Sustainability research team wins Best Paper Award
Professors Lucie Middlemiss and Mark Davis have been honoured with the Best Paper Award by Energy Research & Social Science for their groundbreaking research.
The paper, titled “Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide,” investigates how social relations influence energy demand.
It offers a new way of thinking about public decision-making and action around energy, using the example of home retrofit schemes.
The paper is designed to invite other researchers to apply our methodology in the energy social sciences and beyond
Lucie Middlemiss, Professor of Environment and Society in the School of Earth and Environment, said: “We are really delighted with this award, which Mark and I wrote at my kitchen table, with the input of a team of fabulous interdisciplinary scholars.
“The great thing about this paper is that it captures our overall approach to researching energy in a relational way, bringing together expert social scientists at Leeds and beyond to produce research which is more than the sum of the parts.
“The paper is designed to invite in other researchers to apply our methodology in the energy social sciences and beyond, and we’ve already had some great engagement with it. We look forward to continuing to grow the academic community in this space in the coming years.”
It’s been heartening to see the paper cited around the world and by government bodies here in the UK
Mark Davis, Professor of Economic Sociology in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, said: “We are thrilled to have received the Best Paper Award from Energy Research & Social Science, a journal and editorial team that we hold in the highest esteem and that represent the very best in interdisciplinary work for social scientists engaged in debates about energy, climate and sustainability.
“The paper was a labour of love, intending to set out what relational sociology can offer energy social science and demonstrating a methodology and set of concepts for others to use in their research.
“We’ve had lots of positive feedback from academic colleagues, and it’s been heartening to see the paper cited around the world and by government bodies here in the UK. We hope the Award will encourage more to have a read and find it useful.”
The paper was co-authored by Dr Anne Owen (School of Earth and Environment) and Dr Ruth Bookbinder (School of Politics and International Studies), alongside other members of the Whole Person, Whole Place team: Dr Donal Brown, Dr Iain Cairns, Dr Giulia Mininni, Dr Marie Claire Brisbois, Professor Matthew Hannon, and Dr Steve Hall.
Lucie and Mark are now collaborating with Dr Hall at the University of York on a new initiative called ‘Retrofit Reimagined.’
The project will bring together people working on retrofit with the relational retrofit approach they describe in the paper, to generate new ideas for more effective interventions.
More information
- Read “Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide” in Energy Research & Social Science
- Find out more about Leeds’ Relational Energy Group
- Read more: Improving home retrofit policies with place-based solutions.
