Senior Research Fellow in Innovation and Energy Demand (Fixed Term)

Senior Research Fellow in Innovation and Energy Demand (Fixed Term) Ref 745 School of Business, Management and Economics SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit Full time, Fixed term for 3.5 years Salary range: starting at £46,400 and rising to £53,765 per annum. It is normal to appoint at the first point of the salary scale. Closing date for applications: 3 November 2014 Expected start date: As soon as possible Description We are seeking to appoint a Senior Research Fellow at SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit) at the University of Sussex. The successful candidate will join the Sussex Energy Group (SEG) in SPRU and contribute to the research of the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED). SPRU is internationally recognised as a leading research centre on science, technology and innovation policy. SEG is the largest research group in SPRU, one of the largest energy policy research groups in the UK and a partner in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and UK Energy Research Centre. SEG undertakes rigorous, inter-disciplinary research on energy and climate policy, focusing in particular upon energy technology innovation and the transition to low carbon energy systems. SEG currently has over 20 researchers and support staff and 14 doctoral students and is funded from an array of public and private sector sources. SEG successfully combines academic and consultancy research with active engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders. The five-year, £3.7 million Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand is one of six RCUK-funded research centres on End Use Energy Demand (EUED).The Centre began work in June 2013 and involves an interdisciplinary team of social scientists from the Sussex Energy Group, the Sustainable Consumption Institute at the University of Manchester and the Transport Studies Unit at the University of Oxford. The Centre Directors are Steve Sorrell, Frank Geels and Tim Schwanen. The Centre is developing a socio-technical understanding of how ‘low-energy innovations’ emerge, how they diffuse throughout the economy and what impacts they have on energy consumption. The Centre is investigating these themes through a number of projects focusing upon individual low-energy innovations, such as light rail schemes, district heating, energy service contracting and energy efficient non-domestic buildings, as well as cross-cutting projects to integrate research findings. The Centre includes a range of disciplinary perspectives (e.g. innovation studies, socio-technical transitions, economics) and places a high priority on engaging with stakeholders. SEG wishes to appoint a highly motivated individual with suitable academic experience to contribute to this wide-ranging research programme. Applications are invited from established researchers with a strong track record in innovation studies and/or energy and climate policy. The successful candidate will be expected to help shape the Centre’s research programme, design and lead research projects, conduct empirical research, participate in funding bids, engage with stakeholders and contribute to the broader work of the Sussex Energy Group. We welcome applications from researchers with a range of empirical interests, including (but not confined to) low energy innovations for domestic buildings, heating/cooling systems, transport systems and the quantitative/qualitative evaluation of the systemic impacts of innovations on energy consumption. The successful candidate will have a PhD in a relevant area (e.g. innovation studies, science and technology studies, economics or similar); a track record of high quality research and publication in the area of innovation studies, energy policy or related fields; experience in leading research projects; good knowledge of energy and climate policy debates, especially in relation to energy demand; a track record of raising research income; highly developed skills in communicating with diverse audiences; enthusiasm, flexibility and a commitment to working within an interdisciplinary, policy-relevant field.