The School of Information, Journalism and Communication is pleased to share the launch of a new externally-funded PhD project focused on how people understand and engage with fusion energy.
The project, titled Identifying and implementing audience-targeted, empirically-justified information methods to promote understanding and engagement regarding fusion energy, is now underway with our PhD student, Sam Forbes-Fairfax, who joined the School in October.
Developed over a long period and led by Dr Emma Heywood, the project involved many discussions with the Fusion Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), the UK Atomic Energy Authority, the University of Sheffield’s Research, Partnerships and Innovation team, and colleagues across the Faculty of Social Sciences to ensure it was feasible both logistically and academically.
This work represents the first time our Faculty has brought together fusion energy research and the social sciences in this way, and it highlights the importance of clear, accessible communication in supporting public understanding of complex scientific innovation. This is an important milestone for the School, as the collaboration creates a new route for external PhD funding.
Dr Emma Heywood, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, Radio and Communication, said:
“Bringing together the sciences and social sciences is more important than ever. Even the strongest scientific projects will struggle to gain traction if they are not understood by end users or the communities they affect. At a time when things are changing so quickly and questions about media accuracy are increasing, communicating complex science requires distinctive skills that our school is uniquely positioned to provide. Hopefully this project will be the first of many.”
PhD candidate Sam Forbes-Fairfax said: “The inclusion of the School of Information, Journalism and Communication in this national Centre for Doctoral Training has allowed me to start this project with the methodological support of the School’s experts and the knowledge base of national and global Fusion Energy experts. What really grabs me about this project is just how untested this field of communication is; there is so much to explore and the CDT funding and support will allow me to do just that!”