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A quick round up of this week's news, jobs and opportunities
News
For some people, walking isn't so simple
Leadership College Fellow Jennifer Rudd writes about her personal challenge of walking with disabilities on the ACCESS website this week.
As someone who is autistic and has a B12 deficiency, walking isn’t always simple. Jennifer reflects on recent family walking adventures and moving beyond short coastal walks to climb mountains and take on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path.
Jennifer's blog is the final instalment of the Walking and Working in Nature series – 5 reflections from Leadership College Fellows – Jaya Gajparia, Susann Power, Mandi Bissett, Helen Roberts, and Jennifer Rudd on how where they walk influences their work and how their work influences their walks.
Rebecca Windemer awarded Churchill Fellowship
ACCESS Leadership College Fellow Rebecca Windemer has been awarded a 2025 Churchill Fellowship to explore how communities can be more effectively involved in, and benefit from, the strategic planning of renewable
energy and transmission infrastructure.
Rebecca will be travelling to Australia, where she'll focus on public engagement in Renewable Energy Zones, and New Zealand, where she'll be looking at how communities are involved in the planning and development of transmission infrastructure. Both countries offer valuable lessons on embedding local voices in energy decision-making.
Rebecca says:
"My goal is to bring back insights that help the UK put communities at the heart of the energy transition, so we not only meet our renewable energy targets, but do so in a way that builds trust, fairness, and shared benefit for communities across the country."
Harry Marshall & George Warren: Working at the intersection of academia and policy
"Being part of the ACCESS team provided a valuable opportunity to observe and contribute to the intersection between academia and policy. It was particularly insightful to see how both sectors navigate different demands and pressures while collaborating on shared goals."
Harry Marshall, ACCESS Knowledge Exchange Fellow based at Forest Research and George Warren, another ACCESS Knowledge Exchange Fellow based at the Energy Demand Research Centre, write about Harry’s time at ACCESS on the blog.
Events
ESRC Regional Engagement Environment portfolio event
Thursday 10 July, University of York
The Economic and Social Research Council will be holding their next Regional Engagement event at the University of York on 10 July, showcasing their Environment portfolio focusing on the opportunities for social sciences and interdisciplinarity working in the environmental space.
There will be a corporate update, and breakout sessions focusing on Place-Based and Community Engagement; How Social Science Can Provide and Enable Solutions to Key Environmental Challenges; ESRC datasets; as well as the UKRI Funding Service.
International Launch of the JUST Centre - Joining Up for a Just Future
Tuesday 15 July, 2-3pm, online
The JUST (Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations) Centre's ambition is to support a fair transition to net zero by transforming the processes and structures that leave many people and places out of the Low Carbon Living agenda.
This launch webinar will feature keynote remarks by Julian Agyeman, an internationally-recognised leader in the transdisciplinary field of environmental social science who developed the concept of ‘just sustainabilities’ 25 years ago.
A panel of three JUST Centre co-investigators, Rebecca Willis, Stefan Bouzarovski and Lucie Middlemiss will join him in conversation about the history of just sustainabilities research and how we can mobilise it in the current context to shape JUST Centre’s research agenda.
Broad themes include challenges of engaged, place-based research using mixed methods and challenges of democratic participation in the context of current political climates in the UK and beyond. The webinar will be chaired by JUST’s Director Sherilyn MacGregor.
International Policy Engagement Summit on Climate
Friday 3 October, 10am–4.30pm, Aston University
This summit hosted by Aston University and UPEN (Universities Policy Engagement Network) aims to help UK academic researchers find out how best to collaborate with international organisations and policymakers in one broad policy area.
The 2025 edition of the summit will focus on the field of climate policy and is directed at early and mid-career researchers who work in any field of climate research, and who are interested in engaging with policymakers on international climate issues.
It will:
- explore the current outlook of climate research and climate policy and how climate policy is governed nationally and internationally
- showcase excellence in international climate research from academics working in this area
- discuss the best ways to engage with policy makers in this area
- show how to identify key stakeholders and to pitch research effectively
Funding
C-DICE Networking Grants
The Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE) is pleased to announce an open call for short-term (up to 4 weeks in duration) networking grants, with the aim of facilitating short placement opportunities and collaborations to benefit C-DICE postdoctoral researchers.
These collaboration awards are an opportunity for Postdoctoral and Early Career Researchers to engage with the C-DICE network, which brings together 18 higher education institutions (HEIs) from across the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) and the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC).
The overarching goal of C-DICE is to accelerate progress towards a net-zero society by 2050 by building and sustaining the advanced skills base required to create a pipeline of world-class talent for the Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (IC&E) sectors. Proposals that address this challenge should include one or more of the following:
- Research in infrastructure, cities and/or energy
- Research using UKCRIC and ERA facilities
- Knowledge exchange between collaborating C-DICE HEIs
- Networking benefits for Postdoctoral and Early Career Researchers (PD&ECRs)
Deadline: Wednesday 16 July, 4pm
Jobs
Lecturer in Geography, University of Cumbria (Ambleside)
The University of Cumbria's Institute of Science and Environment is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic Lecturer in Geography with knowledge and experience in subjects relevant to our existing programme and wider portfolio.
Applications are especially encouraged from individuals with expertise in development, environmental or cultural geography who have strong expertise in geospatial technologies and GIS approaches. You will have an interest in, and ability to, complete research and publish in your chosen discipline field.
Deadline: Monday 7 July, 11.59pm
Postdoctoral Research Associate - Equity Lab, University of Exeter (Cornwall campus/hybrid)
The Research Associate will work on the UKRI funded research project “Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC)”, a £15 million consortium project running from 2023 – 2028. The Energy Demand Research Centre undertakes research for an affordable and secure low energy future. The postholder will work directly with Prof Gesche Huebner in the Equity Theme.
The post holder will lead on the establishment of the “Equity Lab”. We will recruit about 200 householders from a low-income background to create a picture of lived experience of energy and housing inequalities. This will involve collecting their energy data via smartmeters, deploying a range of sensors, and running interviews and surveys. One of the areas of interest is to understand to what extent those who experience energy inequalities will also be affected by other inequalities such as related to air pollution and ambient noise, and what mitigation options could be put into place.
The post holder will have the opportunity to lead on academic outputs and dissemination at conferences. They will be expected to attend and present at the biannual EDRC centre meetings taking place across the UK (with online attendance usually possible), providing an opportunity to engage with academics across the UK.
Deadline: Monday 7 July
British Academy Innovation Fellowships 2025-26 – Route B: Policy-led (Sustainable Futures)
Through these Innovation Fellowships, researchers in the humanities and social sciences are supported to create new and deeper links beyond academia, enabling knowledge mobilisation and translation, as well as individual skills development.
This call will enable researchers to partner with a central government department for 12 months. Successful applicants will work within specific policy areas set out by their chosen partner. These policy areas broadly correlate to the British Academy’s own Sustainable Futures policy programme.
The Academy and the partners invite applications for Fellowships in any of the following areas:
- Landscape Recovery (Defra).
- Public Participation Strategy (DESNZ).
- Climate, Society and International (GO Science).
The scheme is aimed at Early and Mid-career Researchers.
Deadline: Wednesday 6 August, 5pm
British Academy Mid-Career Fellowships
The Mid-Career Fellowships are designed both to support outstanding individual researchers with excellent research proposals, and to promote public understanding and engagement with humanities and social sciences.
The primary rationale of the scheme is to free successful applicants from their normal academic and administrative commitments for a period of 6 to 12 months to devote to the completion of a major piece of research. In addition, the Academy will look for evidence of a clear commitment to a strategy of public engagement and communication of the research outcomes during the period of the Fellowship.
Deadline: Wednesday 20 August, 5pm
Open-rank position in Environmental Psychology, University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet) is hiring a tenure-track assistant professor, associate professor, or full professor in environmental psychology and sustainability.
This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the growing research community exploring the psychological and behavioral dimensions of climate change, sustainability, and human–environment interactions in Copenhagen and Denmark.
The role sits within the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen and is part of a growing and active community focused on behaviour change, risk perception, and climate communication.
Deadline: Monday 1 September, 10.59pm
British Academy Global Innovation Fellowships: Carnegie Endowment for Global Peace
The objective of the Global Innovation Fellowships is to provide opportunities to UK-based early- and mid-career researchers from across the humanities and social sciences to develop their skills, networks and careers in the creative and cultural, public, private and policy sectors to address challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions.
Applications are invited in any of the following five areas:
- Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics.
- Global Order and Institutions.
- South and East Asia.
- Middle East and North Africa.
- Security and Defence.
There are no preconceived ideas about the disciplinary background of the award holder, but the applicant will need to demonstrate a solid understanding of the relevant issues, including the applicable policy landscape and the systemic challenges that it faces.
Deadline: Wednesday 24 September, 5pm
Opportunities
Opportunity to join a new ESRC assessor college
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is looking for members to join a new college which we will use to find members for our assessment panels.
The college will consist of academic members drawn from across the social sciences, representing the broad range of expertise, skills, career stages and approaches needed to help ensure we support the highest quality ideas across our remit.
Members will also include individuals from the public, business and civil society sectors to help ensure ESRC funds high-quality research with economic and societal impact.
Deadline: Tuesday 26 August, 5pm
Call for abstracts: 'Island Energy vs Energy Islands',
Energy Ethics 2026 Conference
August 2026, University of St Andrews & online
Encouraging interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral engagement, this panel advances critical debates within energy geographies, rural development, and just transition politics by conceptualising the simultaneous and often contradictory dynamics of infrastructural marginalisation and energy transition investment.
Through the dual lens of ‘energy islands’ and ‘island energy’, the session interrogates how processes of decarbonisation and infrastructural expansion intersect with, and at times exacerbate, existing spatial, environmental and socio-economic inequities. By foregrounding empirical cases where renewable energy development coexists with or even reinforces energy insecurity, the panel contributes to nuanced understandings of the uneven geographies of energy transitions. Furthermore, by engaging with concepts such as energy justice, energy democracy, and community-led innovation, the session proposes alternative frameworks for examining and addressing peripheral energy futures, offering insights into how place-based, participatory approaches might resist or enable energy transitions.
Send abstracts to the Panel Convenors: Cornelia Helmcke (ch348@st-andrews.ac.uk) & Christian Calvillo Muñoz (christian.calvillo@strath.ac.uk)
Deadline: Sunday 31 August
Call for abstracts: Birds and people: challenges and opportunities of coexistence, BOU Spring Conference
Tuesday 31 March – Thursday 2 April 2026, University of Nottingham & online
In a move to support the increasing multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary social science and ornithological research being conducted, next year’s BOU (British Ornithologists Union) Spring Conference is “Birds and People”.
This conference will examine the complexities of the relationships between birds and people to understand more about how birds and people can live together. By drawing on research from around the world, the conference aims to provide an insightful look into bird-people relationships and provide inspirational ideas about how we can coexist in the future.
The call for abstracts is now open and social science presentations are strongly encouraged.
Deadline: Monday 1 September, 11.59pm
Call for abstracts: 2nd International Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development
26–28 September, London
Join 2nd International Conference on Environment & Sustainable Development for global networking, learning, and SCOPUS publication opportunities.
The sustainability and environment conference will focus on a range of challenging topics in the current era of environmental and sustainable development. These topics include climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity conservation, sustainable land and water management, renewable energy, sustainable urban development, policy and governance frameworks, and social equity in sustainable development and many more.
Deadline: Friday 5 September
Call for views: Scottish Govt Draft Climate Change Plan Scrutiny 2025
The draft Climate Change Plan (CCP) is a strategy document which outlines how the Scottish Government intends to meet emissions reduction targets across all portfolio areas and sectors of the economy. This will be the first time the Scottish Parliament has considered a statutory CCP in draft form since the passing of the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act of 2019 and the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) Act 2024.
To support the Parliament’s scrutiny, the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee is undertaking a Call for Views in advance of the draft CCP being published. It asks questions about what policies people think should be in the draft CCP across different sectors, and what else needs to be included to deliver a just transition to net zero by 2045.
Deadline: Friday 19 September
Call for papers: Advancing Global Sustainable Consumption Policy and Practice, Journal of Consumer Policy special issue
The Journal of Consumer Policy invites submissions for a special issue on Advancing Global Sustainable Consumption Policy and Practice, focusing on closing the persistent gaps between knowledge and action in consumer behavior (Heiskanen & Pantzar, 1997; Thøgersen & Schrader, 2012; Gwozdz et al., 2020), including structural change for enabling sustainable consumption and lifestyles.
This special issue seeks to advance knowledge on innovative approaches, systemic interventions, and policy instruments that effectively promote sustainable consumption at individual, organizational, and policy levels. It aims to build upon and extend key insights from foundational contributions in the field of sustainable consumption, highlighting critical challenges and potential solutions.
The special issue is associated with and sponsored by the SCORAI Global Conference, June 8-11, 2026, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Deadline: 1 September 2026 (full paper)
Email enquiries to guest editor, Patrick Elf: p.elf@mdx.ac.uk
Training
How to design a workshop
Monday 7 Aug, 10am–4.30pm, University of Birmingham
During this interactive workshop from the Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE), you will learn the principles of effective workshop design and be given the space to practise these principles.
Experienced professionals
will share their hints and tips on how to design and facilitate a workshop, with a focus on the learning journey. This training will provide you with an opportunity to upskill, collaborate with colleagues and apply best practice in designing and delivering your own workshop.
It's also a chance to connect in person with the C-DICE community and expand your professional network.
Info
Watch: Chief Scientific Advisor Paul Monks - Keynote
In a wide reaching keynote for the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC)'s annual assembly, Chief Scientific Advisor Paul Monks called for faster deployment of existing solutions and warned against technocratic approaches to net zero that overlook social and economic dimensions.
Watch here
People, place, purpose. Case studies of public engagement on climate change
Climate Outreach's latest report demonstrates the breadth and power of public engagement on climate and the environment, and brings to life what it can look like in different contexts.
It features fourteen examples of well-designed public engagement on climate and nature issues from across the UK and beyond, and involving many different organisations and groups.
Together they showcase the impact that public engagement on climate issues can have and how it can help reduce climate-changing emissions.
Slowing Down to Move Together: Democratic Listening Circles for a Just Transition
A University of Bristol project has piloted a powerful new approach to public dialogue: a Democratic Listening Circle, rooted in the Way of Council.
This method enables participants to be deeply heard and speak freely, allowing underlying truths and hard tensions around Just Transition to surface - without pre-set agendas or forced consensus.
Findings show that deep-rooted conflict, mistrust, and polarisation can begin to shift when people are truly listened to.
A policy briefing by Emilia Melville et al. on the project includes key insights, reflections on the process and policy implications.
Changing Nature: Diversity and Inclusion Training in the Environment Sector
This project by Alice Venn and Alix Dietzel (University of Bristol) aimed to address the lack of confidence this lack of confidence in overcoming systemic exclusion within the environment sector head on, through the delivery of bespoke Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) training.
Over a period of two years, they worked in partnership with the environment sector, listening carefully to stakeholder needs, and ran a series of EDI training workshops led by The Diversity Trust, followed by peer-to-peer support groups.
In this article, they share key insights from the project, including ideas participants are taking forward within their organisations.
They write: "In doing so, we want to demonstrate the value of sustained, bespoke, and stakeholder centered EDI training, as part of a broader, sector-wide approach to tackling issues of inclusion."
Low carbon heating transitions and Actor Network Theory: Entanglements with the fireside
This article by Aimee Ambrose (Sheffield Hallam University) et al. in Energy Research & Social Science shares findings from 30 oral histories of home heating (1945 to present) gathered in the former coal mining town of Rotherham in Northern England.
Analysing rich personal accounts using Actor Network Theory (ANT), the authors reveal the coal fire (or coal-fired range) as a powerful actant shaping domestic life in the decades following the end of the Second World War and exposes important, previously unacknowledged, relational-material entanglements with the fireside, which endure despite many decades of gas central heating in the UK.
These entanglements have implications for the handling of transitions to more technological low carbon heating systems, such as heat pumps.
"Perhaps the paper goes some way to explaining what our enduring love of a fire might mean for a fast, fair and popular domestic energy transition," writes Ambrose.
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.
Share your news
Thank you to all the contributors who sent items in for this week's newsletter.
Do get in touch if you have any events, job or funding opportunities or new research that you would like to share with the ACCESS Network.
And if you have any feedback on the newsletter, we'd love to hear it.
Email me (Suzy) at: s.p.a.darke@exeter.ac.uk
