Megan is joining the Energy Demand Research Centre as a Provisional PhD Candidate in the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. With a background in sustainability, transport, and community-driven governance, Megan’s research focuses on how transport policy framing shapes community participation in mobility transitions and energy demand reduction.
Their work examines how dominant policy framings in transport planning can constrain public discourse around mobility challenges and explores how visual participatory methods like photovoice can enable communities to articulate alternative understandings of transport justice and accessibility. Building on their MSc, Megan investigates how grassroots approaches and collaborative governance can inform regional, place-based transport decarbonisation policies, while also delivering co-benefits across other sectors.
In addition to their academic work, Megan has gained valuable experience working in grassroots social enterprises, both in energy advice and a grassroots feminist social enterprise. These experiences highlighted a disconnect between top-down policy approaches and lived experiences of energy and transport challenges, particularly for marginalised communities, shaping their commitment to interdisciplinary approaches and inclusive actions in transport policy.