News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of the latest news, jobs and opportunities
News
This is the first of a new series of monthly updates from the ACCESS task force on Adaptation & Resilience.
In this month’s news:
The ACCESS Task Force on Adaptation and Resilience is focussing on:
(a) refining a document on the value of social science in guiding and supporting decision making on adaptation in a multidisciplinary context;
(b) documenting case studies on the use of social science in adaptation action, (c) identifying challenges and opportunities in multidisciplinary collaboration.
The Task Force also includes an engagement and communications subgroup; it will hold its second meeting this month. Its focus is to develop opportunities and strategies, in consultation with the whole Task Force membership, to foster the reach and impact of the Task Force’s work.
For further information or any queries, please see the Task Force website and / or contact the Task Force co-chairs, Rory Walshe (Rory.Walshe@Go-Science.gov.uk) and Irene Lorenzoni (i.lorenzoni@uea.ac.uk)
"The ACCESS Assembly is not just an event, it’s more like a community"
Uzma Zahid (King's College London), has written a post about how the conversations she had at last year's ACCESS Annual Assembly helped support her successful application for a Wellcome Trust Accelerator Award – Congratulations, Uzma!
"I remember these very specific moments where [the Assembly] stopped feeling like an event and started feeling like a community... I felt invited in. Properly invited in."
Her new project is investigating how traffic related air pollution affects brain chemistry in healthy adults.
Spotlight Interview*: Nnennaya Nwali’s justice-focused lens: keeping people at the centre of law, energy and the environmental debate
Growing up in Nigeria, Nnennaya Nwali saw how the wealth of natural resources often translated into harm rather than benefit to the local people, particularly in the Niger Delta, where oil extraction has left a deep and lasting mark on communities. She is now writing a PhD on just energy transitions at the University of Aberdeen.
Her thesis undertakes a comparative analysis of the energy transition discourse in Scotland, Nigeria, and South Africa to derive legal and policy measures to this end. She is particularly interested in corporate accountability, asking how far multinational corporations can be held responsible for the actions of their subsidiaries abroad.
In this final Spotlight Interview of the current series, Jaya Gajparia meets Nnennaya, and learns about her work.
Read Nnennaya's Spotlight Interview
*Nnennaya was interviewed by Jaya Gajparia as part of her ACCESS interview series, spotlighting environmental social scientists with global-majority backgrounds.
Events
Webinar: Mapping Climate Change Coverage: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions in German News Media, 2010–2024
Thursday 12 February, 2-3pm, online
This Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS) webinar will be delivered by Fabian Dablander, postdoctoral researcher at SEVEN, the interdisciplinary climate institute of the University of Amsterdam.
He will be speaking on 'Mapping Climate Change Coverage: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions in German News Media, 2010–2024'.
Email c3ds@exeter.ac.uk to register
Online workshop: Make it Green: Insights on Climate Action and Public Perception
Monday 23 February, 8am-4pm, online
How can social science research support climate action and green policies across Europe?
This one-day workshop introduces participants to the Green Pillar of the NextGenerationEU Programme, combining expert insights with hands-on group work to explore how public attitudes, values, and behaviours shape climate action.
What to expect:
Expert presentations on key theoretical frameworks underpinning the Green Pillar
Practical insights into major European data sources, including ESS, EVS, GGP, and CRONOS-3
Perspectives from Joint Research Centre (JRC) experts on evidence-based green policymaking
Interactive group work to develop policy-relevant research questions, data strategies, and preliminary analyses
Group presentations and discussion on findings, research design, and next steps
Speakers include:
Wouter Poortinga (Cardiff University)
Sylke Viola Schnepf, Ilda Dreoni (Joint Research Centre, European Commission)
Ruxandra Comănaru (European Social Survey)
David Consolazio (European Values Study)
Yuliya Kazakova (Generations and Gender Programme)
Environmental Artivism Network launch event
Wednesday 25 February, 2.30-4pm, University of York
The York Environmental Sustainability Institute (YESI) has launched a new interdisciplinary and international initiative led by Felicia Liu and Catherine Love-Smith (University of York).
The Environmental Artivism Network sits at the critical intersection of environmental research, creative practice, and social activism.
The network will offer a space to share ideas, experiment with new approaches, and build collaborations that may grow into research projects, public engagement activities, or creative outputs on art-science practice, activism, and environmental research.
Online seminar: Climate Politics: Can't Live With It, Can't Mitigate Without It
Friday 27 February, 12-1pm, online
This session is part of the Online Seminar Series of the ECPR (European Consortium for Political Research) Energy Politics, Policy and Governance Standing Group.
Caroline Kuzemko (University of Warwick) will present her forthcoming book Climate Politics: Can't Live With It, Can't Mitigate Without It (Cambridge University Press).
The book argues that the politics of climate mitigation, and its relationship to policy and society, are poorly understood and that this really matters - particularly in times of growing opposition. It presents mitigation politics, policy, and policymaking as dynamically inter-related and foregrounds the importance of capacity, social interaction, and deliberation features of politics.
You will need a My ECPR account to register for this seminar.
Funding
Urban Urgencies Programme
The Urban Studies Foundation (USF) has launched a new research funding initiative to seed-fund collaborative primary research proposals that engage with the theme Urban Urgencies.
The contemporary urban moment is characterised by intersecting polycrises. For the world’s cities and urban regions, such crises may converge around the climate emergency, housing and food insecurity, pandemics and public health, threats to democracy, conflict or urbicide, artificial intelligence, technology, and/or many other urgent and existential uncertainties.
Up to six innovative projects will be awarded up to GBP £35,000 each. Project activities should begin within nine months of the application deadline, and are expected to last up to eighteen months.
Proposals must be based upon an active partnership with at least one non-academic organisation.
Deadline: Monday 23rd March, 11.59pm
Wellcome Trust Climate Impacts Awards: Unlocking urgent climate action by making the health effects of climate change visible
The aim of this scheme is to make the impacts of climate change on physical and mental health visible to drive urgent climate policy action at scale.
Wellcome Trust will fund 10-15 transdisciplinary teams to deliver short-term, high impact projects that can drive policy impact by combining evidence generation (or synthesis) with influencing and engagement strategies.
Suitable for mid-career and established researchers.
Up to £2.5 million per award.
Application deadline: Wednesday 8 April
Jobs
Postdoctoral Researcher in Consumer Behaviour and Sustainability (Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC), Copenhagen Business School)
The position is part of a collaboration between KU Leuven, Copenhagen Business School, Wageningen University & Research and food sector partners in Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. The project aims to identify leverage points to accelerate the transition to more sustainable food systems.
The postdoc will be part of the Consumer and Behavioural Insights Group and contribute to the design, execution and analysis of experimental consumer research. The role focuses on testing interventions to change consumer behaviour across different food environments.
Start date: April 2026 (flexible).
Deadline: 16 February 2026
Policy Manager (Cambridge Zero, University of Cambridge)
Cambridge Zero has an exciting opportunity to be part of their new Policy Unit, whose function is to promote the integration of academic evidence and expertise on climate-related policies into policymaking and advocacy.
In this fixed-term, 3 year post, you will organise, manage and deliver activities for Cambridge Zero's policy programme.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Cambridge Zero Management Team and the Head of Policy Unit to deliver CZ overall policy strategy and inform updates to it, and will supervise the Policy Coordinator (see job item below). The Policy Unit will work across public policy at a local, national and international level.
For informal enquiries regarding this position, please contact Nina Martin, Operations Manager (nina.martin@admin.cam.ac.uk)
Deadline: Sunday 22 February, midnight
Policy Coordinator (Cambridge Zero, University of Cambridge)
As Policy Coordinator, you will work closely with the Policy Manager (see job item above) and Head of Policy Unit to engage actively with Cambridge academic and research communities. You will coordinate and write short policy briefings, support research funding proposals and coordinate policy responses.
For informal enquiries regarding this position, please contact Nina Martin, Operations Manager (nina.martin@admin.cam.ac.uk)
Deadline: Sunday 22 February, midnight
PhD & MRes studentships
2 fully-funded MRes projects (University of Portsmouth)
Chris Jones at the University of Portsmouth is supervising two MRes projects, fully-funded by Nuclear Waste Services. Funding covers tuition, stipend, and some travel and subsistence.
- How does information about geological nuclear waste disposal spread in online environments (SAHMRES0078)
This project will comprise a social-media analysis designed to examine the keywords, hashtags, influencers and opinions relating to online discussions about geological nuclear waste disposal in the United Kingdom. This research will use free, open-source social mapping software (e.g., SocioViz) to visualise the trends in and the tone of public discourse about the technology. There will be a particular focus on how official posts (e.g., from Nuclear Waste Services) have spread within and been shaped by online discourse, including how the civility or incivility of social media posts has shaped perceived risks.
- How risk perceptions about geological nuclear waste disposal are affected by the (in-)civility of social-media commentary (SAHMRES0079)
This study will focus on understanding more about the impact of the ‘nasty effect’ (Anderson et al., 2013: https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12009) on lay perceptions of the risk associated with geological nuclear waste disposal in the UK. This will be done using an online quasi-experimental survey where we will model the impact that simulated social media discourse (incorporating a civil, uncivil or control written tone) has upon (a) risk perceptions and attitudes towards the technology; and (b) the participants’ willingness to express their own viewpoints (e.g., through likes, comments).
Please contact Professor Chris Jones with any questions: chris.jones1@port.ac.uk
Deadline: Wednesday 1 April
Opportunities
Last Opportunity to Have Your Say – Shape the Future of PaNS!
Natural England's People and Nature Survey (PaNS) has been running since 2020, providing vital insights into how people experience, value, and interact with nature.
Why take part?
- Share how you use PaNS
- Highlight what works well and what could improve
- Help ensure PaNS continues to deliver robust evidence for policy and practice
The survey takes around 15 minutes to complete—every response counts!
If you have any questions, please contact: people_and_nature@naturalengland.org.uk
Deadline: Monday 9 February
Survey: Training Needs for Transformational Climate Adaptation
This MACC (Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change) Hub survey is gathering insights on current understanding, organisational attitudes, and training needs for transformational climate adaptation.
Your input will help shape the training and capacity-building needed for a more connected, capable and climate-ready UK.
It's open to professionals across all sectors and takes about 20 minutes to complete.
Call for Papers: Frontiers in Sustainability
Transforming Mind-sets for Sustainable and Circular Societies
Contributions should address how various actors can implement actionable transformations and explore drivers of innovation, transdisciplinary approaches, and methods that support inclusive transitions to circularity.
Building on the work of SHiFT COST Action submissions are invited that explore the move from linear thinking to regenerative systems, focusing on sustainable planning strategies, innovations in technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration between the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields.
Deadline: Saturday 28 February
Call for Papers: RGS-IBG Annual International Conference
Tuesday 1 – Friday 4 September, London
Calls for papers are open for the following sessions of this year's RGS-IBG Annual International Conference:
On mission?: Understanding the geographies of clean energy growth and development
Energy Transition and Justice: Geographies in the Climate Emergency
Teaching Energy Geographies
Tackling Energy Inequalities through Home Energy Advice and Retrofit
Place-Based Approaches to Energy Retrofit: Reimagining Neighbourhoods in Just Transitions to Net Zero
Energy justice and colonial legacies
The overlooked spatial politics of the energy transition
Contested depths: Subsurface geographies of the energy transition
The unlikely geography of climate leadership and innovation
Each call for contributions has its own deadline and submission process.
Read the full calls for each session
Call for Papers for Symposium on Ground-Mounted Solar PV and Planning for Renewable Energy
Symposium: Wednesday 16 September, University of Aberdeen
Writing Workshop: Thursday 17 September, University of Aberdeen
Paper proposals invited for an academic symposium examining the planning, policy, and socio-spatial dimensions of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic development and broader renewable energy infrastructure. This event is organised under the aegis of the ESRC-funded project 'Solar Power in the UK – Planning for a Sustainable Future', based at the School of Social Science, University of Aberdeen.
The symposium will bring together researchers working on renewable energy transitions, with a particular focus on the planning challenges and opportunities presented by ground-mounted solar installations. Following the symposium, participants will have the opportunity to join a collaborative writing workshop aimed at developing contributions for a Special Issue in a leading academic journal.
Submission deadline: Sunday 1 March
Read more
Call for evidence: Air Pollution in England (Environmental Audit Committee)
Through this inquiry, MPs will consider whether local authorities in England have the resources they need to monitor air quality and enforce existing rules.
The inquiry will explore whether Government’s current air quality targets are adequate to protect health and the environment, and how these compare with standards by other bodies, such as the World Health Organisation.
Deadline: Tuesday 3 March, 5pm
Call for Papers: Special Issue in Resources, Conservation & Recycling
Special Issue – Uncertainties and Transparency in Environmental Footprint Estimation: challenges, insights, and pathways to precision
Contributions welcome on topics including:
- Quantifying and communicating uncertainty in LCA and environmental footprints
- Data quality, transparency frameworks, and reproducibility practices
- Sensitivity analysis, probabilistic modelling, and advanced estimation methods
- Digital traceability, open data infrastructures, and interoperable footprint systems
- Interdisciplinary case studies demonstrating precise and transparent assessments
- Sectoral applications: food systems, energy, transport, materials, and beyond
Deadline: Wednesday 1 April
Info
Transforming our food system for health and sustainability: the foundational roles of social science
In this guest feature for the Academy of Social Sciences, Neil Ward (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia) outlines the pressing need to transform the UK’s food system to help us simultaneously address a range of issues including climate change, food security, health and wellbeing, productivity, and economic and agricultural resilience.
He emphasises a crucial underpinning role for social science, working alongside experts in food, environmental and agricultural sciences, to support the UK Government to design effective policy to help us make what is an increasingly urgent transformation in terms of the food we eat and how we produce it.
Where is environmental psychology going?
'Research trends in environmental psychology: A bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed publications, 2004-2024' (Journal of Environmental Psychology) by Eleanor Ratcliffe (University of Surrey) et al., takes a birds-eye view to ask:
What does environmental psychology actually look like when we map what we publish and who we publish with? And where are we going with all of this?
The analysis examines how the field has evolved over the past two decades; what topics cluster together, what has grown, and what has become more marginal.
How do citizens learn to navigate wind farm planning systems?
Daniel Nordstrand Frantzen's article 'Struggling with participation: Citizens moving towards institutionalised tests in wind farm planning' has just been published in the open source European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology.
The article explores how citizens gradually learn to navigate in the planning system and its formal public hearings in order to express their critiques in the most efficient way.
It also conceptualises three empirically specific kinds of tests (persuasion tests, potentiality tests, de-legitimation tests) to describe how citizens produce critiques in wind farm planning.
Read more
Pollinator Pathmaker - a networked living artwork for pollinators and humans alike
Pollinator Pathmaker is an artwork by Dr Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg that uses an algorithm to generate unique planting designs that prioritise pollinators’ needs over human aesthetic tastes.
In February 2025, residents in Constantine, Cornwall planted Pollinator Pathmaker DIY Editions in 17 gardens, creating a networked living artwork across the village, featuring over 130 plant species across 255 square metres.
It's part of a 2-year UKRI-funded research project led by network ecologists, social scientists and philosophers at the universities of Exeter and Edinburgh.
The project follows two pilot research studies at the Eden Project, Cornwall, and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, monitoring the biodiversity benefits of Pollinator Pathmaker.
"We’re studying the more-than-human and the humans alike: our social scientists, led by Professor Jane Calvert of the University of Edinburgh, are looking at how taking care of these living artworks impacts our relationship with nature, empathy for other species, and perception of what an artwork can be, both as individuals and as a collective. Meanwhile, philosopher Professor John Dupré of the University of Exeter will be looking at how Pollinator Pathmaker changes our understanding of what a garden is and who it is for."
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.
