Dr Eleanor Brown Secures British Academy Funding For International Development Research Project

Dr Eleanor Brown is leading a new project on international development and social justice funded by the British Academy under their Knowledge Frontiers call for International Interdisciplinary Research Projects. The research considers the environmental and social considerations in biofuel developments and brings together colleagues from across the university, including Education, Chemistry, Environment, Biology, and Politics and is a collaboration with the University of São Paulo in Brazil. 

Details of the funded projects can be found here.

 

The abstract for the research can be found below:

 

The creation of enzymes for a bioethanol-from-cellulose reactor, presents innovative solutions to the global need for sustainable fuels. The implementation of these technologies and associated infrastructure raises questions about how it can be developed in ways that simultaneously address broader environmental and social justice goals. This research brings together lay and academic communities in order to co-produce knowledge to inform further developments aimed at meeting energy demands in developing economies. Through reflection upon the assumptions that inform mainstream approaches to development, the research team will engage in interdisciplinary dialogue between social and natural scientists involved in development research. It will thus interrogate the questions, priorities and criteria used when new technological developments are proposed. A case study of the first operational advanced (second-generation) biorefinery in Brazil will investigate decision-making processes from a range of stakeholder perspectives, including those of rural farming communities. The findings will inform decision-making in relation to nascent bio-refinery projects.