Will is a research associate specialising in urban systems and carbon management. His current research is taking place within the European Union’s UP2030 project, devised to support cities develop and implement sociotechnical transitions required to meet their climate neutrality targets by 2030. Here, he is investigating the use of carbon emission data in net-zero and carbon neutrality decision making processes and is supporting two partner cities (Belfast and Münster) in developing new ways to account for carbon emissions within urban regeneration projects.
He graduated in 2023 with a PhD from Loughborough University in systems engineering, where he developed a framework to support the development of socio-technical approaches to smart city implementation. His research and work is greatly influenced by his bachelor and masters degrees in sociology – from the University of Amsterdam and Anglia Ruskin University respectively – which sees a blending of social and technical elements, often within the purview of transdisciplinary engineering. His research interests revolve around urban systems, with a specific focus on the melding of social elements with the implementation of urban technologies. Other interests include smart urbanism, urban regeneration and urban resilience.
Dr Will Brown works with Dr Kristen MacAskill.