Dr Pepa Ambrosio-Albala

Profile

I am a social scientist interested in people's perceptions, stakeholder engagement, and behavioural changes concerning energy poverty and the acceptance of new energy technologies.
I have been a Research Fellow at the School of Earth and Environment since 2016 and have also been part of the School of Process and Chemical Engineering and School of Transport Studies.

I am currently working on the H2020 project WELLBASED, which aims to reduce energy poverty and its effects on citizens' health and well-being. My role involved leading the qualitative work to understand people's experiences with paying for and using energy at home and whether this has changed recently under the test intervention schemes addressing energy poverty in the UK and Europe.

My research is multifaceted and has two main strands including:
New energy technology and decarbonisation
Previous work included being responsible for the methodological and theoretical design to understand how the UK Steel industry could be decarbonised based on stakeholders' needs and expectations (CREDS-funded project). I led work on how material and psychological aspects of stakeholders' perceptions influence the development of V2G's new business models of urban transport demand in the UKRI Bus2Grid project. I also worked on understanding public acceptance of energy storage at the community and household level in the UK under the EPSRC C-MADEnS project, 
Energy Poverty
My research focuses on understanding energy-vulnerable households' capacity to withstand energy poverty and the impact of energy poverty on well-being and health. I have examined the effect of energy market liberalisation on the energy poor in the (EPSRC CIE-MAP project) and studied how energy-vulnerable households' social relations impact their capacity to withstand energy poverty as part of the White Rose University Consortium Collaboration Fund. 
I use diverse research methods, including qualitative interviews, secondary data analysis, focus groups, mixed methods and quantitative surveys.

My work has provided evidence to communities and local authorities in Spain and Latin America and informed local authorities and practitioners at the UK and European levels.

Methods/Methodologies:
•    Theories: energy cultures, realistic approach/evaluation, culture theory of risk, sociology of expectations, sense-making
•    Mixed methods Focus groups, personal interviews, Q-Methodology, secondary qualitative data analysis
•    Survey design and analysis

Research interests

• Public perception and acceptance of new/sustainable energy technologies and stakeholders engagement
• Understanding of energy uses and behaviours, energy storage,
• Energy vulnerability/poverty
• Climate change and risk perception, attitudes towards sustainable behaviours
• Qualitative/quantitative methodologies for the study of public perceptions and attitudes, mixed methods approach

Qualifications

• PhD, Climate change perception in CBNRM contexts, University of Cordoba
• Erasmus Mundus MSc, Rural Development, Ghent University/ Wageningen Universiteit
• BA, Sociology, University of Salamanca

Research groups and institutes

• Energy and Climate Change Mitigation
• Social and Political Dimensions of Sustainability
• Sustainability Research Institute