Sustainable and Resilient Futures

FUTURE THINKERS

Join the network

About us

Members of the Sustainable & Resilient Futures Network share a common aspiration: to address pressing global challenges through research and innovation that contribute to sustainable and resilient societies and environments. 

Sustainability, in all its forms, is fundamental for societies to thrive. Concerns regarding humanity’s increasing destabilisation of the Earth and its resources, and of growing societal inequalities at local and global scales, remain central in current debates. 

Climate change, socio-economic inequality, rights to resources and their distribution between human and non-human species, are major global issues that lie at the heart of the Sustainable & Resilient Futures agenda, aligning with and addressing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Most specifically, the COP26 conference in Glasgow fostered intra and international commitments to achieving net zero emissions targets and protecting communities and habitats from the worst effects of climate change. These are key areas of research among Network members. 

More broadly, the Network draws on expertise from across the University that seek to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient world.

Members’ activities

The debt trap
Photo by Bison Bison - BisonBison.co.uk

‘The Debt Trap’ report - Women’s Stories of Navigating Family Homelessness in Manchester

The Sustainable and Resilient Futures (SRF) Network Lead, Dr Mel Nowicki, has co-written a new report with Professor Katherine Brickell of King’s College London.

"As the housing crisis in England deepens and the number of private rental evictions rise, family homelessness has become an urgent national challenge. In England, almost 100,000 households, including over 125,000 children, reside in temporary accommodation (Shelter 2023a). Described as the ‘hidden homeless’ in England’s housing crisis (Maciver 2018), it is mainly single women raising children who live in these typically insecure, and substandard forms of accommodation."

"The report aims to amplify the stories of single women with children who have experienced homelessness, living in temporary accommodation, and navigating rent-arrears and other forms of private debt".

"The report builds from original research conducted working in partnership with the Shared Health Foundation in Oldham, Greater Manchester".

Source: Brickell, K., and Nowicki, M. (2023) Debt Trap: Women’s Stories of Navigating Family Homelessness and Temporary Accommodation in Greater Manchester. King’s College London. https://doi.org/10.18742/pub01-150

photo of vegetable

Edible Streets – Locally Grown Food For A Healthier Planet 

When Dr Mina Samangooei and Dr Sangeetha Thondre met during an online networking event hosted by Brookes, they discovered a shared curiosity in bringing sustainable food production to urban areas. This would increase biodiversity and help combat climate change. They undertook a 3-month project, funded by Brookes, to test the feasibility of creating Edible Streets in Oxford, leading to the start of a fascinating interdisciplinary project.

Dr Martin Hodson

Environmental scientist spends more than four decades researching a potential climate game-changer

20 June 2024

In the ongoing fight against climate change, one remarkable discovery has gained significant attention over the past years: phytoliths.

green forest

Oxford Brookes research reveals how spiritual-nature bonds safeguard our planet

13 December 2023

The spiritual connection between nature and humanity is very common across political and religious divides and is so strong that it can affect industrial development and political voting.

photo of brookes' clive booth building

Resilient student halls at Oxford Brookes University

24 March 2023

Oxford Brookes University leads the way in climate resilience with the redevelopment of Clive Booth Student Village, a UK Universities Climate Network case study authored by SRF Network Lead, Dr Esra Kurul.

Oxford Brookes University campus

Oxford Brookes University part of £3.35m pilot project to install heat pumps in Oxford

08 March 2023

A ground-breaking research project that will see up to 150 clean air-source heat pumps installed in Oxford homes is being supported by Oxford Brookes University.

windmills and cloudy blue sky

Assessing climate risk for UK Higher Education Institutions

06 March 2023

UK Universities Climate Network experts lead the way in assessing climate risks and strengthening resilience for Higher Education Institutions.

Past events

glass ball held up by a hand towards the sky

Education for a Sustainable and Resilient Future (E4SRF): A Day Conference

13 September 2023 - 13 September 2023

Hear about the experience of putting the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into practice.

Creative Industries Festival: Creative Solutions for Sustainable Urban Environments

9 May 2023 - 9 May 2023

Can we transform our built environment to a nature positive one? Join our discussion, in collaboration with the Sustainable and Resilient Futures Network.

Work together, create impact poster image

Work together, create impact

15 September 2022 - 15 September 2022

‘Work together, create impact’ is a new all-Research Network in-person event.

Research themes

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Join the network

Become a member of the Sustainable and Resilient Futures network.

Could you contribute to reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals? If you could, join Oxford Brookes staff addressing pressing global challenges and contributing to the Sustainable & Resilient Futures agenda. ECRs, professional staff, research students, academic staff- all welcome!

Contact us

Sustainable and Resilient Futures

srfutures@brookes.ac.uk

Media enquiries

pr@brookes.ac.uk