Dr Sam Grainger

Profile

I am a Research Fellow within the Sustainability Research Institute at the School of Earth and Environment. I’m currently working with Prof Suraje Dessai and Dr Andrea Taylor on improving the usability of climate information for climate-sensitive organisations in Europe as part of the Horizon Europe project, ASPECT. This interdisciplinary project aims to pioneer the development of seamless climate predictions specifically tailored for adaptation decision-making.

My research focuses on how climate science and other knowledge systems can be responsibly mobilised to support climate-sensitive organisations and communities. I have a particular interest in understanding the context of and barriers to knowledge exchange and use, assessing organisational and user needs, characterising uncertainty and co-developing communications. As an environmental social scientist, I draw on insights from multiple fields including climate services, risk communication, data visualisation, science and technology studies and human-centred design. 

Before taking up my current position in early 2023, I researched drought risk perceptions in Ireland at Maynooth University (2019-2022). Prior to this, I was also at SRI, where I explored the treatment of uncertainty in climate services (2017-2019). My PhD thesis (Imperial College London, 2017) focused on tailoring visualisations for water resources governance in the Peruvian Andes as part of ESPA project MountainEVO.

Qualifications

• PhD Environmental Governance and Communication (Imperial College London)
• MSc Water Security and International Development (Uniersity of East Anglia)
• BSc Geography (University of Sussex)

Research groups and institutes

• Climate Change Adaptation, Vulnerability and Services
• Sustainability Research Institute