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Dr Gareth Thomas
Research Associate
Overview
My research background is in policy, science and technology studies specialising in the social acceptability of socio-technical transitions, particularly in the field of energy. My most recent research has examined issues of justice, vulnerability and social acceptability relating to transitions towards more flexible energy systems, and the ways identities and experiences rooted in place shape citizens' concerns and desires for transitions towards a low carbon economy. Wider interests include discourse and institutional theory, and novel methods for bringing identity and emotional attachment into public deliberations over sociotechnical change.
Publication
2024
- Thomas, G. H., Flower, J., Gross, R., Henwood, K., Shirani, F., Spiers, J. and Pidgeon, N. 2024. A relational approach to characterising householder perceptions of disruption in heat transitions. Nature Energy
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Thomas, G., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Pidgeon, N. 2024. Where is ‘the local’ in localization? Exploring socio-technical and spatial visions of energy system decarbonization in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 107, article number: 103330. (10.1016/j.erss.2023.103330)
- Thomas, G. and Henwood, K. 2024. HI-ACT synthesis report: Interpreting and deliberating hydrogen visions. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://hi-act.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Synthesis-report-deliberation-expert-and-public-visions-2.pdf
2023
- Thomas, G., Pidgeon, N. and Henwood, K. 2023. Hydrogen, a less disruptive pathway for domestic heat? Exploratory findings from public perceptions research. Cleaner Production Letters 5, article number: 100047. (10.1016/j.clpl.2023.100047)
- Roberts, E., Groves, C., Thomas, G., Shirani, F., Cherry, C., Pidgeon, N. and Henwood, K. 2023. Attuning to ambiguous atmospheres: currents of air, discourse and time in a steel town. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (10.1111/tran.12631)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Thomas, G. 2023. Putting visions in their place: Responsible research and innovation for energy system decarbonization. Journal of Responsible Innovation 10(1), article number: 2149954. (10.1080/23299460.2022.2149954)
2022
- Thomas, G., Cherry, C., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N. and Roberts, E. 2022. “It’s not a very certain future”: Emotion and infrastructure change in an industrial town. Geoforum 132, pp. 81-91. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.04.003)
- Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Groves, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2022. A personas-based approach to deliberating local decarbonisation scenarios: findings and methodological insights. Energy Research and Social Science 87, article number: 102455. (10.1016/j.erss.2021.102455)
2021
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Thomas, G. 2021. The future is flexible? Exploring expert visions of energy system decarbonisation. Futures 130, article number: 102753. (10.1016/j.futures.2021.102753)
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Roberts, E., Thomas, G., Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2021. ‘Who cares about valley people?’ – lived experiences of energy vulnerability in the South Wales valleys. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice 29(1), pp. 103-120. (10.1332/175982720X16074511160827)
- Groves, C., Shirani, F., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Roberts, E. and Henwood, K. 2021. A missing link? Capabilities, the ethics of care, and the relational context of energy justice. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 22(2), pp. 249-269. (10.1080/19452829.2021.1887105)
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Roberts, E. and Thomas, G. 2021. Mine water heating in Caerau: Thoughts from local residents. 2020 Report. Project Report. FLEXIS.
- Pidgeon, N., Groves, C., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Shirani, F. and Henwood, K. 2021. ‘A little self-sufficient town close to the beach’: local energy system transformation through the lens of place and public things. In: Webb, J., Wade, F. and Tingey, M. eds. Research Handbook on Energy and Society. Edward Elgar, pp. 299-316.
2020
- Groves, C., Shirani, F., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Roberts, E. and Henwood, K. 2020. ‘The bills are a brick wall’: narratives of energy vulnerability, poverty and adaptation in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 70, article number: 101777. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101777)
- Thomas, G., Demski, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Energy justice discourses in citizen deliberations on systems flexibility in the United Kingdom: Vulnerability, compensation and empowerment. Energy Research and Social Science 66, article number: 101494. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101494)
2019
- Thomas, G., Demski, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2019. Deliberating the social acceptability of energy storage in the UK. Energy Policy 133, article number: 110908. (10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110908)
- Demski, C., Thomas, G., Becker, S., Evensen, D. and Pidgeon, N. 2019. Acceptance of energy transitions and policies: Public conceptualisations of energy as a need and basic right in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 48, pp. 33-45. (10.1016/j.erss.2018.09.018)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Shirani, F., Cherry, C. and Thomas, G. 2019. Better energy futures: Developing a framework for addressing fuel poverty poverty. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
2018
- Thomas, G., Pidgeon, N. and Roberts, E. 2018. Ambivalence, naturalness and normality in public perceptions of carbon capture and storage in biomass, fossil energy, and industrial applications in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 46, pp. 1-9. (10.1016/j.erss.2018.06.007)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N., Spence, E. and Thomas, G. 2018. Blurred lines: the ethics and policy of Greenhouse Gas Removal at scale. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6, article number: 38. (10.3389/fenvs.2018.00038)
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2018. UK smart living demonstrator (better energy futures) – research report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
2017
- Thomas, G., Groves, C., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2017. Texturing waste: attachment and identity in every-day consumption and waste practices. Environmental Values 26(6), pp. 733-755., article number: 23. (10.3197/096327117X15046905490362)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Shirani, F., Thomas, G. and Pidgeon, N. 2017. Why mundane energy use matters: Energy biographies, attachment and identity. Energy Research and Social Science 30, pp. 71-81. (10.1016/j.erss.2017.06.016)
2016
- Thomas, G. 2016. Constructing the hydrogen and fuel cell community: a case study of networked innovation governance. PhD Thesis, University of Birmingham.
Articles
- Thomas, G. H., Flower, J., Gross, R., Henwood, K., Shirani, F., Spiers, J. and Pidgeon, N. 2024. A relational approach to characterising householder perceptions of disruption in heat transitions. Nature Energy
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Thomas, G., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Pidgeon, N. 2024. Where is ‘the local’ in localization? Exploring socio-technical and spatial visions of energy system decarbonization in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 107, article number: 103330. (10.1016/j.erss.2023.103330)
- Thomas, G., Pidgeon, N. and Henwood, K. 2023. Hydrogen, a less disruptive pathway for domestic heat? Exploratory findings from public perceptions research. Cleaner Production Letters 5, article number: 100047. (10.1016/j.clpl.2023.100047)
- Roberts, E., Groves, C., Thomas, G., Shirani, F., Cherry, C., Pidgeon, N. and Henwood, K. 2023. Attuning to ambiguous atmospheres: currents of air, discourse and time in a steel town. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (10.1111/tran.12631)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Thomas, G. 2023. Putting visions in their place: Responsible research and innovation for energy system decarbonization. Journal of Responsible Innovation 10(1), article number: 2149954. (10.1080/23299460.2022.2149954)
- Thomas, G., Cherry, C., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N. and Roberts, E. 2022. “It’s not a very certain future”: Emotion and infrastructure change in an industrial town. Geoforum 132, pp. 81-91. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.04.003)
- Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Groves, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2022. A personas-based approach to deliberating local decarbonisation scenarios: findings and methodological insights. Energy Research and Social Science 87, article number: 102455. (10.1016/j.erss.2021.102455)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Roberts, E., Shirani, F. and Thomas, G. 2021. The future is flexible? Exploring expert visions of energy system decarbonisation. Futures 130, article number: 102753. (10.1016/j.futures.2021.102753)
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Roberts, E., Thomas, G., Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2021. ‘Who cares about valley people?’ – lived experiences of energy vulnerability in the South Wales valleys. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice 29(1), pp. 103-120. (10.1332/175982720X16074511160827)
- Groves, C., Shirani, F., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Roberts, E. and Henwood, K. 2021. A missing link? Capabilities, the ethics of care, and the relational context of energy justice. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 22(2), pp. 249-269. (10.1080/19452829.2021.1887105)
- Groves, C., Shirani, F., Pidgeon, N., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Roberts, E. and Henwood, K. 2020. ‘The bills are a brick wall’: narratives of energy vulnerability, poverty and adaptation in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 70, article number: 101777. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101777)
- Thomas, G., Demski, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Energy justice discourses in citizen deliberations on systems flexibility in the United Kingdom: Vulnerability, compensation and empowerment. Energy Research and Social Science 66, article number: 101494. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101494)
- Thomas, G., Demski, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2019. Deliberating the social acceptability of energy storage in the UK. Energy Policy 133, article number: 110908. (10.1016/j.enpol.2019.110908)
- Demski, C., Thomas, G., Becker, S., Evensen, D. and Pidgeon, N. 2019. Acceptance of energy transitions and policies: Public conceptualisations of energy as a need and basic right in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 48, pp. 33-45. (10.1016/j.erss.2018.09.018)
- Thomas, G., Pidgeon, N. and Roberts, E. 2018. Ambivalence, naturalness and normality in public perceptions of carbon capture and storage in biomass, fossil energy, and industrial applications in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 46, pp. 1-9. (10.1016/j.erss.2018.06.007)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N., Spence, E. and Thomas, G. 2018. Blurred lines: the ethics and policy of Greenhouse Gas Removal at scale. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6, article number: 38. (10.3389/fenvs.2018.00038)
- Thomas, G., Groves, C., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2017. Texturing waste: attachment and identity in every-day consumption and waste practices. Environmental Values 26(6), pp. 733-755., article number: 23. (10.3197/096327117X15046905490362)
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Shirani, F., Thomas, G. and Pidgeon, N. 2017. Why mundane energy use matters: Energy biographies, attachment and identity. Energy Research and Social Science 30, pp. 71-81. (10.1016/j.erss.2017.06.016)
Book sections
- Pidgeon, N., Groves, C., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Shirani, F. and Henwood, K. 2021. ‘A little self-sufficient town close to the beach’: local energy system transformation through the lens of place and public things. In: Webb, J., Wade, F. and Tingey, M. eds. Research Handbook on Energy and Society. Edward Elgar, pp. 299-316.
Monographs
- Thomas, G. and Henwood, K. 2024. HI-ACT synthesis report: Interpreting and deliberating hydrogen visions. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://hi-act.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Synthesis-report-deliberation-expert-and-public-visions-2.pdf
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Roberts, E. and Thomas, G. 2021. Mine water heating in Caerau: Thoughts from local residents. 2020 Report. Project Report. FLEXIS.
- Groves, C., Henwood, K., Pidgeon, N., Shirani, F., Cherry, C. and Thomas, G. 2019. Better energy futures: Developing a framework for addressing fuel poverty poverty. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Shirani, F., Groves, C., Cherry, C., Thomas, G., Henwood, K. and Pidgeon, N. 2018. UK smart living demonstrator (better energy futures) – research report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
Thesis
- Thomas, G. 2016. Constructing the hydrogen and fuel cell community: a case study of networked innovation governance. PhD Thesis, University of Birmingham.
Research
Research topics and related papers
I am currently a member of the School of Psychology's Understanding Risk Group, working on the EPSRC funded project CO2 Injection and Storage- short and long term behaviour at different spatial scales. This project is examining risks associated with CO2 injection and storage, a technology that aims to reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions by capturing them at power plants and other industrial sources and injecting them deep underground, thus preventing them from contributing to climate change. Researchers from the Understanding Risk Group will be conducting deliberative workshops to examine how trust and wider values shape how experts and members of the public perceive the risks and benefits associated with CO2 injection and storage.
In previous work I have provided qualitative analysis for Cardiff's Energy Biographies Project, in particular focusing on how psycho-social experiences of practices and interdependency texture subjects constructions of waste in everyday life. My PhD focused on UK innovation policy, specifically in relation to hydrogen energy technologies. Drawing insights from science and technologies studies and policy studies it developed an interpretive case study account of the role of ideas and power in innovation governance processes.
Biography
Postgraduate education
2016- PhD, University of Birmingham (EPSRC funded). Thesis title: Constructing the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Community: a case study of networked innovation governance.