Researcher in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. Biomedical Scientist by background.

Abigail Martin (Ph.D. Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, with a certificate in Science & Technology Studies (STS) from the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine & Society) is a Research Fellow based at the University of Sussex School of Business in the Science Policy Research Unit. She researches issues of democratic governance for environmentally and socially just transitions by studying struggles over resources and controversial technologies in agricultural, extractive and power production networks, including: biofuel development in the US and Brazil; biofuel sustainability standards-setting and LCA as a regulatory science; advancing environmental justice and economic equity in climate policy; cooperative and commons-based deployment of solar PV; fracking and natural gas production in the US, UK and Argentina; and the social and environmental implications of industrial decarbonization.

My research and policy interests lie at the intersection of climate change policy and social inequality, equity and justice. I am particularly interested in energy, climate and environmental justice, policies and mechanisms for a Just Transition and opportunities for widespread community participation in low-carbon transitions. I am passionate about work that exists at the research-policy interface, ensuring engagement with core public, private and civil society stakeholders to maximise the impact of academic research. I completed my PhD in 2019, which explored the energy justice implications of community and municipal energy organisational structures, alongside the role of intermediaries and networks in facilitating local engagement in low-carbon energy transitions. I continue to be fascinated by the emergence of new models of ownership and governance that encourage a more local, decentralised low-carbon transition pathway. I am equally fascinated by how such models democratise transitions and equitably distribute the benefits of the emerging low-carbon economy, or conversely, reinforce pre-existing social inequalities. Before joining SPRU, I spent one year as a Policy Officer at the Energy Saving Trust, where I participated in Welsh, UK and EU energy and climate policy projects, focusing on community energy, energy efficiency and low-carbon transport initiatives. I have also previously worked for the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, focusing on extending energy justice research in the developing world and collaborating with academics from METU in Ankara, Turkey. My work has been published in journals such as Energy Research and Social Science, Applied Energy, Geography Compass, Joule and Energy for Sustainable Development. I also frequently respond to energy and climate policy consultations across multiple levels of governance and aspire to regularly write blogs and opinion pieces utilising various media platforms.

I am a senior lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex. My academic interests are related to the study of knowledge and innovation, Transformative Innovation, inclusive innovation and social networks. My most recent papers have focused on Transformative Innovations, the Sustainable Development Goals and the role of social movements in transformative innovation. I am involved in the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) project that brings together national policy makers from a range of countries interested in transformations in science technology and innovation. I coordinate the Latin American HUB of TIPC. that was launched in March 2020 and brings together 10 institutions including universities, public sector organizations and not for profit institutions from Colombia, Chile and Mexico undertaking policy experiments in transformative innovation.