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Senior Lecturer in Geography, Liverpool John Moores University

I am a social geographer, interested in how the social and physical environment has often unequal impacts on people's health and well-being, the underpinning causes of such inequalities, and their implications for questions of social and environmental justice. Within this broad area, I particularly specialise in the issue of 'energy poverty' (often termed fuel poverty in the UK).

My research interests include:

• The physical, mental and emotional impacts of various forms of poverty and material deprivation, with a particular emphasis on issues relating to poor housing quality and lack of sufficient domestic energy services (e.g. heating, cooling, lighting etc.) – the latter issue is commonly termed ‘energy poverty’ or ‘fuel poverty’. For example, see my paper co-authored with Dr Saska Petrova on the gendered experiences of energy poverty, and the H2020-funded ‘STEP-IN’ project that investigates the role of home energy advice in alleviating the negative impacts of energy poverty.
• The driving forces of material inequality and deprivation, in particular through the development of the concept of ‘energy vulnerability’ via in-depth investigations of the lived-experiences of vulnerable households. This formed the major part of my work on ‘Energy Vulnerability and Urban Transitions’ project from 2015-2018, working alongside Prof Stefan Bouzarovski, Dr Saska Petrova and Dr Harriet Thomson at the University of Manchester. It also resulted in an edited book, as well as papers on ‘Spatializing Energy Justice’ and applying energy vulnerability theory to the issue of heatwaves and inadequate indoor cooling.
• Energy justice and the moral and ethical implications of energy transitions, with a particular focus on unpacking what ‘justice’ means in these scenarios and how it becomes entwined with conflicts and contestations. My PhD focused on local interpretations of justice in relation to ‘community-led’ wind energy developments (see publications in Land Use Policy, Local Environment, and a book chapter). I also worked at the DEMAND Centre alongside Prof Gordon Walker and Dr Rosie Day, conducting research on how energy-use should be positioned within normative theory, and how notions of ‘essential’ energy use shift over time (see publications in the journals Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, and People, Place & Policy).

Experience

  • –present
    Lecturer in Human Geography, Liverpool John Moores University

Education

  • 2013 
    Lancaster University, Human Geography