“Brenda’s heart is always involved because she cares. She cares about people and about justice.” Dr Rachel Slater, Open University
Dr Brenda Boardman, Emeritus Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University in recognition of her pioneering work on fuel poverty and energy efficiency.
Presenting the award, Dr Rachel Slater, Head of School for Engineering & Innovation in the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics at the Open University praised Dr Boardman’s lasting contribution to social equity and sustainable energy.
Dr Brenda Boardman MBE is a pioneer motivated by a social conscience… Alongside her academic work, Brenda is also an activist and campaigner. Her research has informed work with the National Right to Fuel Campaign, which she chaired for several years. In Brenda’s own words, being an academic and campaigner is a good combination because ‘academia makes you use your facts properly, and campaigning keeps you grounded and a little bit feisty, it keeps your heart involved’.
Personally, I think Brenda’s heart is always involved because she cares. She cares about people and about justice. And I witnessed firsthand, when she was one of our external examiners, just how much she cares about students.
I am so proud the Open University, where Brenda began her academic studies, is honouring her achievements with this Doctorate, it feels a very fitting ‘homecoming’ for one of our most distinguished and influential graduates."
L-R: Dr Rachel Slater, Head of School for Engineering & Innovation in the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics at the Open University, Dr Brenda Boardman, Emeritus Research Fellow at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford and the Presiding Officer, Professor Klaus-Dieter Rossade, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies at the Open University
Accepting the honour at a ceremony on Friday, Dr Boardman reflected on the Open University’s role in shaping her career. “It is absolutely fabulous to be here today and to receive this wonderful honour. I could not be more proud.
I had no exemptions when I joined in 1974 as a D student, which meant that I had to do a second foundation course. I did social sciences first but was in a quandary as to what my second one should be: I chose technology, by default. This mixture of sociology and technology is what I am – the interaction between people and machines. A surprising and fortuitous discovery.”
That realisation, she explained, set the course for an extraordinary academic journey:
This discovery confirmed that I have an interdisciplinary brain. So, the flexibility and choice offered by the OU suited me perfectly. I did modules in education, statistics, decision-making – totally eclectic. Such a mixture of disciplines would have been virtually impossible in any other university. So, again, thank you OU.”
Dr Boardman’s career has combined rigorous research with a deep commitment to social justice. One of the founding members of the ECI, she helped establish the Institute’s reputation for interdisciplinary work on energy demand and climate policy when it was formed in 1991. She remains closely connected to the ECI, continuing to contribute to the ECI Energy Research Programme and collaborate on research and policy initiatives.
Her research has profoundly influenced how fuel poverty is understood and addressed in the UK, including the concept of “affordable warmth” and the recognition that inefficient housing drives both energy demand and inequality.
At ECI, Dr Boardman led the Lower Carbon Futures team and served as Co-Director of the UK Energy Research Centre, overseeing work that shaped national policy on building efficiency and energy demand reduction. She was awarded an MBE and the Energy Institute’s Melchett Medal in 1998 for her contributions to energy efficiency.
Reflecting on the roots of her research, Dr Boardman credited an Open University project as her first step into the field:
Perhaps the OU’s greatest gift arrived via a 4th level technology research project. I chose the subject: the relationship between people on a low-income and their housing and energy use. What is known as fuel poverty. The OU found me a wonderful man, Neville Rees - an architect and civil servant, to tutor me on it – totally supportive, totally questioning. This OU project turned out to be the perfect dummy run for my doctoral thesis, later, at the University of Sussex. Perfect.”
Beyond her academic achievements, Dr Boardman has been a passionate advocate for local community issues in Oxford, including championing initiatives such as the new Oxford bus hub, demonstrating her commitment to practical solutions that improve people’s daily lives.
In her closing words, she turned to the graduating students with encouragement and characteristic warmth: “You are now, all of you, academically qualified... And this is just the start – it is a bit like the birth of a baby. Everything is focused on the delivery date. But that is absolutely only the beginning, the beginning of a new life. So, continue to grow – grab the opportunities that will occur and enjoy them. You could well be surprised where you end up. Well done!”
Professor Michael Obersteiner, Director of the ECI, said:
A researcher’s lifetime achievement is best judged by whether their work founded a new field or rendered an old one obsolete. Brenda Boardman did the former, laying the foundations of what we now know as the field of energy poverty.”
Dr Tina Fawcett, Senior Researcher and Associate Professor at the ECI, added: “I have known Brenda for almost thirty years. She taught me the value of rigorous, engaged research in my first research assistant post, and she helped many of us to make research careers. Brenda’s evidence-based activism, community involvement and radical thinking continues to inspire younger generations and helps to make the world a better place.”
Professor Jan Rosenow, Professor of Energy and Climate Policy, and Energy Programme Leader at the ECI, said: “Brenda Boardman is a true force of nature who firmly established the concept of fuel poverty within research and policy circles. I chose her as my doctoral assessor knowing she would be both exceptionally thorough and unfailingly fair.”
Dr Boardman joins the ranks of distinguished Open University honourees including Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, former Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane, and Professor Margaret Rees, among others recognised for exceptional contributions to scholarship and society.
The conferment took place at Lighthouse, a multi-arts centre in Poole, in front of a full audience of graduates, guests, and academic staff.
Back at the Environmental Change Institute in Oxford Dr Boardman’s friends and colleagues, past and present, are marking the occasion with a special celebration in her honour.