WHAT: Perfect Storm Seminar Series
Multi-disciplinary Research: Moving the sustainability agenda forward
Dr Jacquetta Lee
Centre for Environmental Strategy
University of Surrey
WHEN: 22nd March 2-4pm
WHERE: 50 George Square, room G.04
Sustainability is a complex subject, requiring multi-disciplinary approaches to generate and implement successful solutions. It requires working with all forms of governance, especially industry and politically driven, alongside technological developments and consumer behaviours. This invariably means that even ‘small’ sustainability driven research projects, get very large and unwieldy and can fail to deliver the desired outcomes.
So how do we tackle these ‘wicked’ problems in such a way that we create solutions that do meet the criteria for a sustainable future? CES has been using multi-disciplinary research approaches for over 20 years and this seminar will use case studies to bring together the experiences gained to show what has worked, and, more importantly, what lessons have been learned when things have not worked out as planned. It will outline what we have found is needed for effective collaboration between industry, academia, and society and how we cultivate a research environment that delivers and supports successful sustainability practitioners.
Dr Lee is a Mechanical/Materials engineer and holds a PhD in Environmental Systems Analysis from Cranfield University. Prior to joining the University of Surrey she worked for Rolls-Royce plc in their Environmental Strategy department, specialising in Life Cycle Analysis and Design for Environment. On joining academia, she spent two years as a Leverhulme Special Research Fellow, investigating the potential for TV to influence environmental behaviour of consumers. She is the Director of the Practitioner Doctorate Programme in Sustainability, at the University of Surrey.
After the presentation and Q&A session there will be drinks and snacks. Attendees are therefore requested to sign up on Eventbrite for organisers to cater for the appropriate number of people. All students and staff are welcome. No need to print out and bring your ticket though - save the paper!
In the second semester, we will organise a seminar about different global challenges every month. The series tackles themes related to justice, health, development and the environment. It provides a platform for interdisciplinary discussions with academics and practitioners around the global challenges that make up a 'Perfect Storm', a term to describe increasing competition for food water and energy in a time of rapid population growth and climate change. The series will discuss the political and social implications of uneven distribution and insecurity of key resources at a global scale. We are grateful to the Leverhulme Foundation and the Global Academies for their funding
Registration for the event can be made via this Eventbrite link, where the full abstract of the presentation is available.