Guidance and Feedback Hours

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Approach to teaching

I started at Edinburgh in Autumn 2019. At undergraduate level, my primary responsibility is to convene the third year Energy Policy and Sustainability course. I also contributes guest lectures to Science, Nature and Environment and Investigating Science in Society. At postgraduate level, I am the Programme Director for the MSc in Energy, Society and Sustainability.  I coordinates the dissertation process and contribute to the Energy, Policy and Politics and Energy & Society 2 courses. 

The biggest lesson I learnt throughout my own degrees was how to question a subject, to formulate a line of argument about it, and to articulately express it. I believe that it is only through developing critical, enquiring minds that we truly learn, and that debate is a key part of that. For the vast majority of students, the beginning of a University career is a steep transition away from learning by rote to learning independently. It is, essentially, an adventure in learning for yourself. I enjoy guiding students through this process and seeing them flourish as a result.

I also strongly believe in research-led teaching, especially in the context of Sustainable Development. As part of a world in flux – where we are transitioning our energy infrastructure away from fossil fuels to renewables, for example – it is necessary to teach the state-of-the-art, to learn from student experience, and to learn from colleagues out with academia. Therefore, my lectures will contain both real world examples and where possible, external voices.

Finally, I have come to know that each student (or indeed person!) is capable of learning in fundamentally different ways, be it through lectures, practical workshops, or personal reading, for example. Therefore, my method of delivery will be diverse and will aim to capture varied forms of knowledge and creativity. I expect each of my students to engage in this and to have fun!

Research interests

My research interests focus on all things “energy” and particularly, on the social justice issues created by its production and use. In the context of the energy transitions, I am interested in knowing how we can make ethically sound energy decisions that: (1) locate energy infrastructure equitably, where possible, (2) recognise the correct people and their needs, and (3) uses appropriate decision-making techniques. I believe that we should ask these questions across the energy system to ensure that no social groups are disadvantaged by our energy choices. To illustrate what I mean, do we acknowledge the rights of uranium mining and the impacts of it on foreign landscapes when we make the decision to proceed with nuclear energy in the UK? And given the comparatively high price for nuclear energy gained from the new Hinkley Point C reactor and others that will follow, have we considered how this will affect consumer affordability?

In order to ascertain the potential answers to these questions, I undertake both empirical and conceptual work looking at a range of case studies, including nuclear energy in the UK, Scottish wind energy and going forward, the implementation of smart technologies.

I havepublished extensively in the fields of energy and social science and has worked on projects funded by the RCUK Energy Programme, Norwegian Research Council, CREDS and the ESRC. As additional responsibilities, I coordinate the 2100-member Energy and Social Science Network and the Energy Justice JISC mailing list. I also serve as Managing Editor for the journal Energy Research & Social Science and a member of the Scottish Government's Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel.