We have brought together an interdisciplinary research team to tackle this complex issue:
Professor Lindsey McEwen
Lindsey, Principal Investigator in VIP-CLEAR, is a risk geographer. She is Professor of Environmental Management and Director of the Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Lindsey delivers creative, interdisciplinary co-produced research in different risk settings, working with diverse stakeholders including different publics. Find out more about Lindsey’s work here.
Luci Gorell Barnes
Luci is a socially engaged artist and illustrator, with many years experience of working strategically in community and education settings. She is concerned with those who find themselves on the margins for one reason or another and develops responsive art processes that aim to help people think imaginatively with themselves and others.
She is a Visiting Research Fellow at UWE where she collaborates with environmental and education researchers. Her work appears in journals, books and websites and includes short stories, poems, case studies, illustrations and academic papers. Find out more about Luci’s work here.
Dr Amanda Webber
Amanda is a Research Fellow with the Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience. She is an Anthropologist with expertise in working with local communities, often at sites of conservation interest, i.e., in Uganda and Madagascar.
Through the use of interdisciplinary and qualitative approaches, she seeks to find a voice for local people; trying to understand their perceptions of their environment and the risks and challenges that they face. Find out more about Amanda’s work here.
Dr Verity Jones
Verity is an Associate Professor in the Department for Education and Childhood at the University of the West of England, Bristol where she supports the training of primary teachers. Previously she was a teacher/deputy head, and has over 20 years’ experience of working with children in Early Years, Key stage 1 and 2.
She works with many educational organisations including as a consultant for Oxford University Press and London Gifted and Talented, Director of Bristol Achieve and Trustee for Darwin Centre of Biology and Medicine. Verity’s research focusses on ways to enable children’s voices to be heard in order to support greater social equity and agency. Find out more here.
Dr Sara-Jayne Williams
Sara is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology in the Department of Geography at the University of the West of England. Sara’s Ph.D research focused on children’s cognition, and she worked with many Bristol primary schools to collect data using child-led interactive methodology (including arts and action based methods).
Since then Sara has used this approach in other research projects focused on environmental issues such as flooding and plastic waste. Her research interests are fuelled by a passion to enable those that do not normally have a voice in policy and decision making to be heard, and to realise and advocate for children’s potential to act as agents of change for the future. Find out more about Sara’s work here.
Dr Deepak Gopinath
Deepak is Senior Lecturer in Planning and Urban Geography in the Department of Geography at the University of the West of England. A social scientist with background in Architecture and Urban Planning, Deepak’s research interests focus on resilience and the spaces of participation, underpinned by the use of innovative methods.
Deepak’s current work includes exploring eco-anxiety faced by young people as a result of climate uncertainties. In addition, Deepak has worked on outreach projects with school children. More information can be found here.
Dr Toity Deave
Toity is an Associate Professor for Family & Child Health in the Centre for Child & Adolescent Health, in the School of Health and Wellbeing, UWE. She has a health visiting and community development background and is a Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting.
She comes from a global health, public health and prevention perspective with a strong emphasis on evaluation. Her principal research interests are in early childhood health, wellbeing and development, child injury prevention, fathers and perinatal parental well-being. Find out more about Toity’s work here.
Dr Laura Hobbs
Laura is a Senior Research Fellow in the Science Communication Unit, developing communication, engagement and research projects within the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences and the Faculty of Environment and Technology. She has a research background in environmental science and engaging under-represented groups.
Laura has extensive experience of science communication, outreach and informal learning for underserved audiences. Among other work, she manages a large environmental engagement project, using Minecraft to engage children with science. Find out more about Laura’s work here.
Dr Laura Fogg Rogers
Laura is an Associate Professor for Engineering and Society in the Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics (EDM) and is a member of the Science Communication Unit.
Laura explores education outreach and live science events from a social cognitive and social identity perspective and is experienced at using research methods to enhance representation from diverse socio-economic groups, and at empowering young people to act as citizen scientists and active citizens. Find out more here.