Category: research

CESR hosts two international environmental conferences

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On 8-11 June 2026, UWE Bristol hosted two parallel environmental conferences: the 31st International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution and the 6th International Conference on Environmental and Economic Impact on Sustainable Development. Both conferences were organised by the Wessex Institute and co-chaired by Dr Stavros Syngellakis of the Wessex Institute and Prof. Jo Barnes and Dr Ben Williams of the Centre for Environment, Society and Resilience, UWE Bristol (as featured in image above).

Air Pollution 2026 boasted some great talks across a range of related topics and an excellent Special Session on “Possible implications of net zero technologies on air quality”, organised by Dr Philippa Douglas of the Environment Agency, United Kingdom. Similarly, Environmental Pollution 2026 also enjoyed a range of talks covering the triple threat of climate change, pollution and biodiversity collapse, as well as progress in ensuring sustainability through more constructive and progressive approaches.

As well as seasoned academics, it was brilliant to see so many top-class student speakers presenting, including colleagues from Bristol University and our own Postgraduate Researcher, Sayda Shejuti.

Sayda Shejuti presenting her PhD research on microplastics pollution at the Environmental Impact 2026 conference

It was a welcome return to be back ‘in the flesh’ for these two conferences following a transition to online conference delivery post-Covid19. Moreover, it was the first time these events had been hosted at UWE Bristol. Attendees, who had travelled from around the world, loved the venue and facilities, especially the guided walk around Bristol Harbourside and conference dinner at River Station.

Attendees from both conferences attending the harbourside walk and conference dinner

You can find details of the papers selected for presentation that have been included in the Conference Proceedings and permanently stored in the WIT eLibrary (see https://www.witpress.com/elibrary) from where they can now be freely downloaded, and from where you can purchase copies of the conference proceedings: Air Pollution XXXI and Environmental Impact VI.

Many thanks to all of the speakers, the Wessex Institute, especially Dr Stavros Syngellakis, Marta Graczyk and David Franco van Buuren, the International Advisory Committee, my colleagues, co-chairs and and keynotes, including Emeritus Professor Jim Longhurst, and to UWE Events and Hospitality for facilitating.

Written by Professor Jo Barnes

CESR celebrates new Professors and Associate Professors

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Congratulations to the Centre for Environment, Society and Resilience’s latest promotion round successes! As of 1 August 2026, the following staff will be updating their staff profiles and standing slightly taller in their shoes as they start to embrace the scope of their new positions. We are all immensely proud of their achievements and wish them every success in the future.

Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Professor of Sustainability Engagement

Laura says: “UWE Bristol plays a vital role as an anchor in the West of England, bringing together communities’ lived experience, cutting-edge academic research, industrial innovation, and policy legacy for a better future. I am therefore very honoured to be promoted, recognising years of engagement with communities and policymakers to enhance sustainable futures.”

Dr Laura De Vito, Associate Professor in Environmental Policy

Laura says: “Universities play a crucial role in generating knowledge that helps society address long-term challenges and make better-informed decisions. I look forward to continuing to build research and international collaborations that contribute to that shared goal.”

Dr Ben Williams, Associate Professor in Participatory Environmental Science

Ben says: “I am very grateful to the reviewers for their time in reviewing my application and I hope to keep doing good science with good people for many years to come.”

Dr Sara-Jayne Williams, Associate Professor in Environmental Psychology

Sara Jayne says: “I’m delighted that this promotion recognises my work with young people, communities and partners. I believe that creating opportunities to listen to and learn from people’s lived experiences can help shape more effective and inclusive responses to today’s challenges, and I look forward to continuing this work with colleagues and collaborators.”

Dr Harry West, Associate Professor in Learning & Teaching in Geography

Harry says: “I am very pleased to have been promoted through the teaching and learning pathway. The student experience is central to everything we do on our geography and environment programmes, and I look forward to continuing to help develop our programmes to rise to the new challenges ahead.”

UWE Bristol secures £233,000 in Ofwat’s first Water Efficiency Lab competition 

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We are delighted to announce that UWE Bristol has been awarded £233,000 through Ofwat’s first Water Efficiency Lab competition, becoming the lead researchers and supporting the development of the Water Warriors project. The successful bid was led by Dr Sara-Jayne Williams at UWE Bristol underpinned by her previous research with children, working in partnership with project leads Water Research Centre (WRC), Yorkshire Water, Southwest Water and Anglian Water. 

“Children already have powerful ideas about environmental change and can  be hugely influential within their families and communities. This project puts  them at the centre, helping turn their ideas into practical actions that can  support more sustainable water use. We’re working with an incredible team across research, practice and the  creative sector, and I’m excited to get started.” 

– Dr Sara-Jayne Williams

Water Warriors highlights the importance of engaging future generations not simply as recipients of information, but as active participants in shaping more sustainable ways of living. The project will explore how children can play a meaningful role in shaping sustainable water futures, bringing together academic research, sector and educational expertise to better understand how water behaviours are formed and influenced. 

With a child-centred approach, the research recognises that future generations have significant care and capacity for influence – qualities that remain underutilised and underexplored in current approaches to water efficiency and broader environmental action. 

RISE – Driving interdisciplinary research that turns leading ideas into tangible change.

While children should not be expected to carry responsibility for solving global challenges, their voices, ideas, and everyday practices are an important part of wider collective efforts. Water Warriors seeks to understand how young people engage with water, sustainability, and care for the planet, how these perspectives can be supported and amplified, and how they can inform more effective, long-term change. 

RISE – Placing children and future generations at the heart of innovation, Water Warriors are building solutions that last.

The research takes a values-led approach, focusing on how early experiences and education can help nurture long-term behaviours towards water stewardship. By exploring how awareness, responsibility, and practical action develop over time, the research led by UWE Bristol within the Centre for Environment, Society and Resilience (CESR) will contribute to more inclusive and impactful strategies for improving water efficiency. Professor Jo Barnes, Co-Director of CESR, said: 

“This is an excellent win for Sara and for CESR. Building strong partnerships with industry and communities is central to both this project and our wider strategy, and will help ensure the work achieves meaningful intergenerational impact by empowering schoolchildren to influence water use within their families, now and in the future.” 

What is the Water Efficiency Lab?

RISE – Building the skills and confidence needed to tackle today’s environmental challenges and tomorrow’s uncertainties.

Run by  Ofwat and Challenge Works and supported by  Arup and  Isle Utilities, the Water Efficiency Lab aims to fund the most promising solutions for cutting demand among both households and businesses.

A total of £25 million will be available through annual WEL competitions between 2025-30. Each competition will explore a different theme, which is designed to target funding towards the key challenges and most critical barriers to water efficiency. 

RISE – Fostering entrepreneurial approaches that enable communities to design and deliver their own environmental solutions.

The first competition focused on innovations that give people and businesses the insights they need to better understand their water usage and the tools to take action to reduce it – helping cut their bills, preserve water resources and protect the environment.

What’s next? 

Working collaboratively across the partnership, the project will engage children, families, carers and teachers in co-creating child-centred resources. These will reflect children’s voices and lived experiences, while supporting educators to bring curriculum subjects to life in more meaningful and engaging ways.

Find out more

The full list of all 7 winners is available on the Fund’s website. For more information on the first Water Efficiency Lab competition and all of the Water Innovation Fund Challenges, head to https://waterinnovation.challenges.org/.

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