Dr Sam Hampton is a Research Fellow at the University of Bath, work interdisciplinary work focuses on energy and climate change.
His research examines the ways in which environmental impact relates to everyday life. It begins with the idea that energy and resource consumption are bound up in everyday practices such as travelling to work, cooking and eating, and achieving comfort. This perspective tells us that policies designed to reduce environmental impact require an understanding of how and why social norms and behaviours become established. For instance, the steady increase in ‘normal’ indoor temperatures over the last 50 years, the transition from bathing to showering, or the proliferation of plastics in food production and consumption.
Sam has worked on several research projects focusing on energy and transport decarbonisation, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and smart heat pumps. He led a project called ‘Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire’, and is working with Local Authorities to implement the changes needed to eradicate fossil fuels from the economy. Sam specialises in energy and climate governance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and has works as a low carbon advisor to business alongside his research roles.
Sam joined the University of Bath in 2021 to work on a project called ‘Accelerating Carbon Capability for an Equitable, Sustainable Society (ACCESS). Drawing on different theoretical and disciplinary traditions, this project seeks to understand what it will take for the diverse UK population to become more ‘carbon capable’. How can low carbon lifestyles be made fulfilling, desirable, affordable, and accessible to all?