Karen Henwood is a Professor at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences. She conducts research into low carbon and energy transition projects and net zero initiatives. Often this involves teamwork with Nick Pidgeon’s Understanding Risk Group. This collaboration is set to continue and develop as part of UKERC’s upcoming workstream on ‘constructive contestation’ (Theme 4 led by Jess Britton).
Karen was principal investigator for the Energy Biographies project (2011-2015), a large (multi-sited, multi-modal) ERSC innovation project within their flagship community energy joint ventures programme (for legacy website see Home – Energy Biographies). Currently she is Co-Investigator on two major UKRI investments [HiAct – Hydrogen Integration for Accelerating Energy Transitions (EPSRC) and GGR-ERW-D – Enhanced Rock Weathering for Land-based Carbon Removal (BBSRC)]. She is also Principal Investigator for ‘Living well in low carbon homes (LWLCH): Resident experiences, responsive design and the SWITCH to Net Zero Buildings’. LWLCH is a long-term qualitative longitudinal study which started as part of the Active Buildings Centre (The Active Building Centre Research Programme – Welcome) where it produced original research for use by stakeholders. It is now making a distinctive social scientific contribution to the net zero buildings place-based impact accelerator in South Wales (PBIAA – EPSRC). A core social science project on ‘Industrial decarbonisation in insecure times’ was recently completed as part of the Industrial Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC). Karen was also a Co-Investigator (2020-24) on Rob Gross’s EPSRC project ‘Network headroom, engineering upgrades and public acceptance (NEUPA): Connecting engineering for heat system change to consumers and citizens’. She has now joined UKERC as a Co-Investigator.
For active weblinks see:
Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions – HI ACT
PBIAA: SWITCH to Net Zero Buildings – SWITCH
MIP 1.5 Understanding public responses to industrial decarbonisation in insecure times | IDRIC