Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford

• emilie.vrain@ouce.ox.ac.uk

• Energy Theme

Dr Emilie Vrain is a Senior Research Associate at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford. As a social scientist, her research uses both quantitative and qualitative methods, analysing factors which influence the adoption and use of digital low carbon innovations. Emilie currently works on the iDODDLE project funded by the European Research Council and is investigating the underlying mechanisms of digital daily life and the impacts on climate change.

Prior to joining ECI, Emilie was based at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA, where she was working on the ‘Social Influence and disruptive Low Carbon Innovations’ project (SILCI). Her work focused on social networks, communication behaviour and the role of social influences related to a range of consumer-facing low carbon innovations.

Emilie has a PhD in sustainable agriculture from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Her thesis explored the role of farm advice in the adoption of water pollution mitigation measures amongst farmers in the UK. Emilie has also worked on multiple projects funded by Defra to inform UK agri-environmental policy and post-Brexit strategies for sustainable land management and farmer engagement. She has delivered a variety of policy reports on farmer behaviour change, farm advice, natural capital, and community collaborations, and led a national knowledge dissemination project as part of the Demonstration Test Catchments – a 10-year multi-disciplinary project which assessed the effectiveness of on-farm water pollution mitigation measures.

2022

• Vrain, E., Wilson, C. and Andrews, B. (2022) The discontinuance of low carbon products and services. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 185. 122051.
• Vrain, E., Wilson, C., Kerr, L., and Wilson, M. (2022) Social influence in the adoption of digital consumer innovations for climate change. Energy Policy, 162(112800).

2021

• Vrain, E. and Wilson, C. (2021) Social Influence in the Adoption of Digital Consumer Innovations to Mitigate Climate Change.5.2 in, Zhu, X. and Prata Dias, G. (eds.) Conference Proceedings - BEHAVE 2020-2021: the 6th European Conference on Behaviour Change for Energy Efficiency. 82-97.
• Vrain, E. and Wilson, C. (2021) Social networks and communication behaviour underlying smart home adoption in the UK. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 38(82-97).

2020

• Cooper, R., Hama-Aziz, Z., Hiscock, K., Lovett, A., Vrain, E., Dugdale, S., Sunnenberg, G., Dockerty, T., Hovesen, P. and Noble, L. (2020) Conservation tillage and soil health: lessons from a 5-year UK farm trial (2013-2018). Soil and Tillage Research, 202, (13)(104648).
• Cooper, R., Hiscock, K., Lovett, A., Dugdale, S., Sunnenberg, G., Vrain, E. (2020) Temporal hydrochemical dynamics of the River Wensum, UK: Observations from long-term high-resolution monitoring (2011 - 2018). Science of the Total Environment, 724.
• Vrain, E., Dockerty, T., and Immel, L. (2020) DTC Evidence Compendium. DEFRA. WT15116.
• Wilson, C., Kerr, L., Sprei, F., Vrain, E. and Wilson, M. (2020) Potential climate benefits of digital consumer innovations. Annual Review of Environment and Resources. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 45(113-144).

2019

• Vrain, E. and Lovett, A. (2019) Using word clouds to present farmers' perceptions of advisory services on pollution mitigation measures. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 63(7)(1-18).

2018

• Inman, A., Winter, M., Wheeler, R., Vrain, E., Lovett, A., Collins, A., Jones, I., Johnes, P., Cleasby, W. (2018) An exploration of individual, social and material factors influencing water pollution mitigation behaviours within the farming community. Land Use Policy, 70(16-26).
• Rose, D., Keating, C., Vrain, E., Morris, C. (2018) Beyond individuals: Toward a 'distributed' approach to farmer decision-making behavior. Food and Energy Security, 7(4).

2017

• Vrain, E., Lovett, A., Inman, A., Wheeler, R., Winter, M., Collins, A., Cleasby, W., McIlwraith, C. (2017) Working with stakeholders and influencing behaviour change. Final report, June 2017. Demonstration Test Catchments.

2016

• Collins, A., Zhang, Y., Winter, B.M., Inman, A., Jones, J., Johnes, P., Cleasby, W., Vrain, E., Lovett, A., Noble, L. (2016) Tackling agricultural diffuse pollution: What might uptake of farmer-preferred measures deliver for emissions to water and air? Science of The Total Environment, 547(261-289).
• Vrain, E. and Lovett, A. (2016) The roles of farm advisors in the uptake of measures for the mitigation of diffuse water pollution. Land Use Policy, 54(413-422).