Rob Byrne

Biography

Rob Byrne is a Senior Lecturer at the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), University of Sussex. He has an undergraduate background in renewable energy engineering and appropriate technology, and he worked in this field for one year in Botswana and three years in Tanzania. Since gaining his postgraduate degrees in science and technology policy studies, his research and teaching have focussed on sustainable energy access and science, technology and innovation policy in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Kenya and Tanzania. He draws on a range of academic approaches including, amongst others, transitions theory, innovation systems, political economy and science and technology studies and has roles in the STEPS Centre (Social, Technological and Environmental Pathways to Sustainability), the Sussex Energy Group, Climate Strategies and the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network. He also contributes to the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) Working Group and is the Sussex lead in a TIPC-related five-year programme of research on transformative innovation, the fourth industrial revolution and sustainable development, working with partners in Kenya and South Africa. TIPC provides a space in which Rob can draw together the various elements in his background and current work to help find ways for societies to become sustainable in practice, as well as feed back into more traditional academic knowledge production.