A warm welcome to Professor Rebecca Willis and Dr Jake Ainscough
The University of Manchester has announced the appointment of Professor Rebecca Willis and Dr Jake Ainscough, significantly expanding its leadership in environmental politics research.
Rebecca Willis, Professor of Energy and Climate Governance
Rebecca brings to the Politics Department a wealth of expertise as a thought leader in climate and energy policy. Her role models inter-disciplinarity, being a joint appointment between the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Science and Engineering. Rebecca鈥檚 research is at the cutting edge of citizen engagement and climate policy. She leads the Climate Citizens research group and is a co-investigator in major initiatives, including the Energy Demand Research Centre, and the JUST centre, as well as PACT (Production and Consumption Transformations) which provides decision support to government departments. We are also pleased to welcome Rebecca鈥檚 team of researchers who will be joining her here at the University.
Dr Jake Ainscough, Lecturer in Environmental Politics
Joining us as a Lecturer, Jake is an interdisciplinary environmental social scientist with a background in environmental governance and ecological economics. His research interests align closely with the Department鈥檚 strengths in environmental politics, and cover citizen attitudes, values, and preferences in the context of environmental decision making and the intersection of democratic innovation, democratic theory, and the political economy of climate change.
The arrival of Rebecca, Jake, and the research team marks a further expansion of the Department鈥檚 expertise in environmental politics. Their presence will strengthen our interdisciplinary links across the University and enhance our reputation as a hub for influential environmental politics research.