News, Jobs, Events, Opportunities and lots more...
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A quick round up of this week's events, jobs and opportunities
Events
Exploring the links between public, animal and ecosystem health: Perspectives from a ‘more-than-human’ health psychologist
Wednesday 12 February, 12 to 1 pm
Health psychologists typically focus on human health outcomes – yet human health and wellbeing is intrinsically linked with the health and wellbeing of other species and the dynamic ecosystems within which we are all embedded. To support human health, we also need to support ‘more-than-human’ health.
Frameworks such as ‘One Health’ and ‘Planetary Health’ help to make this interconnectedness more explicit for researchers and practitioners. In this webinar, Dr Sarah Golding will share insights from her own interdisciplinary work to illustrate how health researchers and practitioners might work within a One Health Framework. She will draw on examples related to animal health (antimicrobial prescribing in veterinary medicine), human health (nature engagement and wellbeing), and ecosystem health (biodiversity conservation).
The Importance of Climate Content to ITV
Wednesday 26 February, 1 to 2 pm
Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS) is presenting a webinar with Tom Doidge, Sustainability Analyst at ITV, on the importance of climate content to ITV. Please email c3ds@exeter.ac.uk to register for online attendance.
How the media covers climate change
Wednesday 12 March 2 to 3 pm, online and in-person
Join the Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS), the Met Office and Carbon Brief for a panel discussion ‘How the media covers climate change’ at the University of Exeter.
Panellists include Professor Saffron O'Neill, Professor Richard Betts MBE and Leo Hickman. The panel discussion is hybrid. There will be an additional networking session 3 to 4 pm for in person attendees.
(re)Writing Climate Change Narratives: apocalypse, utopia and everything in between
Wednesday 26 March, 1 pm to 4 pm, online and in-person
Join the Centre for Climate Communication and Data Science (C3DS) for a workshop on climate change narratives. Run by a group of playwrights, data scientists and creative researchers, they ask how we can collectively imagine alternative narratives, filling them with our own characters and storylines, to help diversify and pluralise common conceptions of climate change. It aims to make space for everyone in the story, drawing out marginalised perspectives and giving value to creative responses, building up a more holistic climate change narrative with contributions and ideas from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and practices.
Speakers include Sarah Woods , Ned Westwood, Polly Gregson, Josh Cockcroft and Lucy Holdaway.
Royal Geographical Society Postgraduate Forum Mid-Term Conference 2025
Tuesday 22 and Thursday 24 April
Whether you’re just starting your postgraduate journey or nearing completion, here is an opportunity to present your original research on any geographical topic or dive deep into energy-related themes through the Energy Geography Research Group, including but not limited to:
- Energy transitions
- Public participation towards Net zero
- Renewable energy uptake in different geographical places and societal impacts
- Role of renewable energy infrastructures for a just transition
- Temporality and just futures of energy
- Energy governance
Jobs
PhD Studentship - Climate Distress: Development of a Theoretical and Empirical Framework at Cardiff University
The aim of this PhD project is to provide conceptual clarity on climate distress by developing a theoretical and empirical framework that distinguishes it from related psychological constructs, such as climate concern and worry. Additionally, the project seeks to establish a clear operational definition that can inform empirical research and clinical practice.
The closing date is Monday 3 March
Opportunities
Call for discussion papers on place-sensitive understandings of nature recovery in the UK.
The British Academy is seeking to commission a series of discussion papers that will contribute to it's public policy theme on Sustainable Futures.
The call sets out requirements for short discussion papers to be produced as part of a series that will help explore the relationship between place, people and policy around the subject of nature recovery.
The deadline for proposals is Wednesday 12 March
Call Out for PhD Students to Join Network Plus's Early Career Research Network
Are you are interested in working with industry experts, and academics in partnership? Three major networks (IMPACT+, Back to Baselines and this network, Future Fibres) are working across an array of universities here in the U.K. One of the core purposes is to investigate the fashion industry’s drive to move towards sustainable business practices.
What does this Network Offer? The diverse range of researchers facilitating an array of specialist subject areas are leading new and novel ways to build communication, and knowledge cooperating in a network to support future partnerships amongst the research community, which is important when faced with modern-day challenges which cannot be resolved by one field of research. Please email a.irving-munro@northumbria.ac.uk or you can reach her through LinkedIn
Call for Evidence
- Government support for biomass | Public Accounts Committee | 13 February 2025
- Nitrogen | Environment and Climate Change Committee | 7 March 2025
- The energy grid and grid connections | Industry and Regulators Committee | 28 February 2025
- Delivering 1.5 million new homes: Land Value Capture | Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee | 5 March 2025
Call for presentations: Social Research Association’s 2025 Annual Conference
The call for presentations for the Social Research Association’s 2025 Annual Conference taking place on Wednesday 9 July in London is now open.
Theme suggestions for the 20-minute presentations include AI and social research, innovation in design, insight and behavioural science, rapid response research and partnerships that deliver impact, amongst others.
The closing date for submissions is on Friday 14 February at 5pm
Call for expressions of interest: Socio-Legal Studies Association workshop
The call for expressions of interest for the Socio-Legal Studies Association workshop, ‘Legal perspectives on climate reparations’, is open.
The workshop is the second in a three-part series that seeks interdisciplinary perspectives on climate reparations and will focus on producing an interdisciplinary legal analysis of Article 8 of the Paris Agreement, the provision focused on addressing ‘loss and damage’ resulting from climate change.
Submissions should be made by 10 February
Consultation on Scotland's strategic framework for biodiversity
The Scottish Parliament is preparing to scrutinise a Natural Environment Bill. While we await to see the legislative detail we anticipate that part of the Bill will reflect proposals to legislate in several areas set out in the Scottish Government 2023 consultation.
Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) would like to hear from academics working on, or with expertise relevant to, establishing such a statutory framework. Specifically, we are interested in hearing from those with expertise associated with:
- The nature and topic areas of biodiversity targets appropriate for indicating overall biodiversity trends in Scotland, including the extent to which data is available for these areas (or ‘metrics’) to support robust and affordable monitoring.
- The establishment and operation of statutory biodiversity or nature frameworks elsewhere (particularly any which have sought to implement the new Global Biodiversity Framework).
- Learnings transferable from other statutory frameworks e.g. on climate.
If you have expertise in any of the areas identified above, please get in touch with Alexa Morrison, Alexa.Morrison@parliament.scot
Please include the following information:
- Your name, university/institution and email address,
- A short paragraph (please limit this to 300 words) or bullet point list detailing:
- Your areas of relevant expertise.
- Any current or previous work you are/have been involved in (links to publications or projects helpful).
- An indication of whether you have engaged with the Scottish Parliament previously.
Closing date for submissions is Monday 24 February
UUCN seeking feedback for DESNZ
Following a UK Universities Climate Network (UUCN) meeting with DESNZ they would welcome written input from members on the development of the Seventh Carbon Budget (CB7) and their Public Participation Strategy. They are also seeking feedback on options for accelerating net zero. In particular, they are hoping for insights and evidence on the following questions:
CB7
- What do you think are the most important considerations in the decision on CB7? Do you have any evidence for these?
- What do you think will be the most significant challenges government will face when setting CB7? Do you have any evidence to counter these?
Public Participation Strategy
- What do you think are the most important net zero public participation issues that should be addressed in the Public Participation Strategy?
- What can government learn about net zero public engagement and participation from academia's engagement with the public on science?
- What role can academia play to encourage public participation in the transition to net zero?
Accelerating net zero
- Do you have any evidence of how action on net zero can be accelerated or impacts amplified through positive tipping points/multiplying effects?
If you didn't attend the meeting, or would like to re-watch the presentations from DESNZ, the recording can be found here. It may provide useful context for developing your feedback.
If you would like to provide written feedback, please submit it via this form. UUCN collate the responses and share them with DESNZ. Please submit your feedback by Monday 17 February.
Info
Raising the floor as well as the ceiling? How minimum climate standards could help England’s Devolved Authorities align new projects with net zero
This report from the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations sets out how Devolved Authorities are trying to align their funding and investments with net zero. It also outlines the challenges Authorities face in supporting low-carbon projects and how they could address these. The insights draw on analysis of net zero investment policies of regional and devolved governments across the UK, and interviews with officials at six English Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority.
British Academy Policy Insight Case Studies
Policy Insight Case Studies
The Academy funded four research teams to produce a set of Policy Insight Case Studies.
The four policy insight case studies provide a rich and nuanced look into the some of themes around place-sensitivity that the Where We Live Next policy programme is exploring. They cover a range of interconnected topics: participatory policy development for a just transition; planning for future generations; climate commissions, and engagement with subsidy schemes.
Understanding publics and net zero
A recent British Academy roundtable event with ACCESS, SHAPE researchers and officials (from the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Cabinet Office) looked at some of the latest SHAPE research to open a discussion around understandings publics and net zero in the context of the government’s aim to accelerate to net zero.
Three headlines emerged the extent and conditional nature of public support for net zero; a need to do what we know works informed by a more nuanced understanding of ‘engagement’ and a wider range of methods to communicate with publics; and, the importance of upstream actions - a people-centred, systems approach that designs-in solutions.
The Academy of Social Sciences have refreshed their careers in social science webpages
As part of their work towards sustaining the pipeline of diverse social science talent, they have refreshed their careers in social science webpages to help promote the skills, knowledge and diversity of careers available through studying social science at school and beyond.
Aimed at secondary school students choosing their GCSEs and A Levels, and undergraduate students studying social science at university, the updated webpages provide a range of information including what to expect when studying social science at secondary school and beyond, the transferable skills gained, and indications of potential earnings in different careers, as well as links to useful resources from other organisations, including the Academy’s member learned societies.
Beyond the ballot: social science insights on eight key policy challenges
This report from the Academy of Social Science draws together the insights of over 100 leading social scientists on policy-applicable insights from social science research and practice across eight themes relevant to the UK Government’s missions and broader policy agenda. Covering health & social care, inequalities & welfare, housing, macroeconomics, regional equity & growth, borders & migration, knowledge & technology, and energy & climate, these evidence-based contributions draw on a wide range of social science methodologies and underline the great potential of social science research, from across a very wide range of disciplines, to help shape policy and practice.
Positdigital nature connection
Many thanks to Dr Jack Reed for sharing his recent work on postdigital nature connection and a call for book chapters.
- Postdigital nature connection in Postdigital Science and Education. This conceptual paper outlines for the first time the relationships between nature connection and postdigital theory.
- Young people's networked constructions of nature in People and Nature. This emprical paper outlines ways in which 50 young people in the UK related to and interpreted in-person nature to their prior experiences on TikTok, Instagram and Minecraft.
- All of this is linked to a new call for chapters with Springer. The title is "Postdigital nature connection" and invites contributions from anybody interested in the relationships between nature connectedness and technologies.
Please submit enquiries, abstracts, and chapters to j.reed2@exeter.ac.uk
Feeding People in a Crisis: The UK Food System and the COVID-19 Pandemic
The authors of this book Michael Winter, Steven Guilbert, Timothy Wilkinson, Matt Lobley and Catherine Broomfield consider the winners and losers in a time of rapid social change, the lasting impacts on the UK food system and lessons to be learned for a food system dependent on imports and large retailers and with a high burden of diet-related health issues.
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.
