Jake Barnes is a Senior Researcher at the Environmental Change Institute’s, University of Oxford. Through research and teaching he explores how people, organisations and the state, at multiple levels, engage with and steer energy systems as they are undergo transformational change in the face of diverse societal challenges.
Rooted within Science and Technology Studies and informed by work on Sustainability transitions and transformations, Jake pursues critical social science research. He regularly works with local governments, community groups and social enterprises to reflect, learn and pursue progress towards more equitable and sustainable systems. In 2013 Jake co-founded Bristol Energy Network, one of the first regional networks to be established in the UK supporting community action on energy, where as a board member he supported its growth until 2020.
Jake joined the Environmental Change Institute in March 2018. He completed his doctorate within the Sussex Energy Group at SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit – at the University of Sussex. He has a background in international relations, energy policy and grassroots activism.