School of Social and Political Science

Research interests

My research centres on social studies of energy and climate change. With funding from UK Research and Innovation, our research group has studied comparative European heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency governance, and developments in integrated local and regional energy systems. Recent work also included evaluation of the Energy Efficient Scotland Pilot Programme (funding from Scottish ClimateXChange). Research findings for example informed the Heat Networks Scotland Act 2021; Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019; UK Industrial Strategy Challenge Prospering from the Energy Revolution, and the draft Scottish Government Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

Recent invited presentations include: GB Grid Flexibility and Storage, Central and Eastern European Delegation Study Visit hosted by UK Government Department of Business and Trade, February 2026; District Heating in the UK: Policies, Plans and Practices, Confidence Project, Danish Board of District Heating, Danish Energy Agency and Municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân, Ndls, April 2025; Heat Network Zoning and Spatial Energy Planning, Energy UK: Aligning energy system planning and heat network zoning, February 2025; Energy and Land Use in a Climate and Nature Emergency, Zoological Society of London, June 2024; Housing and Net Zero: Progress and Challenges, Scottish Parliament Futures Forum April 2024.

I am a member of Innovate UK/Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Advisory Group; SSEN Distribution System Operator Advisory Board and UK Government DESNZ Local Net Zero Accelerator finance support Project Board. I was co-director of the UK Energy Research Centre leading multi-displinary research on integrated local amd regional energy system, 2019-2024. I recently served as member of Scottish Science Advisory Council; Co-Chair of the Energy Technology Partnership (Scotland) Advisory Board and member of the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland. I was a member of Scottish Power Energy Networks Customer Engagement Group (2021-22) during business investment planning for Ofgem's 2023-28 price control.