Science, democracy, publics and public reasoning

Scientific knowledge, evidence and policy 

Environment, technology and society; Environmental communication

Environment/health interface 

Materials/Energy Nexus; Metal/Energy Nexus and Energy Transitions 

Responsible innovation; responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Global challeges and the role of science and technology

I joined CPAS in July 2018 as Research Director and Reader. At CPAS, I am exploring the contribution that science communication research and practice can make to stimulating new conversations at the interface of science, innovation, democracy and global challenges. I have a background in the social studies of science and technology (STS) with a particular interest in collaborative research between science and social sciences.

I was previously Co-Director of Research at the Institute for Science and Society (ISS), University of Nottingham (UK). From 2016-18, I was Director of a large Research Programme funded by the UK's Leverhulme Trust, “Making Science Public: Challenges and Opportunities”, and led by the University of Nottingham with partners in the University of Sheffield and the University of Warwick.In 2016-17, I led a transdisciplinary team of engineers, social scientists and NGOs in the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Nexus Network Project exploring lessons from bottom-up perspectives in urban Ghana for SDG Goal 7 on sustainable energy. My previous research on biofuels and small-scale energy systems was supported by the UK Biological and Biotechnological Research Council (BBSRC) and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). 

I have supervised 13 PhDs to date on a wide variety of topics in science, technology and society pertaining to the UK, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, India, Denmark and transnational settings. Like me, many of my students have come from a background in science or engineering before honing their skills in new ways of thinking and writing about science matters that the social sciences, writ large, have to offer.