Aiken, Gerald | United Kingdom

Gerald Aiken is a postgraduate researcher at the Department of Geography in Durham University. He has a BSc from St. Andrews University in Geography and Economics, a PGCE from Durham University in Education and an MSc from the Centre for Human Ecology at the University of Strathclyde in Human Ecology. His research focuses on community transitions to a low-carbon future. He has most recently engaged in an empirical project, funded by the ESRC, gathering data on the Transition Towns movement in the UK. Gerald has a wealth of teaching experience at both secondary and university level. He is also a Resident Tutor of St. John's College, Durham University.

Project at IAS-STS: Exploring the potential synergy between the socio-technical system approach to transition, and that of emergent, ground-up, community-based transition initiatives

I look to address the disconnect between two fields of literatures around transition (those from socio-technical systems, and those from the emergent, community-based approach) to see what arises from a dialogue between these two. The IAS-STS focus on promoting the transition to a sustainable energy system particularly interests me. It is in that area that there is significant overlap between my research interests and the Institute in Graz. My intention would be to explore this area in more depth in my stay at Graz.