Postdoctoral Research Associate - Energy Use in Households
We are seeking to appoint a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the field of household energy demand and energy monitoring for a period of 3 years. Based within the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh, you will join a multidisciplinary team of researchers (in GeoSciences, Informatics and Sociology), and social enterprises (Changeworks and the National Energy Foundation), studying new ways to reduce carbon emissions related to household energy consumption. The research is part of a new £2M project funded by the EPSRC called ‘Intelligent Domestic Energy Advice Loop’ (IDEAL).
Informal enquiries about the position to Dr. Heather Lovell: heather.lovell@ed.ac.uk or Prof Janette Webb: jan.webb@ed.ac.uk.
Start date: 1st April 2013
Duration: 3 years
Salary: £30,122 - £35,938
Benefits: USS pension scheme (worth approx. 16% of salary)
Closing date: 5 p.m. UK time on 6th December 2012
Interview date: week commencing 7th January 2013
See the rest of this website for details about the project.
To apply, visit this link, or in case of difficulty email Heather Lovell.
Details
The position will be located in GeoSciences, and will be managed jointly by Sociology and GeoSciences. The team will work with a group of around 600 households to gain real-time data on the energy use of the occupants. This data will be collected using non-invasive sensors in dwellings and automatically analysed using sophisticated computational methods developed by other team members. By providing householders with different types of computer-generated feedback about their energy use we will evaluate responses to this kind of monitoring, and the effectiveness of tailored feedback. The main goal of the EPSRC IDEAL project is to construct an enhanced feedback loop which provides information to householders, not just on their energy consumption, but also on what activities they are using energy for, how much energy is used in each activity, and what it costs. This information will be matched with suggestions on how to reduce their energy use.
The successful candidate will be a social scientist enthusiastic to work in a multidisciplinary team exploring the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) methods for domestic energy demand reduction. The Research Associate will focus on householder survey development (likely delivered online) and data analysis (quantitative and qualitative). In Year 1 the successful candidate will help refine the research design through user studies and focus groups. In Years 2-3 the Research Associate will conduct the qualitative fieldwork with a subset of householders and analyse this data, as well as assisting with the gathering and analysis of quantitative energy consumption data. Writing up results for academic publication will be an important aspect of the job.
You will be a self-motivated individual with the ability to take responsibility for key components of the research plan. You will take day-to-day responsibility for the IDEAL Research Design and Data Acquisition Work Packages. You will lead the identification and refinement of research questions, as well as developing innovative methodological approaches. The role will require you to undertake detailed literature reviews, collaborate with diverse project partners, devise and conduct semi-structured interviews with a sample of householders, and plan and undertake analysis of survey data. There are considerable opportunities to shape the details of the research agenda (in consultation with the Lead Investigators and other Postdoctoral Researchers) and to develop new proposals for research funding.
The successful candidate should have expertise in residential survey methods, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and research design. They should have a social science PhD, and good knowledge of one or more of the following areas of scholarship: the sociology of families and households, the sociology of energy consumption, housing studies, theories of sociotechnical change, environmental governance, and social informatics. Knowledge of UK climate change, energy and housing policy is advantageous, as is proficiency in interdisciplinary research and a proven ability to communicate across academic-policy boundaries.
You will have an important role in contributing to the research profile of the research team through the dissemination of research findings, outreach, web page development and other innovative approaches to knowledge exchange.
Informal enquiries about the position to Dr. Heather Lovell: heather.lovell@ed.ac.uk or Prof Janette Webb: jan.webb@ed.ac.uk.
Start date: 1st April 2013
Duration: 3 years
Salary: £30,122 - £35,938
Benefits: USS pension scheme (worth approx. 16% of salary)
Closing date: 5 p.m. UK time on 6th December 2012
Interview date: week commencing 7th January 2013
See the rest of this website for details about the project.
To apply, visit this link, or in case of difficulty email Heather Lovell.
Details
The position will be located in GeoSciences, and will be managed jointly by Sociology and GeoSciences. The team will work with a group of around 600 households to gain real-time data on the energy use of the occupants. This data will be collected using non-invasive sensors in dwellings and automatically analysed using sophisticated computational methods developed by other team members. By providing householders with different types of computer-generated feedback about their energy use we will evaluate responses to this kind of monitoring, and the effectiveness of tailored feedback. The main goal of the EPSRC IDEAL project is to construct an enhanced feedback loop which provides information to householders, not just on their energy consumption, but also on what activities they are using energy for, how much energy is used in each activity, and what it costs. This information will be matched with suggestions on how to reduce their energy use.
The successful candidate will be a social scientist enthusiastic to work in a multidisciplinary team exploring the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) methods for domestic energy demand reduction. The Research Associate will focus on householder survey development (likely delivered online) and data analysis (quantitative and qualitative). In Year 1 the successful candidate will help refine the research design through user studies and focus groups. In Years 2-3 the Research Associate will conduct the qualitative fieldwork with a subset of householders and analyse this data, as well as assisting with the gathering and analysis of quantitative energy consumption data. Writing up results for academic publication will be an important aspect of the job.
You will be a self-motivated individual with the ability to take responsibility for key components of the research plan. You will take day-to-day responsibility for the IDEAL Research Design and Data Acquisition Work Packages. You will lead the identification and refinement of research questions, as well as developing innovative methodological approaches. The role will require you to undertake detailed literature reviews, collaborate with diverse project partners, devise and conduct semi-structured interviews with a sample of householders, and plan and undertake analysis of survey data. There are considerable opportunities to shape the details of the research agenda (in consultation with the Lead Investigators and other Postdoctoral Researchers) and to develop new proposals for research funding.
The successful candidate should have expertise in residential survey methods, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, and research design. They should have a social science PhD, and good knowledge of one or more of the following areas of scholarship: the sociology of families and households, the sociology of energy consumption, housing studies, theories of sociotechnical change, environmental governance, and social informatics. Knowledge of UK climate change, energy and housing policy is advantageous, as is proficiency in interdisciplinary research and a proven ability to communicate across academic-policy boundaries.
You will have an important role in contributing to the research profile of the research team through the dissemination of research findings, outreach, web page development and other innovative approaches to knowledge exchange.