Socio-Economic Research Group (SERG)Overview |
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| Society, institutions & governance |  |
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| Rural and regional economics | |
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| Values, choices and behaviour |  |
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Individual profiles |
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Head of Group |
Bill Slee is an experienced researcher in the field of rural and regional economics and head of the Socio-Economics Research Group and its three main groupings of social scientists. He was previously a senior lecturer in the University of Aberdeen and Director and Research Professor of Rural Economy at the Countryside and Community Research Unit at the University of Gloucestershire, where he retains a visiting chair. Further information on Bill Slee. Contact: Vivienne King provides the Group with Administrative support, acts as Bill's PA, organises Bill's diary and is the first point of contact if Bill is out of the office |
Researchers |
Bedru Balana works in the Socio-Economic Research Group within the theme of values, choices and behaviour. His research interests are environmental valuation, 'poverty-environmental' relationships, sustainable management of natural resources, and farm household analysis. Further information on Bedru Balana. |
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Kirsty Blackstock's work mainly falls within the theme of society, institutions and governance, particularly public and stakeholder participation in environmental policy making and implementation, and generally favours mixed qualitative methods such as interviews, focus groups and participant observation. Further information on Kirsty Blackstock. |
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Katrina Brown is a human geographer working in the Socio-Economic Research Group as a post-doctoral researcher. Her work falls within the theme of society, institutions and governance. She focuses on the moral and cultural dimensions of how formal and informal institutions mediate people's access to and control over rural resources and landscapes, with implications for land use and rural development. Further information on Katrina Brown. |
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Tony Craig is an environmental psychologist working in the Socio-economics research group within the theme of values choices and behaviour. His work focuses on the relationship between psychological factors and environmental behaviour. Further information on Tony Craig. |
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Ben Davies is a Lecturer in the Aberdeen Centre for Environmental Sustainability (ACES), based in Aberdeen Business School. Ben is an ecological economist working in the values, choices and behaviour group in the fields of environmental management, institutional economics and agri-environmental policy. Further information on Ben Davies. |
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Liz Dinnie is a sociologist working within the theme of society, institutions and governance. Further information on Liz. |
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George Dyer research interests span the social and biological sciences. He is currently engaged in the design and implementation of collaborative research on projects involving the livelihood of rural people in developed and developing countries. Further information on George |
| Jill Dunglinson is a research assistant in the Socio-Economic Research Group with a general background in geography and sustainable rural development. She works within the theme of values, choices and behaviour. Further information on Jill Dunglinson. | |
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Anke Fischer has a background in social and learning psychology and environmental economics, and works on theme of values, choices and behaviour. Her current work (which is also relevant to SERG's research theme on society, institutions & governance) focuses on mental constructs of nature and biological diversity, particularly on the value judgements implied, and the consequences for public support for biodiversity management . Further information on Anke Fischer. |
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Carlos Galan-Diaz is an environmental psychologist working as a research assistant in the Socio Economic Research Group. Carlos is finishing writing up his PhD from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK which deals amongst other things with how people estimate their emotional and cognitive reactions to proposed environments based on visual representations, for example how people use the visuals used for a local planning proposal to judge the new environment. Further information on Carlos Galan-Diaz. |
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Alana Gilbert is a labour economist working on rural and regional economics issues. Recent research has concerned urban-rural wage differences but she is also investigating the environmental effects of changing levels of farm household pluriactivity. Further information on Alana Gilbert. |
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Ade Ibiyemi is a research assistant with particular expertise and interest in the use of GIS (geographic information systems). He works within the theme of rural and regional economics. Further information on Ade. |
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Wendy Kenyon's research in recent years has centred around the socio-economics of flooding and flood risk management. Wendy has just returned from a two year secondment to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) in Holyrood. Currently Wendy is working with the Institute's Communications team to strengthen relationships with the policy community and to develop processes to ensure that the Institute is proactive in engaging with the Government (and its agencies) and Parliament at Scottish, UK and EU level. Further information on Wendy Kenyon. |
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Keith Marshall is a post-doctoral researcher with a multi-disciplinary background, whose work falls mainly within the themes of society, institutions and governance but who also does some work on valuation that falls within the topics of values, choices and behaviour. Further information on Keith Marshall. |
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Annie McKee is a social researcher in land management, working in the Socio-Economic Research Group, within the theme of society, institutions and governance. Further information on Annie McKee. |
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Sue Morris is a research assistant in the Socio-Economic Research Group. She works within the theme of society, institutions and governance. Further information on Sue Morris. |
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Maria Nijnik is a researcher on the theme of values, choices and behaviour. Her is also relevant to the themes of rural and regional economics and society, institutions and governance. She works on the economics of sustainable resource management, with a particular focus upon forestry, the cost effectiveness of carbon sequestration, human dimensions of global change and new institutional economics. Further information on Maria Nijnik. |
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Katrin Prager is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in landscape planning and environmental management, agri-environmental policy making and farmer adoption of sustainable farming practices. She works in the Socio-Economics Research Group within the theme of society, institutions and governance. Further information on Katrin Prager. |
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Ken Thompson is an economist who has worked on agricultural and rural policy issues for several decades during his university career at Newcastle upon Tyne and Aberdeen (of which he is a native). He is currently working part-time in SERG for a limited period, mainly to assist the Group and its members to obtaining and successfully completing contributions to the Macaulay's overall mission. Further information on Ken Thompson. |
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Kerry Waylen is a post-doctoral researcher with a multi-disciplinary background, whose work falls mainly within the themes of society, institutions and governance. Kerry uses mixed methods to probe issues relating to the sustainable governance of natural resources. Further information on Kerry Waylen. |
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Yan Xu works in the Socio-Economic Research Group within the theme of rural and regional economics. Her research interests are assessment of climate change policies and rural policies based on computable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling. Further information on Yan Xu. |
PhD students |
Koen Arts is a PhD student registered at the University of Aberdeen. He is interested in the issues of ecological restoration, reintroduction and the concept of ‘wilderness’ and works within the theme of values, choices and behaviour. Further information on Koen Arts. |
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Diana Feliciano is a PhD student registered with the University of Aberdeen, working within the Socio-Economic Research Group under the theme rural and regional economics. Her PhD title is "A New Approach to regional Greenhouse Gas Budgeting and Management". Her research interests are the management of GHG emissions and storage at the regional level, regional development, forestry and renewable energy. Further information on Diana Feliciano. |
Sharon Flanigan is a
PhD student registered with the University of Aberdeen. She is developing an analytical framework for sustainable agrotourism in Scotland, working within the theme on Society Institutions and Governance. |
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Sebastian Selge is a PhD student registered with Aberdeen University. As an environmental psychologist, working within the theme of values, choices and behaviour he is interested in how people’s perceptions of non-native plant and animal species develop and change. Further information on Sebastian Selge. |
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Heather Smith is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, working on issues of society, institutions and governance. She is researching how trends in river basin planning and management will interact with the Scottish land use planning system. Further information on Heather Smith. |
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Sander van der Jagt is a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen. His PhD is called: Understanding Landscape Change and Environmental Sustainability: The Role of Attention, Working Memory, and Restorative Processes in Environmental Preference. Further information on Sander van der Jagt.
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Updated: 10 Jan 2012, Content by: KW
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