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A quick round up of the latest news, jobs and opportunities
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News
Congratulations to ACCESS's Patrick Devine-Wright and Anika Haque
Patrick Devine-Wright (ACCESS Director, University of Exeter) and Anika Haque (ACCESS Leadership College Fellow, Member of the ACCESS Adaptation and Resilience Task Force, University of York) have been invited to work with the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Patrick has been invited to participate in the IPCC Workshop on Engaging Diverse Knowledge Systems which takes place at the University of Reading in February 2026.
Anika has been selected as one of the expert reviewers for the First Order Draft of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities.
Spotlighting global-majority voices – A new ACCESS interview series
This week on the ACCESS blog, Jaya Gajparia (ACCESS Leadership College Fellow) introduces her new ACCESS interview series, spotlighting environmental social scientists with global-majority backgrounds.
Jaya's introductory piece describes the origin of the Spotlight Series as part of an intervention to create within ACCESS the "social infrastructure to ensure experts from diverse backgrounds are visible, accessible, with wider reach where all voices have the space and platform they deserve."
She also introduces the six featured experts whose interviews will be published over the coming weeks: Irekpitan Okukpon, Aryo Feldman, Rabin Doolub, Anita Lateano, Gerald Arhin and Nnennaya Nwali.
Jaya writes: "These spotlight interviews are about experts whose work has always mattered, whose expertise has always existed, but who haven’t always been invited into the room...
"They are asking questions that matter: Who gets to decide what counts as knowledge? Whose voices shape policy? What does justice actually look like in practice?"
Spotlight Interview: Irekpitan Okukpon’s journey through environmental law, waste, justice, and community
Irekpitan Okukpon grew up in Benin City, Nigeria, and was struck by mounds of waste in the gutters and the casual way people discarded rubbish:
"I was fascinated by waste because it is part of our everyday lives,” she explains. “It tells you something about how people live, what governments prioritise, and who is left out of the conversation.”
Now based in the UK, and teaching environmental law at the University of Bradford, Irekpitan’s research explores how global conversations on waste and pollution often miss key dimensions.
She is particularly concerned about the gendered impacts of plastic use and disposal in the Global South, where women’s everyday interactions with plastics expose them to health risks that policy rarely acknowledges. Irekpitan says:
“We need a more gender-sensitive approach. It’s not enough to talk about a global plastics treaty without asking how plastics affect women differently, and what kind of awareness and education is needed.”
Welcome to Anita Lateano and Rory Murphy!
We are very pleased to welcome Anita Lateano (University of Westminster) and Rory Murphy (University of Exeter) to the ACCESS Team.
Both are joining ACCESS as Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellows.
Anita's PhD research combines ethnographic and arts-based methodologies to explore how coral reef conservation practices in Bunaken National Park, Indonesia, are enacted across communities, governments, NGOs and the reef itself. She will be supporting the Environmental Social Science in Interdisciplinary Working project, led by Birgitta Gatersleben (University of Surrey).
Rory is an interdisciplinary social scientist researching ethical and environmental impacts of artificial intelligence and AI-powered technologies. He will be supporting the Environmentally Just AI: Examining AI’s environmental impacts through environmental social science project, led by Sarah Hartley (University of Exeter).
Thanks to everyone who has sent in news, events and opportunities to share in today's newsletter.
If you have anything you'd like to share with the ACCESS Network, I'd love to hear from you. You can reply to this email or reach me (Suzy) at: s.p.a.darke@exeter.ac.uk
Events
Growing Together: Surrey Hills Symposium 2025
Wednesday 19 November, 5-8pm, University of Surrey
This symposium will include:
- Opportunities to connect with the Surrey Hills through volunteering, creativity, or adventure.
- Fireside discussions on topics like adventure, mindfulness in farming, and green skills.
- Live Performances
- Refreshments from Mandira’s Kitchen and Denbies Wine Estate
Panelists include:
Steven Jarvis (Vice Chancellor, University of Surrey, Birgitta Gatersleben (ACCESS Co-Director, University of Surrey), and Kathy Atkinson (Chair of Surrey Hills National Landscape)
Webinar: Reporting Climate Change – the Challenge for Journalists and the Media
Thursday 20 November, 2-3pm, online
This Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS) webinar will be delivered by Kevin Burden, Media consultant and trainer specialising in climate change and the environment.
Email c3ds@exeter.ac.uk to register
Global Energy Justice Action Week 2025
Monday 24 - Friday 28 November, online
This free 5-day online event will bring together researchers, activists, policymakers, practitioners, and community advocates from across the globe to critically explore how global energy transitions can become more inclusive, equitable, and just.
Each day has a different focus:
Day 1: Terminology – Rethinking ‘energy/fuel poverty’: Why words matter?
Day 2: Perspective – Energy injustice at home: Structural barriers and everyday struggles
Day 3: Global North – Energy justice: Hidden hardships and policy blind spots
Day 4: Global South – Energy justice: Colonial legacies and local agency
Day 5: Future – Towards Just Energy Futures: Policy narratives, activism, and solidarity
Communicate Conference
Tuesday 25 November, Manchester & online
Wednesday 26 November, London & online
Thursday 27 November, Bristol & online
Communicate, the UK’s leading annual conference for environmental communicators returns this month.
This year's theme is 'Against the Odds' and the focus is on how to build resilience, collaborations and new approaches against a backdrop of unprecedented challenges.
There will be 55 sessions over the 3 days. Read the full Communicate programme.
Speakers include Davide Pettinato (University of Cambridge) who will be presenting an online-only session on Wednesday 26 November, showcasing his ACCESS FlexFund research on British Muslims and pro-environmental values, self-identities and personal norms.
A digital pass for online sessions across all three days costs £30.
Race Equality in Nature Conference 2025
Wednesday 3 December, 9.15am-5pm, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol
Do you work in the nature, conservation, environmental, EDI or education sectors? Are you interested in access to nature and promoting greater ethnic diversity in the environmental sector?
This insightful conference, jointly organised by Black 2 Nature and UWE, will focus on race equity, education & work pathways within the environmental sector.
Speakers include: Gillian Burke (Conservationist & ex BBC Springwatch), Beccy Speight (CEO, RSPB), Hiliary McGrady (Director General, National Trust), Richard Benwell (Wildlife and Country Link) Mya-Rose Craig (Author, Activist and Black2Nature Founder and President) Emmanuel Adukwu (UWE), Monira Ahmed Chowdhury (EDI Consultant and Anti-Racism Expert), Helena Craig, (Chair, Black2Nature), and Ismail Kholwadia (Focal Elements)
Prof. Michael Winter’s Distinguished Lecture: Whatever happened to the Political Economy of Agriculture?
Wednesday 17 December, 10.15am-12.15pm, University of Exeter's Streatham Campus & online
Michael Winter OBE (Chair of ACCESS's Nature Recovery Task Force, University of Exeter) will deliver his Centre for Rural Policy Research Distinguished Lecture next month:
Whatever happened to the Political Economy of Agriculture? A personal and affectionate reflection on trends and fashions in British rural studies since the 1980s.
Contemplating conceptual turns, government-driven research practice and the rise of interdisciplinarity, Michael asks if it's time to bring back big-picture thinking to rural sociology?
Training
EDI in Energy Research: From Theory into Practice
Wednesday 14 January 2026, 10am-4.30pm, Birmingham & online
A deep dive into how the principles of EDI can be applied in Energy Research.
Discover how equality, diversity, and inclusion can move from theory into everyday practice across energy research.
This free one-day interactive event, co-hosted by UKERC (UK Energy Research Centre), Supergen Energy Networks, EDI+, and IGNITE Network+ brings together students, early-career researchers and those more advanced in their careers to connect and learn about applying EDI in real-world situations.
Funding
NIHR Climate Change and Health Research Collaboration Awards
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Climate Change and Health Team (CCH) invites applications for research that addresses the challenges of climate change by building resilience into the delivery of health and social care services during severe weather events.
Smaller development awards will be offered initially. Their purpose is to enable research teams to come together to develop ideas with potential to help UK health and social care services to operate efficiently during extreme weather events.
After the development phase, holders of development awards will be invited to submit large scale and ambitious collaborative projects.
This funding opportunity aims to:
- bring diverse research teams together to develop plans for ambitious research and to catalyse future research capacity
- enable researchers to apply for larger Research Collaboration awards within this initiative
- support teams who are seeking support from other programmes within the NIHR
Deadline: Tuesday 10 March 2026, 1pm
Jobs
Chief of Staff, Urban Ocean Lab (remote)
Urban Ocean Lab (UOL) is a coastal climate policy think tank reimagining how coastal cities respond to climate change. UOL connects bold ideas with practical tools—shaping public imagination, informing policy, and equipping local leaders to build just, resilient, and liveable coastal futures.
The Chief of Staff will be a key strategic and operational partner to the Managing
Director, helping translate Urban Ocean Lab’s vision into clear priorities and coordinated action across the organization.
They are looking for someone with a strong background in climate policy, excellent systems-thinking skills, and a passion for co-creating climate solutions.
Deadline: Sunday 17 November
Apply here
Lecturer in Business, Sustainability and Society (University College London)
The UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources is recruiting a Lecturer in Business, Sustainability and Society.
You will join a thriving and vibrant community of sustainability researchers, and strengthen research capacity in business sustainability and the role of consumers and/or citizens.
You will also join the leadership team of our MSc programme, Business and Sustainability (BaS), which is committed to transformation across business, environment, and society. You will lead at least one taught module and contribute to others as needed, bringing practical insights into sustainable citizenship that align with the employment-focused nature of their postgraduate programmes.
Deadline: Sunday 23 November
Senior Climate and Sustainability Officer (Devon County Council)
Devon County Council is looking for a Senior Climate and Sustainability Officer to join our ambitious Climate and Sustainability Team. You’ll play a key role in delivering corporate and community environmental performance improvements.
A focus will be leading the delivery of our new Low Carbon Supply Chain Strategy, part of our Corporate Carbon Reduction Plan, to improve data capture systems, upskill staff and engage suppliers to minimise carbon emissions from the goods, works and services the council procures.
Deadline: Sunday 23 November
Climate and Sustainability Officer (Devon County Council)
Your initial focus will be updating Devon County Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, covering both carbon reduction and climate resilience – gathering actions from across the authority that we are undertaking to demonstrate leadership on the Devon Carbon Plan and the Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Climate Adaptation Strategy.
You’ll guide council services on how to improve their preparedness for a changing climate, and support the delivery of our net-zero and sustainability goals.
Deadline: Sunday 30 November
Professor in Behaviour Change and Sustainability Transformation (Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany)
The Institute of Sustainability Psychology is seeking a committed researcher with an outstanding international research profile in combination with a track record of unique ideas put into action, impacting their field as well as society.
You will have a strong publication record in international, peer-reviewed scientific journals, experience in initiating and conducting third-party funded research projects and proven experience in the supervision of students.
Deadline: Sunday 30 November
Climate Change Committee (CCC) Members (Department for Energy Security & Net Zero)
The UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland are seeking to appoint up to three members to the CCC.
The CCC plays a vital role advising the UK and Devolved Governments on our climate targets and reporting on progress made in meeting them.
As a member, you will be responsible for developing the work of the Committee, determining its strategic direction and providing impartial input into its work.
Applicants should have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Delivery, business and/or finance: for example in the decarbonisation of specific sectors of the economy, or the roles of business, industry and investment in enabling the UK to reach net zero.
- Social research: including public opinion polling and/or behaviour change, and implications for policy development and implementation.
- Climate science and policy: with formal qualifications, an internationally recognised track record and recent publications in a relevant scientific field, and experience of the development and implementation of climate change policy at national and/or international level.
- Agriculture and land use: particularly experience of delivering nature-based solutions, farming, or land management; although candidates with a strong academic background in these areas will also be considered.
- Devolved nations: the differences in climate-related challenges, policies and governance across the four UK nations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, and/or specific expertise in at least one of the devolved nations.
Deadline: Monday 1 December, 12pm noon
PhD studentships
NERC-funded PhD studentship, University of Edinburgh
Examining and testing deliberative-democratic tools for land use transformations
Land management must change dramatically for climate and biodiversity imperatives. This PhD will examine, test and learn from strategies to improve social deliberation of these changes in Scotland/UK, to improve public engagement and legitimacy.
Supervisors are Janet Fisher and Marc Metzger in GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.
Deadline: Sunday 14 December, 11.59pm
PhD Studentship, University College London
The theory and application of a national engineering capacity index
Do you have an economic/political geography background with strong quantitative and data visualisation skills (but keen to develop qualitative) to explore the development of national indicators for understanding the engineering capacity at a country level?
This project is a foundational exploration building on the domain of ‘engineering policy’ developed by Adam Cooper at UCL’s Department of Science, Technology Engineering and Public Policy, and projects commissioned by the Engineering X programme hosted at the Royal Academy of Engineering in partnership with the Lloyds Register Foundation under the title Global Engineering Capability Review.
Deadline: Monday 5 January 2026, 1pm
Fully funded PhD Studentship, University of Southampton
Stories from the shore: employing oral histories for just decision making in estuarine flood and coastal risk management
An opportunity to apply for a fully-funded PhD position at the University of Southampton, supervised by Sien van der Plank, Juliet de Little and Eli Lazarus.
We need to better understand the relationships between people, nature and place for the development of sustainable outcomes that also build resilience to increasing flood risk in estuaries. This project examines how place-specific knowledge can be embedded in estuarine flood and coastal risk management, to support just decision making.
There will be a Webinar and Q&A for prospective applicants on Wednesday 26 November, 2pm
Deadline: Thursday 8 January 2026, 11.59pm
Opportunities
Public Consultation: Forestry and Land Scotland Draft Corporate Strategic Plan 2026 - 2030
The purpose of this consultation is to seek the views of all who have an interest in the national forests and land (forests and land owned by Scottish Ministers on behalf of the people of Scotland).
They are particularly interested in hearing views on our corporate outcomes and priorities which will frame the delivery of our work over the next five years.
The consultation responses will help us to inform the development of the final version of the Corporate Strategic Plan.
Deadline: Friday 21 November
Call for UK Parliament POSTnote Contributions
There are a number of calls for POSTnote contributions this month:
1. Small-scale solar
What could small-scale solar contribute to delivering energy and climate policy, and how might it be optimised?
Deadline: Friday 5 December, 11.59pm
2. Public engagement with the energy transition
How are the public engaging with the energy transition? How is engagement changing and what are the potential challenges?
Deadline: Friday 5 December, 11.59pm
3. Nature based flood and drought resilience
What are the key challenges and benefits of using nature-based solutions for flood and drought risk climate change adaptation in the UK?
Deadline: Friday 5 December, 11.59pm
4. Use of evidence in conservation practice
What is required to develop robust evidence for nature conservation interventions to deliver successful nature recovery strategies in the UK?
Deadline: Friday 5 December, 11.59pm
Call for Abstracts for a Special Issue: Intersectional Feminist Perspectives on Energy Transformations
This special issue invites theoretical and empirical contributions that explore intersectionality in energy transformations, aiming to advancing scholarship and foster interdisciplinary dialogue.
It aims to address a critical research lacuna: the often-overlooked systemic inequalities and injustices embedded in energy transformations. These operate intersectionally across gender, race, age, class, ethnicity, and disability, and are situated within diverse geographic, spatial and socio-political contexts.
Key questions include:
- What new forms of intersectional solidarity are emerging in energy research and activism?
How can a feminist perspective be applied to the challenges and risks underpinning new energy policies and decarbonisation processes? What constitutes a fair green agenda, and for whom?
- How can feminist thinking address alternative energy transformations and futures?
Submit abstracts of 250 words to:
Giulia Mininni: giulia.mininni@manchester.ac.uk
Saska Petrova: s.petrova@manchester.ac.uk
Lin Zhang: lin.zhang-3@manchester.ac.uk
Deadline: Friday 5 December
Call for abstracts: Energy Ethics 2026 – Infrastructures of Energy
Tuesday 4 - Thursday 6 August 2026, University of St Andrews & Online
Confronted with the climate crisis coupled with ambitions for first-mover positions in new Net Zero markets, many countries have embarked on energy transitions that move away from a reliance on fossil fuels towards more decarbonised energy systems.
At the same time, we are seeing policy u-turns on climate policies and targets, societal challenges to energy transitions, and investors’ return to fossil fuel prospects.
Energy Ethics 2026 asks: What is at stake in our infrastructures of energy? How can change come about? What visions of human and other flourishing are favoured in our infrastructures of energy?
Deadline for Paper Abstracts: Monday 15 December
Call for Evidence: Climate Policy and Health Equity
ClimateXChange (CXC) are looking for evidence that shows how climate policies in Scotland are affecting health.
CXC is working with Lucidity Services Ltd and the University of Glasgow on a project measuring the impacts of climate policy on health in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.
As part of this, they are calling for evidence, data and case studies that demonstrate how climate change mitigation and adaptation policies in Scotland are affecting health outcomes and health equity – and how these outcomes are measured.
We encourage submissions of both completed and ongoing research from early career, PhD or post-doctoral researchers. And submissions can come from organisations across the private, public, third and academic sectors.
Deadline: Friday 16 January 2026
Info
Framing a more hopeful story about climate change at COP30
This piece from Rachel Orr on the Climate Outreach blog provides some key messages, framing and stories to help you tell a compelling story during COP30.
"Getting the story right is crucial to help build understanding of the role of COP, why it matters and how people feel about climate and nature right now. The story you tell can also remind people of the progress the UK is already making to address climate change and how we can build on this progress in the coming years," she writes.
Natural England's Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security
Natural England (NE) has just published its new Nature Recovery Strategy, setting out how NE will move beyond protection to systemic, large-scale recovery of nature.
The strategy has four strategic outcomes:
- Recovering Nature
- Building Better Places
- Improving Health and Wellbeing
- Delivering Security through Nature
The strategy document provides case studies and underpinning evidence for each outcome and outlines NE's new approach, which includes better, streamlined regulation and empowered local decision making.
The Contemporary Relevance of the Social Sciences
This new report from the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS) explores the essential role that the social sciences play in harnessing the opportunities and mitigating the challenges we face in our contemporary human world.
It outlines eight principles about the UK’s social science sector:
- The social sciences are the understanding of people, society, economy and places
- The UK is a social science powerhouse
- The social sciences bring economic value
- The social sciences serve society
- The social sciences facilitate innovation
- The social sciences improve people’s lives by guiding good decision-making
- Social science subjects are open and available to all
- Social science skills are valued by employers and lead to well-paid careers
The report – written for policymakers, academics and practitioners – sets out each principle is set out in detail with supporting evidence and case studies.
UK and Brazilian schools to partner on collaborative climate education programme
As part of the Schools Across the Ocean programme, 25 schools from the UK and 25 from Brazil will partner up in a collaborative learning programme to help improve climate literacy and develop personal resilience and creativity.
Each pair of schools will participate in online workshops, learn about one another’s cultures, work alongside a designated scientist, and explore how creativity can offer a sense of agency in addressing environmental challenges.
The project is led by the British Council, the University of Exeter, and the Met Office, and has already reached thousands of children in often rural, coastal, or remote areas of the UK, United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan – the three previous hosts of the global COP conference.
States of Transition: From Governing the Environment to Transforming Society
States of Transition, a new book from Peter Newell (University of Surrey), takes a deep dive into the multiple roles states play in supporting transitions to a more sustainable world.
The book, published by Cambridge University Press, goes beyond unhelpful binaries casting the state as the central problem or the all-encompassing solution to ecological and social crises and explores diverse current state practice across key domains: military, democracy, welfare, entrepreneurial, industrial, and foreign policy.
It builds on theoretical resources from a range of disciplines and moves beyond existing analysis of the 'environmental state' to explore scope for a 'transition state' to emerge, capable of corralling and transforming all aspects of state power behind the goal of responding to the existential threat of planetary collapse.
Good practice guidance for expert consultation processes
This good-practice guidance from Aimee Hope and Naomi Vaughan (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research) is intended to improve the inclusion of qualitative social science insights within decision-making.
The guidance is developed for non-statutory expert consultation processes and presented as a series of prompts, for those conducting an expert consultation, to consider at each stage (e.g., planning, meetings, outputs).
Note: the paper has been with the journal of Environmental Science & Policy since February 2025 and is still under review there.
What we lost when cars won
"Americans once feared cars. Now we can’t imagine life without them", writes Kate Yoder for Grist.
Yoder traces the history of our changing attitudes towards the automobile from the skepticism, shock and fear that they first evoked, through to the all-pervasive car culture – what Ian Walker (Swansea University) calls 'motornormativity' – of recent years. She writes:
"Cars have become intertwined with our lives, not just a practical way to get around but an aspirational one, tied to our social status and identity. It’s a tough combination to break free from..."
But it seems our attitudes towards cars are shifting once more. Covid-19 gave us a picture "of what streets could look like when cities didn’t prioritize cars". Policies are shifting with many cities implementing congestion plans to limit traffic and air pollution. And there are an increasing number of new books and podcasts opposing car culture.
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.
