Our Research Programmes
With a proud history of pioneering interdisciplinary research and impact in the field of sustainability, the Institute brings together Surrey's diverse research strengths.
Click on the images of the programmes that interest you to find out more.
The air we breathe is mixed with a variety of chemical and biological contaminants arising from a range of natural and anthropogenic activities. These include transport, power plants and household activities. This cocktail of air contaminants/pollutants is vast, and the situation becomes even more complex when considering the path they travel as chemicals are released and dispersed into the urban environment.
The problem cannot be addressed by one single discipline. The programme philosophy will be to provide expertise from a cohort of Sustainability Fellows interested in air pollution research and its application, support the development of ideas, and achieve what an individual cannot achieve independently.
The five main themes within the programme include; field monitoring and characterisation, modelling (physical, computational, operational, exposure, health), artificial intelligence applications, health and wellbeing applications, and policy and governance.
What an incredible opportunity to break silos and build a cross-university theme linking the air pollution with the health and the environment. Problem of air pollution is bigger than a discipline can handle and this is where we need colleagues from different backgrounds coming together to contribute to the agenda."
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been playing a key role in the research and development of breakthroughs in many disciplines to solve real-world problems, providing new foundations to scientific and technological development.
In this context, AI has a great potential to play a transformative role in addressing these sustainable development challenges, by providing new insights, enabling more efficient use of resources, and supporting a better understanding of complex systems that underpin the dynamics of people’s lives and the planet’s environment.
To fully realise the potential of AI for contributing to achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), it is of great importance to connect society with technologies that aim to address and transform the current gaps in sustainability and AI research.
This programme aims to create and establish a lead in AI and Sustainability, by researching and developing AI solutions with a human- and environment-centric approach. It aims to underpin AI-based research that deals with the challenges of Sustainability of AI, which relates to making AI development and usage more sustainable, and AI for Sustainability, which is responsible for researching and applying AI techniques to foster sustainable development.
Being a Fellow and leading this programme allows me to network with those working with state-of-the-art techniques, using cutting-edge scientific knowledge to leverage solutions through sustainable AI."
We bring the theory of sustainable systems to life. Together with academic and professional partners, we explore and challenge the key norms and assumptions that define our unsustainable development path. Our aim is to propose practical solutions for the transition to a new era in which sustainable living is the norm.”
To cultivate a sustainable future for humanity, it is essential to reconnect people with nature and separate human wellbeing from superfluous consumption.
Sustainability is long-term wellbeing for all and cannot emerge from institutions that prioritise short-term self-interest over social cooperation, ignoring the health of the biosphere that ensures human survival. The values and shared assumptions that define our culture and create our institutions must shift. Creating this change has the power to transform our notion of progress and put humanity on a regenerative development path.
The programme applies systems theory and methods to initiate transformative change. It examines the cultural assumptions that have characterised unsustainable development in our society as a whole or in specific case studies for centuries. Through collaboration with external partners, the programme will promote cultural shifts that can lay the foundations for profound sustainable innovations.
Energy transition and decarbonisation are a necessities. To meet climate targets, the global energy sector is shifting from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, as well as batteries. However, there are safety, environmental and health issues related to this transition, which must be addressed.
The programme will use existing strengths at the University of Surrey in addition to external collaborators. This programme aims to build research connections and integrate strengths across all faculties, addressing the safety, environmental and health issues related to the three key pillars of decarbonisation: hydrogen, ammonia and electrification.
Associated issues with the concerns above call for expertise in economics for techno-economic analysis, public awareness and perception. In addition, awareness is needed of the effects from emissions on public health, marine life and the impact on the climate, which need to be addressed.
In the longer term, this programme will expand to other environmental issues related to energy transition to be guided by government and industry strategies.
Through a dedicated Programme under the umbrella of Institute for Sustainability, we can effectively mobilise and link up Surrey's strengths, which are scattered in different schools across the three faculties, to promote cross fertilisation and collaboration, fostering a coordinated and supported approach."
We are delighted to be part of the Institute for Sustainability. The Institute has already created many opportunities for us to meet, exchange ideas and be challenged, encouraging working across disciplines and creating new partnerships. We look forward to being part of a community of scientists and other colleagues working together towards a sustainable and fairer future."
This complex, multifaceted and interconnected programme has three priorities;
To create an inclusive forum for networking and discussion about our research and wider interests in sustainability to learn from each other.
To share and collaborate on funding opportunities and events.
To create a supportive network for all scientific experts and advocate for a more equal and sustainable future in systems.
Ecological regeneration and transformation requires a structural shift towards equity. We embrace diverse methodologies and approaches to foster a culture that respects and amplifies these.
This programme provides a tremendous opportunity to expand the horizons of existing projects at Surrey, such as the Surrey Space Centre."
With climate change fast accelerating and net zero policies becoming a high priority on national agendas, the demand for more environmentally healthy strategies is growing.
Nature-based solutions range from the inclusion, preservation, or diversification of natural resources to addressing environmental challenges exacerbated by climate change and human behaviour (including flooding, droughts, urban heat effects, poor air quality and undesirable soundscapes).
Nature-based solutions may improve human wellbeing by positively affecting people’s mental and physical health.
These impacts can have a cascading effect with economic and societal benefits too.
This programme brings together a range of expertise to explore the exact mechanisms that enable co-benefits from nature-based solutions.
Plastics are still commonly manufactured from fossil fuel feedstock, generating environmental pollution. Plastic waste continues to accumulate in the environment, harming wildlife and preventing ocean plankton from removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
Even recycling of plastics generates environmental pollution. The plastics and climate change crises are inextricably linked, so we cannot solve one without also addressing the other.
Changing the way we make, use and dispose of plastics means changing the way we think and talk about them too. Rather than focusing merely on waste recycling, we aspire to prevent plastics from becoming waste in the first place.
Banning single use plastic goods or inventing more sustainable alternatives can make a difference at specific stages of the plastic cycle, but to truly turn the tide of plastic waste we must address the cycle as a whole. The Plastics in the Circular Economy programme unites the diverse range of experts needed to work towards a world where plastics never end up as waste in the environment."
This programme aims to equip organisations and communities with the necessary tools and knowledge to make informed sustainability choices. By combining data-driven approaches with a profound understanding of sustainability, we can uncover hidden patterns, optimise resource utilisation, and develop strategies to achieve net zero sustainability.
Bringing together the experience and capabilities of a diverse and transdisciplinary group of people covering all aspects along the metrics chain, this programme aims to deliver outcomes from research with greater value than the sum of the parts.
Working alongside a team of talented scientific experts and industry leaders, we are dedicated to fostering collaboration and driving innovation in sustainability analytics.
Our Programme is developing cutting-edge technology and analysis tools aimed at exploring responsible, strategic environmental sustainability metrics. Join us in achieving net zero goals through collaborative, transdisciplinary research delivering outcomes with real-world impact."
The creative dimension of this programme strives to identify, devise, curate and amplify innovative ways of inspiring people to live more sustainably.
There are two main strands in this programme which, in turn, generate a symbiotic feedback loop.
Interdisciplinary research enquiries offer insights which can be applied to our creative outreach activities.
Research through practice allows assessment of the benefits and limitations of different artistic and communicative media.
Translation between languages, different discursive modes, sources of media and audiences are areas of focus for this programme.
The Institute has enabled us to make connections with scholars who share our interests across the University which we would not have made otherwise. It has been extraordinary to discover the range of departments in which similar research is carried out. We are beginning to make plans for collaborative works across different fields and the Institute has been a catalyst for this."
Sustainability-relevant behaviour change is a multidisciplinary challenge requiring the skills and knowledge of people such as psychologists, sociologists, economists, engineers and computer scientists.
Changing any given behaviour also requires a grounded knowledge of the behaviour, the stakeholders for whom the behaviour is relevant, and the broader systems in which the behaviour is situated.
Global sustainability problems, such as food security, energy and water conservation are rooted in human behaviour. Addressing these problems requires an understanding of how to support people to initiate and maintain changes to their behaviour.
Using existing cutting-edge behavioural science, the programme will enable further theory, methods and applications in behavioural science.
The programme aims to co-design and coordinate research activity at the University of Surrey, with space provided within the Institute to address diverse, real-world sustainability challenges in behavioural attitudes.
With the Institute’s backing, this multidisciplinary programme brings together the cutting-edge skills, knowhow, and passion of Surrey’s world-leading scientists, allowing us to offer fresh new behaviour change solutions."
A key feature of the research projects falling under this umbrella theme will be the use of participatory approaches and community engagement in developing them. For example, these may include ways to develop sustainable interdisciplinary interventions for neglected tropical diseases or to enhance conservation and sustainable practices.
There are three overarching sub-themes in the context of our work in neglected communities:
Sustainable development to reduce disease.
Systems approaches to sustainable development.
Sustainable development to improve social justice.
By involving researchers with expertise in participation, health, modelling and social economics from across the University, this programme will use participatory approaches, community engagement, and social inclusion when developing research projects.
The Institute has enabled me to interact with researchers working in different fields at the University and discover shared research interests."
Transport has been consistently among the sectors emitting the highest volumes of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
Energy use and buildings are the most highly polluting sectors currently, but GHGs from the transport sector have more than doubled in the last 50 years.
About 80% of the increase is due to road transport and aviation is responsible for another 10% of global emissions. The increasing global divide is most acute in transport, with an estimated 1% of the global population generating more than half of transport emissions.
Transport meets a variety of human social, commuting and travelling needs. In addition, the tourism industry hires around 10% of the global workforce. As a result, the implications on wellbeing, equity and inclusion require further research at local, national and international levels.
This programme brings experts together within the Institute to address transport and mobility challenges to co-design a future of sustainable transport.
By fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations amongst experts from three faculties, we aim to deliver pioneering outputs that not only align with the broader objectives of the Institute, but also actively contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals."
As we navigate an era of increasing water scarcity, pollution and unsustainable consumption, transformative solutions and scientific breakthroughs to water management is essential.
This cross-disciplinary research programme recognises this urgency and combines the following themes to drive water resilience and sustainability;
Biotechnology for resource recovery to mitigate greenhouse gases, reduce health risks in urban-natural water systems and ensure a safe water environment for the future.
Water literacy and sustainable water behaviour to empower individuals, communities and organisations to make informed choices on effective water consumption using education, awareness campaigns, smart technology, artificial intelligence and behavioural interventions.
Drinking water quality to develop and enhance access to sustainable, safe sources in both small and large water infrastructure.
The Institute for Sustainability nurtures a dynamic ecosystem of cross-disciplinary expertise, fostering the unlocking of innovative solutions to address the urgent global challenge of water sustainability."
