Overview

I am a social scientist focused on understanding processes of change within energy systems. I draw on ideas and methods from multiple disciplines to a) advance our theoretical understanding of energy system change and b) develop practical recommendations for stakeholders seeking to affect change towards more sustainable energy systems.

Specific research interests include:

• The social construction of, and interaction between, the 'megatrends' of decarbonisation, decentralisation, digitalisation and democratisation 
• The role of place-based sustainability experimentation in wider transitions
• Community energy as a site of socio-technical innovation
• The ways that organisations engage people and communities around novel technologies and system change more broadly
• The role of policy, politics and governance in shaping energy system change

Qualifications

2016 PhD From local to global value: The transformational nature of community energy (University of Exeter)
2009 MSc Economics for Natural Resource and Environmental Management (Cranfield University)
2004 BSc Environmental Science (University of Dundee)

Links

• Bluesky
• Google Scholar
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Research group links

• Environment and Sustainability
• Energy Policy

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Research

Research interests

I am interested in the drivers and implications of processes of transformation within the energy system. Ongoing social and technological innovation is changing both the structure and the functioning of energy systems around the world. The processes and outcomes of such change can be understood as transformational: they comprise technologies and infrastructures that are fundamentally different in terms of nature, scale and geography, and involve broader, deeper and more dynamic forms of engagement with the society in which they are embedded. My research is concerned with understanding both the factors and the implications of these changes.

Research projects

PUSH-IT (2023-2026)
PUSH-IT (Piloting Underground Seasonal Heat Storage In geothermal reservoirs) is a four-year Horizon Europe demonstration project focused on large-scale geothermal heat storage solutions. Within this, I am leading the work package on ‘Public engagement, societal benefit and risks’. Led by TU Delft.

Past projects

EnergyREV (2021-2023)
EnergyREV was a UK Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme focused on proving the value, impact, and routes to investment in Smart Local Energy Systems. Within this, I worked on Work Package 4 to understand the factors contributing to community and user engagement strategies and practices in smart local energy systems. Research Fellow.

Net Zero Communities (2021-22)
NZCom was a project examining how local communities can meet net zero objectives while positively supporting vulnerable households and businesses. As part of this, I led the development of local scenario narratives to articulate plausible energy futures as a basis for exploring options for new technologies, business models and institutional arrangements. This project was led by Wadebridge Renewable Energy Network (WREN), and funded by Western Power Distribution (WPD) through Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance competition. Co-Investigator.

SHIFFT - Sustainable Heating: Implementation of Fossil-Free Technology (2019-2021)
SHIFFT was a €5.7M research project supported by INTERREG 2 Seas led by the University of Exeter. The project aimed to support cities in four European countries (Brugge, Mechelen, Middelburg and Fourmies) in developing strategies to decarbonise their heat as well as to help communities develop practical heat solutions. Research Fellow. 

Energy Democracy and the Politics of Energy Transition in African Countries (2020-21)
Supported by the UKRI/GCRF ‘Beyond Technology’ stream, this project examined the role of energy democracy and inclusivity across three African countries: Lesotho, South Africa and Nigeria. Led by University College London and working with partner institutions in the UK and Africa, the Energy Policy Group provided insights into how policy, regulation and wider governance frameworks can align to help foster more inclusive and democratic energy systems across diverse political and geographical contexts. Co-Investigator.

IGov2: Innovation and Governance for Future Energy Systems (2016-19)
The second phase of an EPSRC project, IGov 2 examined the level, type and speed of energy system change within GB and internationally, how existing and new energy system actors are responding, and how this is shaping future energy systems. The project website, outputs and final report are available here. Research Fellow.

Stepping Up (2015-20)
Stepping Up was a three year EPSRC project led by University of Manchester focusing on innovation in the context of the nexus between water, energy and food systems. The project as a whole used a mixed method approach, consisting of quantitative and qualitative modelling techniques to understand the processes, implications and challenges of scaling up nexus-innovations to achieve transformational change at different scales. Recognising the critical importance of a transdisciplinary approach, we are engaging with stakeholders throughout the project to develop insights into the drivers, motivations, enablers, and constraints of up-scaling nexus-innovation in the UK. My specific role was in leading the Policy and Governance Work Package. The project website, outputs and final report are accessible here. Research Fellow.

Social Capital in Energy System Change (2014-15)
This European Social Fund (ESF) project developed out of my doctoral study on community energy. This project in particular focused on characterising the nature and role of bonding, bridging and linking social capital, and assessing the role of social capital more broadly in supporting, challenging and steering energy system change. Research Fellow.

From local to global value: the transformational nature of community energy (2011-2016)
This research developed a rich understanding of the role and value of community energy, and wider societal engagement more generally, in the transformation of the UK energy system. Analysis of the social, economic and environmental impacts of a specific community energy project in Cornwall, UK illustrate the breadth and scale of potential local impacts. Moreover, the community energy movement, along with the expansion of parallel ‘local energy’ efforts is indicative of heightened democratisation in the UK energy system. A link to the thesis can be found here. This was a European Social Funded (ESF) doctoral study, superviser by Professor Catherine Mitchell (Exeter) and Dr Andy Angus (Cranfield)

Energy Security in a Multipolar World (2010-11)
ESMW was an ESRC/EPSRC funded interdisciplinary research cluster, bringing together researchers from multiple disciplines including energy policy, international relations, sociotechnical transitions and supply chain analysis to analyse the various temporal and dimensional aspects of energy security. The project website and outputs can be found here. Research Associate.

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Publications

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External Engagement and Impact

Administrative responsibilities

Departmental Sustainability Lead (2024-)

Theme Leader for SDG 7 (Energy) in the Global Systems Institute, involved in the co-creation of new research directions linking to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (2021-)

Co-founded ExeterEnergy, an interdisciplinary network of 150+ energy researchers at the University of Exeter (2019)

Committee/panel activities

Expert advisor for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) (2024)

External reviewer for UCL's MSc in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment (2023-) 

Peer reviewer for research bodies:
British Council, EPSRC, ESRC, UKRI, NordForsk

Committee member for BIEE (British Institute of Energy Economics) 2023 Research Conference

Academic representative for Sustainability First’s ‘New Public Interest Network’ of representatives from industry, regulators, policymakers and civil society groups (2018-2019) 

External reviewer for new MSc programmes: University of Oxford, University of Sussex

Editorial responsibilities

Peer reviewer for:
Nature Energy; Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews; Applied Energy; Energy Strategy Reviews; Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions; Energy Research and Social Science; Energy Policy; Urban Studies; Environmental Politics; Scientific Reports; Energy Sources Part B: Economics, Planning and Policy; Environment and Planning A; Energies; Local Environment; Frontiers; Science and Culture.

Review Editor for Frontiers in Climate (2023-)

Book manuscript reviewer for Palgrave; Routledge

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Teaching

2019/20
GEO1310 Geographies of Environment and Sustainability
GEO2131 Nature, Development and Justice
GEOM145 Theory for Sustainable Transitions

2023/24
GEOM247 Transforming Energy Systems

Modules

2024/25

• GEO1412 - Society, Environment and Energy
• GEOM247 - Transforming Energy Systems

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Supervision / Group

Postgraduate researchers

Alumni

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Office Hours:

Please get in touch via email for a meeting.

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