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.

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