School of Psychology

Research Topics and Related Papers

Energy Biographies: Understanding the Dynamics of Energy Use for Energy Demand Reduction (ESRC funded 2011- 2014)
This research is funded by the ESRC under the ‘Energy and Communities collaborative venture’ as part of Research Council UK's (RCUK) Energy Programme. The project will break new research ground by using innovative qualitative methods (longitudinal work, sensory methods) combined with a conceptual approach which examines people’s energy consuming practices as dynamic biographical processes: that is, as emergent, contingent, and unfolding in and through space and time. The project builds from the established understanding that people do not use energy, but rather the services made possible by energy and adopts a holistic approach which brings into view the formation, embeddedness and development of energy practices as part of everyday life and the life-course. We use the term “energy biographies” to represent our approach, which opens up possibilities for developing understanding of how significant reductions in energy use can be achieved through identifying openings for change in energy intensive life-course trajectories.

Transforming the UK Energy System: Public Values, Attitudes and Acceptability (UKERC/NERC funded 2011-2013)
This interdisciplinary project is part of the wider research agenda being developed through the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). The project will use different future energy scenarios as a starting point for engaging public(s) with notions of whole energy system change. The core aim is to develop a deeper understanding of public perspectives on UK energy system transitions in order to inform the policymaking process.

Interdisciplinary Cluster on Energy Systems, Equity and Vulnerability (RCUK funded 2009-2011)
The cluster focus is on the uneven production and experience of energy vulnerabilities, and the likely consequences of emerging low carbon energy systems for the changing nature and distribution of equity across time and space. The aims of the cluster are to develop research collaboration, build capacity to address science challenges and formulate and disseminate relevant policy outputs. As part of InCluESEV, I co-convene (with Peter Simmons) the working package on ‘whole system equity analysis of new nuclear generation capacity’.

Energy Choices and Climate Change (Leverhulme Trust funded 2007-2011)
The project examines the present framing(s) of energy issues and their relation to climate change. The primary research questions arising are thus: what are the dominant science-policy discourses and frames for understanding the energy debate? What are the processes by which such frames come to influence attitudes and behaviour? How are public(s) understanding, conceptualising and responding to the new and emerging spectrum of framings of energy policy? To what extent does proximity modify the way that energy issues and dominant frames are interpreted by people? To what extent do people recognise, value and make trade-offs between alternative visions for energy futures? The project is funded by the Leverhulme trust and is a collaborative study involving academics from within Cardiff University, the University of East Anglia and Sheffield University. Professor Nick Pidgeon is the principle investigator within Cardiff University. Current research I am involved in developing as part of this project includes a qualitative study examining actor perspectives on energy production systems in their localities (e.g. coal fired power station, nuclear power stations) and the connections they make between their lived experiences of energy use, processes of energy production and related issues (e.g. climate change, transitions to low carbon energy systems).

As part of this project I jointly organised (with Dr Chris Groves, BRASS) an Interdisciplinary Seminar Series on Energy and Sustainability, Jan 2010- Jan 2011 (funded by Cardiff Research and Graduate Schools and Understanding Risk) http://blogs.cf.ac.uk/energysustainability/

Flooding as a Form of Risk: An Examination of Knowledge in Practice (ESRC funded 2003-2007)
This research entailed examination of the contemporary understanding of the issue of flooding in the UK, as well as the present approaches to tackling the concern. The contextualisation of flooding as a climate change impact is conceived as a significant shift in the societal representation of flooding as a social problem. The present approaches to tackling the issue are highlighted as unsettled in light of this contemporary framing. This was an ESRC funded doctoral study conducted at Cardiff University and supervised by Professor Barbara Adam and Dr Ian Welsh.

Funding

£574538.94 (FEC) ESRC Energy Biographies: Understanding the Dynamics of Energy Use for Energy Demand Reduction (with Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N. and Parkhill, K.) 36 months Jan 2011 - Dec 2014 ES/1007067/1

£585934.32 (FEC) NERCTransforming the UK Energy System: Public Values, Attitudes and Acceptability Public (with Pidgeon, N., Jenkins, N., Pearson, P., Spence, A., Parkhill, K. and Whitmarsh, L.) 24 months Jan 2011 - Dec 2013 NE/1006753/1

£924.50 Cardiff University RGS Interdisciplinary Seminar Series on Energy and Sustainability (with Groves, C.) 12 months Jan 2010- Jan 2011

Doctoral Studentship ESRC Flooding as a Form of Risk: An Examination of Knowledge in Practice (with Adam, B. and Welsh, I.) 36 months Oct 2003 – Oct 2006 PTA-030-2002-00281(examined by Professor Tim O’Riordan and Professor Peter Glasner), awarded 2008

Research Group

I am part of the Understanding Risk Research Group which has members across a number of departments within Cardiff University as well as within the University of East Anglia, Sheffield University and Nottingham University. I also have involvement with KES and maintain links with the In Pursuit of the Future project.

Research Collaborators

Key research collaborators include:
Professor Nick Pidgeon (Cardiff University)
Dr Karen Parkhill (Cardiff University)
Peter Simmons (University of East Anglia)
Professor Karen Henwood (Cardiff University)
Dr Alexa Spence (Nottingham University)
Dr Adam Corner (Cardiff University)
Dr Chris Groves (Cardiff University)