clean Air Programme and is led by Dr. Sefi Roth (Associate Professor at The London School of Economics).
"We would be very grateful if anyone working on clean air-related issues - across any field or discipline - could take some time to complete our survey (it should take no more than ten minutes) and to please share this invitation with others based in the UK who may find it relevant.
All responses will remain anonymous, though participants will have the option to share their details if they are open to further discussion. If you have any questions about the survey or the project, please reach out to us at geog.cleanair@lse.ac.uk, and a member of our team will be happy to assist."
Public Appointment Vacancies - Deputy Chair and up to 18 members of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) Board
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is seeking to appoint a Deputy Chair and up to 18 Members to the Board of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). AFBI is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by DAERA. AFBI provides scientific research and services in the fields of agriculture, food, the marine and natural environment and biosciences.
The closing date for applications is Thursday 6 March
ESRC Survey to evaluate the National Capability in Behaviour Research
The Economic and Social Research Council has commissioned Technopolis to evaluate their National Capability in Behavioural Research (NCBR) investment. The NCBR funds Behavioural Research UK. BR-UK aims to connect stakeholders and drive interdisciplinary innovation in applied behavioural research. The NCBR also funds the Centre for National Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviour (Centre-UB), a Centre for Doctoral Training Plus (CDT+) that aims to build a critical mass of interdisciplinary researchers with the knowledge and skills to transform our understanding of human behaviour.
This survey is a crucial part of Technopolis/ESRC’s efforts to undertake an initial baseline assessment of the NCBR and is open to interested stakeholders, including actors involved in the activities of BR-UK and Centre-UB, members of the cross-government behavioural insights network and wider actors working on behavioural research in the UK.The purpose of the survey is to assess the relevance, effectiveness, and overall impact of NCBR. Responses to the survey will help provide an understanding of key areas such as:
The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. The survey closes on Friday 14 March
A call for nominations for experts and fellows for the upcoming IPBES 2nd Global Assessment is now open!
For this 2nd Global Assessment, which will be a landmark international report providing the best available scientific evidence to support global agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including assessing progress made against its targets and guiding future policies needed to achieve its goals, IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) are seeking:
- experts and practitioners to participate as authors in the 2nd Global Assessment, and
- early career individuals who wish to gain experience as part of the IPBES fellowship programme for the 2nd Global Assessment.
Defra will be hosting a webinar on Monday 24 February at 3.30 pm to provide further information on the process; if you’re interested in attending, please join via this link. There will also be a virtual dialogue hosted by IPBES on 12 March at 1pm.
The closing date for applications is 28 March
Defra Land Use Consultation
The Defra Land Use Consultation is now open for contributions. The Government is consulting on our vision for land use in England and how to deliver it.
This consultation will inform the development of a Land Use Framework. If you have relevant insights from your work which you’d like to share, you can access the consultation online here Land Use Consultation - Defra - Citizen Space. Please also share with colleagues who may be interested.
The closing date for submissions is Friday 25 April
Take part in the British Ecological Society's upcoming blog series: Field Diaries. Whether you're an undergraduate or an established practitioner, we're aiming to highlight fieldwork experiences across the discipline of applied ecology!
Register your interest here
The Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership is seeking experts in mobility, energy, and circularity
The Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership is seeking experts in mobility, energy, and circularity to support the evaluation of project proposals submitted.
If you are interested in contributing to the DUT Partnership as an expert, please submit your application here.
The closing date for applications is Monday 14 April 2025
Info
Science could solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Why aren’t governments using it?
"Killer viruses. Artificial intelligence. Extreme weather. Microplastics. Mental health. These are just a few of the pressing issues on which governments need science to inform their policies. But the systems that connect scientists with politicians are not working well, according to a Nature survey of around 400 science-policy specialists around the world. Eighty per cent said their country’s science-advice system was either poor or patchy, and 70% said that governments are not routinely using such advice" Nature Journal
Mind shift, green lift. Six behavioural science trends for environmental policy
This policy paper from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development identifies six key trends illustrating how behavioural science is shaping public policy to accelerate the green transition. Drawing on over 100 case studies, it provides policymakers with a practical roadmap to integrate behavioural science into environmental policy.
Breaking language barriers: ‘Not being fluent in English is often viewed as being an inferior scientist’
“It’s really hard for native English speakers to see, and let alone experience, how not being fluent in English is commonly viewed as the same as being inferior as a scientist,” says Japanese biologist Tatsuya Amano.
Amano, now a biodiversity researcher at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, tells the Nature Journal that science has a lot to lose by ignoring the inequalities caused by language barriers.
Becoming an Inspired Interdisciplinarian
ACCESS Knowledge Exchange Fellow, Dr Sarah Golding talks to Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal about her recent article An Early Career Perspective on the Value of Interdisciplinary Training Networks
Sarah reveals how participating in an interdisciplinary training scheme, exposed her to a range of invaluable experiences, site visits and invaluable conversations with colleagues across the disciplines. Given her current work dealing with ‘grand environmental challenges’, requires cross and trans-disciplinary approaches, she expounds on how participating in such a programme helped initiate and inspire exactly these sorts of working and research practices. Along the way, we also talk over Sarah’s publication experiences – good, bad and indifferent – and how she’s learned from these to become a better, more confident and successful academic writer.
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.
