We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Susan Paxton and Geoff Whittam from the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC). SCDC is the lead body for community development in Scotland, working with community groups and practitioners, governemtn and polcy makers and other stakeholders to build an active, inclusive and just Scotland where our communities are strong, equitable and sustainable.

Abstract

In this session we are utilising our experience as an organisation to explore what we understand to be community development. First established in 1994, SCDC works with community groups and organisations seeking to achieve our vision of an active, inclusive and just Scotland - where our communities are strong, equitable and sustainable. Given the structural inequalities that exist in our society, this creates a situation where some groups and communities are excluded and marginalised - community development seeks to address these issues.

Community development is a profession based on the values of human rights, social justice, equality and respect for diversity.

The principles which underpin its practice are:

• Self-determination - people and communities have the right to make their own choices and decisions.
• Empowerment - people should be able to control and use their own assets and means to influence.
• Collective action - coming together in groups or organisations strengthens peoples’ voices.
• Working and learning together - collaboration and sharing experiences is vital to good community activity.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Megan Scherrer. Megan Scherrer is a PhD researcher at The Centre for Energy Policy in the University of Strathclyde. With a background in sociology and an MSc from the University of Edinburgh, she aims to examine the lived experiences of those affected by fuel poverty and to explore policy interventions that impact energy affordability.

Abstract

This presentation explores how Scottish energy policy can be leveraged to better address fuel poverty. Drawing on policy document analysis and stakeholder interviews, the research identifies challenges to policy implementation and gaps in targeting, while establishing principles for policy of best practice going forward. It presents findings on how energy policy in Scotland can impact community wellbeing and vulnerability, with specific consideration for fuel poor households. The research demonstrates the importance of designing policies that centre community and equity outcomes alongside the transition to net zero.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Donal Brown. Donal is a Research Fellow at SPRU, University of Sussex, UKRI Future Leadership Fellow and serves as Sustainability Director at the low‑carbon consultancy Sustainable Design Collective. A specialist in sustainable housing, energy systems and energy demand, he has delivered policy consultancy on retrofit and renewable energy for the Welsh Government and the UK Labour Party.

Abstract

Net Zero represents an opportunity to regenerate our communities; reduce energy, housing, and transport costs; and build social cohesion and greater prosperity. However, most people in the UK have felt their living standards worsen for over a decade. Far right parties are capitalising on this discontent, and are blaming decarbonisation and broader progressive agendas for this malaise. The mainstream low carbon policy regime is failing to address the material concerns of low- and middle-income communities, through an over reliance on private ownership, market mechanisms, and individual choice as the driver of change. I will argue that, without a course correction, net-zero, and the decarbonisation agenda is in existential peril in western nations like the UK. This new strategy must overcome shibboleths surrounding public and community ownership, and introduce progressive universalist principles in the provision of energy, housing and transport - a new ‘low carbon social contract’. Implementing this strategy will require a radical departure from the macro-economic and fiscal consensus which has prevailed in

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Kendra Briken, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation in the University of Strathclyde.

In this contribution, Kendra will contribute to debates on ‘How community is understood and why it matters’ (Cairns 2026) through the lens of working lives and community. Based on emerging insights from an ESRC funded 3-year study focussing a region in the West of Scotland, Kendra presents some data of workers’ lived experiences and the role for community. Inspired by Roxana Willis work on the ‘necessity of community’ and Isabel Lorey’s definition of precariousness as a relationally and existentially shared condition inherent to both human and non-human being, she suggests that the focus on work and the aligned legacy of collective crisis exposure can further inform pathways towards sustainable communities.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Dr Zoe Greene, Reader in Politics in the University of Strathclyde.

Dr Zoe Greene explores the causes and consequences of intra-party politics for elections, government behaviour and public policy.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Dwight Tse, Senior Lecturer of Psychology, and and Megan Crawford, Reader in Psychology, in the School of Psychological Sciences and Health in the University of Strathclyde.

Dr Dwight Tse is interested in positive psychology and well-being science and its relationship to aging and lifespan.

Dr Megan Crawford is a sleep researcher with a particular interest in the treatment of chronic sleep problems such as insomnia and sleep apnoea.

In 1946, Aneurin Bevan argued that it was ‘repugnant’ for hospitals to have to rely on the ‘caprice’ of private charity, and promised to ‘leave it behind – entirely’. However, charity continued to play an important role within Britain’s National Health Service. This paper draws on a range of published and unpublished sources to investigate the development of this role during the formative years of the NHS between 1948 and early-1970s. It uses a framework which has been developed to examine the role of charity in the more recent past to explore the different ways in which charity not only supplemented statutory services but also substituted for them, as well supporting innovation, research and advocacy. It concludes by examining the strengths and limitations of this framework and by exploring the wider significance of charitable activity for our understanding of both the NHS and the welfare state more generally.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Dr Christian Calvillo Munoz, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Energy Policy.

Christian will be speaking about his secondment with the UK Climate Change Committee, focusing on both the experience itself and the research he undertook during that time. The work explored the impacts of the transition on groups with protected characteristics, highlighting how these intersect with issues of equity and inclusion. The findings also have clear links to the development of sustainable communities, emphasising the importance of ensuring that the transition is fair and benefits everyone.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Deirdre Harrington, Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health.

Deirdre has a demonstrated history of working in multidisciplinary teams in higher education across Ireland, the US and England. She is increasingly concerned about health inequalities and the extent to which her research addresses or impacts them. In this session, she will reflect on her experiences.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Dr Sharada Davidson, Lecturer in Economics in Strathcyde Business School and affiliated with the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence, funded by the UK's Office for National Statistics, as well as the Fraser of Allander Institute.

The overarching goal of Sharada's work is to use data to support policymaking and advance social justice and one strand of her work relates to economic measurement and statistics with a focus on subnational and regional data.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Dr James Dixon, Lecturer in Transport in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

James' current research interests are in transport-energy-environment modelling to support policymaking for sustainable transport transitions in data-poor contexts, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and in advancing understanding of the potential for e-mobility and renewable energy integration in different mobility contexts around the world.

We’re excited to host a thought-provoking session featuring Malcolm Combe, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Strathclyde.

Malcolm's interests in property law (particularly land reform), landlord and tenant law (particularly in the residential and rural sector), commercial law and clinical legal education..

Join us for an Air Quality Mobile Monitoring 'Show & Tell' - an open and informal session to explore, share, and connect around the air pollution research and monitoring taking place across the University of Strathclyde and beyond.

Hosted by the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities as part of their discussion and connect series, this event led by Caitlin Hope (Civil and Environmental Engineering) brings together researchers from across disciplines to showcase current projects, share insights, and discuss the monitoring equipment being used across the University. It’s a valuable opportunity to discover what air quality sensors we have, what they can be used to explore, as well as to identify synergies, uncover opportunities for collaboration, and help strengthen the growing network of air quality research at Strathclyde.

We’re excited to kick off our seminar series with a thought-provoking session featuring Dr Stefanie Reher from the School of Government and Public Policy.

Stefanie's research focuses on political representation, behaviour, and attitudes. She uses quantitative methods to study how well public policy reflects the preferences and views of citizens, what explains differences in representation between different social groups and countries, and how it affects individuals' attitudes towards their political system.

The UK Government has committed to its ambitious Local Power Plan (LPP), which puts “local authorities and communities at the heart of restructuring the UK’s energy economy” (UK Gov). Its goal is to develop up to 8 GW of cheaper, cleaner, locally owned power, through the provision of grants and finance, as well as wider capacity and capability building. Whilst community energy has struggled in recent years due to a variety of barriers, the launch of the LPP alongside other trends like the falling costs of renewable energy, could herald a new dawn for community owned energy.

The event welcomes Rt Hon Michael Shanks MP to learn more about the LPP and its potential impact on communities and the wider energy system. The Minister will be joined by an esteemed panel of experts from across academic, industry and the third sector, to explore how the LPP could catalyse a new community energy revolution in Scotland.