Applications are invited for the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Individual European Fellowship scheme, to be based in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham, UK. These fellowships are up to two years long, open to researchers anywhere in the world outside of the UK. The call for applicants is anticipated to open during May, with a closing date in September 2022.
Energy poverty, also referred to as fuel poverty, is a condition associated with adverse consequences for people’s health and wellbeing, and broader economic development, which occurs when a household is unable to attain basic levels of energy services in the home (i.e. heating, cooling, and lighting). Whilst access to electricity globally has risen from 78% in 2000 to 89% in 2017, this still leaves an estimated 860 million people worldwide without access to electricity. Furthermore, among households that have access to electricity, not all households experience good quality energy services. This can happen due to the affordability of energy, gendered differences in energy access and use, inadequate infrastructure, and unreliable or unsafe supply.
As such, energy poverty manifests in different ways, depending on geographical, cultural, and climatic contexts. Within Nordic countries, it might look like households in rural areas experiencing frequent power cuts and needing to rely on backup generators, whereas in Latin America a household might have to choose between cutting back on energy consumption, or facing unsafe conditions to gather more firewood, often with the risk of physical harm and/or government fines.
Within this context, candidates can suggest their own research topics related to energy poverty/fuel poverty, with a geographical focus of their choice, but we would particularly welcome innovative applications that focus on any of the following:
- Monitoring indicators, particularly for capturing issues relating to the quality of energy supply, frequency of power outages, and range of household energy needs;
- Participatory research methods, including the use of Community Research Advisory Groups/Citizen Panels, and digital tools for participation;
- The relationship between energy poverty and adverse health, wellbeing, educational and/or economic outcomes;
- Integration of energy systems resilience, energy justice, energy vulnerability, and energy solidarity, in line with a GCRF project that is hosted at the University of Birmingham;
- Policy synergies and conflicts between addressing energy poverty, and related topics such as climate change, air quality, and urban development.
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact me as soon as possible to discuss this opportunity. The fellowship application is expected to be written jointly with the host organisation, so sufficient time should be allowed for feedback and internal administrative processes.
Dr Harriet Thomson 