News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of the latest news, jobs and opportunities
News
ACCESS contributes to new DESNZ public participation plan
The UK Government has published its new climate and nature public participation plan: 'Energising Britain: Your voice in our Clean Energy Superpower Mission'.
Professors Patrick Devine-Wright, Karen Bickerstaff, Lorraine Whitmarsh (ACCESS Leadership Team) and Nigel Gilbert (ACCESS Co-Investigator) contributed to the plan through roundtable sessions organised by DESNZ and the British Academy this year, as did Professor Nick Pidgeon of Cardiff University – an ACCESS Project Partner.
Patrick said:
“This plan shows a welcome recognition of the value of social science in informing policy on energy system change… we look forward to continued engagement with Government to ensure these commitments to listen and collaborate endure over the coming decades, well beyond the 2030 milestone.”
Read more
Spotlight Interview*: Good practice is key to change: Rabin Doolub’s sustainability with heart
Rabin Doolub spent years in civil service shaping energy policy before moving to higher education, where he now argues that sustainability without wellbeing is incomplete.
He has developed webinars and initiatives that weave together environmental goals and wellbeing strategies, based on his belief that the two are deeply connected. His interest in wellbeing dates back to his teaching days and was reinforced by work he did in the Civil Service.
“Wellbeing often gets overlooked in conversations about climate,” he says. “But if we’re not supporting people, how can we expect them to care for the planet?”
Read Rabin's Spotlight Interview
*Rabin was interviewed by Jaya Gajparia as part of her new ACCESS interview series, spotlighting environmental social scientists with global-majority backgrounds.
Coming soon: New-look ACCESS Website
We've been working hard behind the scenes to make the ACCESS website more user-friendly and environmentally sustainable, redesigning it with the ACCESS Guiding Principles in mind.
We're looking forward to sharing our refreshed website with you in January.
Watch this space!
Thank you for completing the ACCESS newsletter survey
Our thanks to everyone who has completed the ACCESS newsletter survey.
We really appreciate your feedback and bright ideas about how we can make this newsletter as helpful as possible.
If you haven't yet commented and would like to have your say, please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey.
Wishing you a great Christmas break
This is the last ACCESS newsletter of 2025. The next one will be sent out on 9 January 2026.
Thank you for sending in all your news, events and opportunities to share this year. And thanks for all of your feedback about the newsletter – it's much appreciated.
I hope you have a restful break and a very Happy New Year!
Suzy Darke (ACCESS Communications Officer)
Events
UKERC ECR Net Zero Conference 2026
Monday 9 – Tuesday 10 March 2026, Birmingham
This event brings together emerging academics to share cutting-edge research and build collaborative networks.
The UKERC (UK Energy Research Centre) ECR NetZero Conference is a two-day gathering for early career researchers working across energy, net zero and sustainability. It brings together emerging academics to share cutting-edge research and build collaborative networks through a mix of talks, poster sessions and networking opportunities designed to support early career researchers.
Whether your work focuses on decarbonisation, renewable energy systems, climate policy, green finance, future fuels, social sustainability, energy justice or low carbon innovation, this is your space to connect, contribute and grow.
Training
Workshop: EDI in Energy Research: From Theory into Practice
Wednesday 14 January 2026. 10am–4.30pm, Birmingham
Discover how equality, diversity, and inclusion can move from theory into everyday practice across energy research.
This one-day interactive event brings together students, early-career researchers and those more advanced in their careers to connect and learn about applying EDI in real-world situations.
Co-hosted by UKERC, Supergen Energy Networks, EDI+, and IGNITE Network+.
This free event is open to all, from early-career researchers to established professionals committed to fostering inclusive and equitable research environments.
Registration deadline: Monday 22 December
Jobs
Postdoctoral Impact Fellow (RENEW Project, University of Exeter)
The Postdoctoral Impact Fellow will participate in the Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach (RENEW) project, which seeks to develop solutions to renew biodiversity.
Based in the University of Exeter's Geography Department, the Impact Fellow will support the translation and dissemination of RENEW research to business and finance audiences, helping to move RENEW's Theme 4 (Business and Finance) work from research production to real-world impact.
Working closely with the Theme 4 team and wider RENEW partners and collaborators, including the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Business for Nature, and high-profile organisations such as the World Economic Forum, the post holder will support and promote an accessible entry point for businesses and the finance sector to understand and visualise their impacts on biodiversity.
This full-time role is available immediately on a fixed term basis until 30th January 2027.
Deadline: Sunday 4 January 2026
Wilder Communities Manager (Somerset Wildlife Trust, Taunton – hybrid)
The Wilder Communities Manager is a critical post developing and leading the delivery of our Wilder Communities workstreams, ensuring that diverse communities across Somerset are supported to take practical and meaningful action for nature’s recovery.
The Trust are looking for someone with experience working with volunteers and communities to deliver environmental projects or enabling people to take action for nature, and a good knowledge of Somerset’s geography, communities, demographics and wildlife.
You should be a competent manager of people and projects, with a passion for the work of Somerset Wildlife Trust.
This is a maternity-cover role, initially for 12 months, based in Taunton with opportunities for home working.
Deadline: Sunday 11 January 2026
Apply here
Trust Development Manager (Great Ouse Rivers Trust, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire – remote/hybrid)
Are you passionate about rivers, nature, and making a real difference? The Great Ouse Rivers Trust is seeking an exceptional leader to help shape the future of one of the UK’s newest Rivers Trusts.
As Trust Development Manager, you’ll lead the next stage of evolution—managing day-to-day operations, providing strategic leadership, and building strong partnerships. You’ll be at the heart of the Trust's mission to protect and enhance the Great Ouse, the UK’s fifth-longest river, supporting communities, wildlife, and the wider environment.
This is a part-time, fixed-term position.
For questions or to discuss adjustments, contact Kirsten Bennett, Trust Development Manager Consultant: kirsten.bennett@greatouseriverstrust.org
Deadline: Friday 16 January 2026, 12 noon
Apply here
PhD studentships
ESRC PhD Studentships in the Social Sciences in the Midlands Graduate School
The Midlands Graduate School (MGS) is looking to recruit top quality social science PhD students to commence study in October 2026 across a range of subjects and interdisciplinary training pathways.
The MGS accepts applications for projects in a range of social science disciplines and offer different training pathways that span 17 social science disciplines and interdisciplinary themes.
Deadline: Tuesday 13 January 2026, 12 noon
Opportunities
Call for abstracts: Special issue of Geo: Geography and Environment
Politics of Emotion in Low-Carbon Energy Transitions
The transition to a low carbon society necessitates understanding people’s emotional and affective desires for the future. Human emotions, and their entanglement with the cultural, political, and economic forces which shape socio-spatial worlds, have the potential to speed up or delay the transition.
The editors seek contributions to this special edition of Geo: Geography and Environment that go beyond descriptions of what climate emotions are, and explore the interplay between climate emotions and affects, on the one hand, and political/policy action for a fair transition, on the other hand.
The editors are: Pancho Lewis (Durham University), Melanie Rohse (Anglia Ruskin University), Laura Fogg Rogers (University of the West of England) and Nick Pidgeon (Cardiff University).
Submissions are welcomed from researchers at all career stages and disciplines, and are open to different conceptualisations of ‘emotions’, ‘feelings’, and ‘affect’ and methods of studying these within socio-technical contexts. In addition, they welcome multi, inter and transdisciplinary contributions; a grounding in geographical literature is not required.
Submissions should include:
Paper title
Paper type (paper, commentary or dialogue)
Author details (names and affiliations)
250-word abstract should outline the contents of the paper you are proposing and explain how the paper will speak to the issues outlined for this special issue
Up to 250 words describing methods of data collection and analysis
Submit articles to Pancho Lewis francisco.t.lewis@durham.ac.uk using the subject line “Politics of Emotion in Low-Carbon Energy Transitions submission [First Author Surname]”. All submissions will be acknowledged.
Deadline: Friday 16 January 2026, 5pm
UKRI 2025 stakeholder survey
In this, UKRI's third, annual survey, they are asking for feedback on what they do, how well they do it and what their stakeholders think about UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
They are keen to hear from anyone from outside the organisation, who has a stake in their work, whichever part of UKRI you interact with the most.
They are keen to capture responses from all sectors, including those from the UK and overseas, whether you work in:
- research and academia
- the civil service
- the business community
- or beyond
Deadline: Wednesday 31 December
Call for chapters: Ecological Stewardship Beyond Eurocentric Perspectives
This is a call for chapters for an upcoming volume of The Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Global South series, exploring how sustainability and innovation are understood, practiced, and imagined beyond dominant Northern paradigms.
The book aims to illuminate how local practices, from circular resource use and energy diversification to climate governance and community-led adaptation, offer alternative visions of ecological stewardship that are socially just, historically grounded, and environmentally regenerative.
Editors are Julius Irene (Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium – Africa Hub), Bridget Irene (DeMontford University), Chigozie Nweke-Eze (University of Oxford), and Conniel Malek (True Costs Initiative).
Deadline: Saturday 28 February 2026
Call for Evidence: Public Engagement with Energy and Climate Change (UKERC)
Energy and net zero transitions depend on meaningful public engagement. How society engages with these issues is undergoing significant changes. In response, the Public Engagement Observatory of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) has launched a new call for evidence.
They are looking for interesting or significant cases of public engagement with energy, climate change or net zero occurring in the UK that you think should be included in the Observatory’s updated mapping.
They welcome submitted cases that reflect the diverse public engagements occurring, ranging from those that express views and opinions through to taking action, those that are institution-led through to citizen-led, those that are high-profile through to more mundane everyday occurrences, those that bring resistance or support, and those that are often marginalised, unrecognised or excluded.
Deadline: Saturday 28 February 2026
Call for sessions, papers and posters, RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2026
Wednesday 2 – Friday 4 September 2026, London & online
Next year's Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Annual Conference will be chaired by Professor Peter Hopkins (Newcastle University).
The Chair's theme is Geographies of inequalities: towards just places.
The theme focuses on charting the complexities of spatial inequalities and injustices, including those relating to society, culture and politics, to the economy, and community, and to development, climate and the environment.
For more information, please email: ac2026@rgs.org
Deadline: Friday 6 March 2026
Info
The Visual Life of Climate Change
ACCESS Co-Director, Saffron O'Neill's new book, The Visual Life of Climate Change, was published this week.
The book is a manifesto for opening up the visual discourse on climate from the traditionally formulaic and narrow images we have come to expect.
Rather than portraying scenarios that can be remote from many people’s lives, Saffron shows how images can be powerful tools to engage viewers and enable them to connect different issues together and can represent climate change in more diverse, equitable, inclusive and responsible ways.
It is available in paperback or open access from Bristol University Press
New AcSS report on the use of evidence in government policymaking
The Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) has published a new report recommending the UK Government gives a wider and richer mix of evidence – including social science evidence – more weight in policymaking and delivery, in order to improve outcomes for citizens.
It derives from a major AcSS project exploring the evidence infrastructures, approaches and mindsets in UK Government from an evidence supply perspective.
The AcSS write:
"The findings from many contributors indicate that while some excellent pockets of expertise exist, social science evidence in general is currently underweighted in government policymaking processes. There was a clear and consistent call for a breadth of social science evidence to be more systematically and better embedded in existing evidence infrastructures and processes in Whitehall. Thereby making it more fully and more readily available to government decision making."
New Scottish Govt/ClimateXChange Report: Accelerating the use of behavioural science in climate policymaking
This report outlines a recent roundtable event, exploring how behavioural insights could be better used in climate and environmental policy. Authors include Lorraine Whitmarsh (ACCESS Leadership Team, University of Bath).
Discussions focused on three key challenges:
• Prioritising where to embed behavioural science
• Engaging policymakers
• Improving the evaluation of behavioural interventions
Participants also identified six potential projects that could be trialled by Scottish Government over the next six months.
From Public Acceptance to Societal Responsiveness of Net Zero Infrastructures
In this piece from Phedeas Stefanides and Jason Chilvers (University of East Anglia) on the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) blog, the authors argue that there is a greater need for societal responsiveness, not just public acceptance, in engaging publics throughout the net zero transition.
It links to the newly published academic paper and linked policy briefing from the authors that introduce a novel framework, which sets out four distinct perspectives on relationships between publics and infrastructural change: public acceptance, social acceptability, situated societal responsiveness, and systemic societal responsiveness.
They write:
"These alternative perspectives challenge the misrepresentation of public views and actions in acceptance-based approaches and suggest that successful net zero transitions depend on moving beyond acceptance to be more, not less, responsive to society."
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.
