Helen Pallett

Lecturer in the Human Geography of the Environment. My research is concerned with institutionalised practices engaging citizens with environmental and science policy issues. I am currently a co-investigator on the UK Energy Research Centre funded project systemic participation and decision-making in UK energy transitions. I am also developing new projects around the concept of democratic innovations and emerging practices of open policy and government. I teach on the School of Environmental Sciences’ new Geography BA degree programme.

I completed my PhD thesis in the 3S research group at the end of 2014 which looked at organisational learning from and about public participation in the UK Government-funded body Sciencewise. January 2015-March 2016 I was a senior research associate in the 3S research group first on the Realising Transition Pathways project looking at diverse publics and diverse ways of studying and engaging publics through the energy system. From the start of March 2015 I will be and then working with Jason Chilvers and Tom Hargreaves on a UKERC-funded project mapping and designing diverse forms of public participation around the energy system. My work draws mainly upon approaches from science and technology studies and human geography.

From September to December 2012 I was a doctoral fellow on the Harvard STS Program, working with Professor Sheila Jasanoff. I have presented my work at a range of international conferences including the RGS-IBG annual international conference, the Science and Democracy Network Annual meeting, the British Sociological Association’s annual conference, and the Interpretive Policy Analysis annual conference.

I have a range of teaching experience with both undegraduates and masters students, covering topics related to public participation and science policy, as well as running training for staff and students in research blogging and social media use.

My research interests cover: democracy and participation; experimentation; science policy; travelling ideas and models.