Social Transformations
Recognising climate change as a complex and urgent societal problem that cannot be solved by technological advances alone, we bring together social, natural, and engineering sciences, and apply a whole-systems perspective to climate resilience. We deliver social science-led interdisciplinary research, focused on transformative sustainability solutions, and work with people at all scales to embed our findings.
Our research interest includes:
- evidence-based and holistic solutions to the climate crisis across key areas: mobility, materials and waste, thermal comfort, well-being and health, water, food, and biodiversity
- enhancing resilience to climate impacts, ensuring carbon emission reduction targets are met, and exploring the links between climate adaptation (dealing with climate impacts) and mitigation (reducing emissions)
- social, organisational and behavioural change - alongside technological innovation and adoption - to address sustainability challenges
- participatory models of research and policy that involve co-design and co-delivery, embrace diversity, and support a just transition
We collaborate with other institutes and initiatives within the University, including the Institute of Policy Research, Institute for Mathematical Innovation, and the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS).
We engage with national and international research users from private, public, and third sectors, and work with individuals, communities and organisations at all levels to ensure profound and wide-reaching impacts from our research.
Keywords:
- social transformations
- resilience
- climate adaptation
- climate mitigation
- just transition
- behaviour change
- risk
- participatory science
- climate impacts
- net zero