Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
- Energy Ethics and AI
- Socio-technical frameworks in the development setting
- Data feminism
- Participatory and disruptive research methods
- Digital literacy for minoritised communities
Vision Statement
My work aims to dismantle knowledge silos across disciplines and sectors to develop new ways of thinking about real-world problems, particularly for communities that have been traditionally excluded from positions of power. Prioritising an ethics of care that seeks to engage these communities as active participants in the research process, I acknowledge and value different ways of knowing. My hope is that the outcomes of my research will promote greater equality in decision-making to build the capacity and resilience of all communities now and in the future.
Selected Research Projects
Solar Energy Transitions (SET): Inclusive e-cooking in sub-Saharan Africa
GAP-E: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Researching Key Industry Gaps in AI and Ethics
EPSRC GCRF Humanitarian Engineering and Energy for Displacement (HEED)
Biography
Alison is an Assistant Professor and Ethics Lead at the Centre for Computational Science and Mathematical Modelling (CSM).
Her research centres around data feminism, ethics, and energy. Originally trained as a sociologist of religion, Alison has in recent years shifted her focus towards the critical role of minoritised communities in decision-making within the fields of energy and technology. Her commitment to broadening access to the benefits of AI advances is evident in her research of capacity-building initiatives, such as the Solar Energy Transitions (SET) project and various programs supported by the Nuffield Foundation and UK Research and Innovation.
As EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) Lead at CSM, she has championed numerous projects aimed at creating supportive networks for women and underrepresented groups in STEM, such as being awarded funding from the British Council to support MRes Women in STEM from South Asia. Her contributions to the field are widely recognised, with her scholarly work featured in journals such as Energy Research & Social Science, Energies, and The British Journal of Social Work. She serves in the UKRI Peer College for Future Leaders and was the chair of the Scientific Study of Religion Committee for Student Grant Awards.
Beyond academia, Alison's collaboration with industry partners like Energy Systems Catapult and her contributions to the Global Plan of Action on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings exemplifies increasing digital literacy for underrepresented communities can shape a more inclusive and equitable technological future.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Keywords
- HM Sociology
- participatory research approaches
- Energy, Ethics and AI
- Intersectionality
- Data Feminism
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 7 Finished
-
Solar Energy Transitions (SET): Inclusive e-cooking in sub-Saharan Africa [Innovate UK - Energy Catalyst Round 9]
1/08/23 → 30/09/24
Project: Research
-
NERC Constructing a Digital Environment Unlocking the potential of sensors for our environment: A co-creation and writing retreat
1/03/23 → 31/08/23
Project: Research
-
Nuffield Expressions of Self: Race, Religion and Representation of care-experienced children and young people
Cheruvallil-Contractor, S., Halford, A. & Anand, K.
1/02/22 → 31/07/23
Project: Research
-
GAP-E: Transdisciplinary Approaches to Researching Key Industry Gaps in AI and Ethics
1/01/22 → 31/12/23
Project: Research
-
AHRC Minorities on Campus: Discrimination, Equality, and Politics of Nationalism in Indian HE
Cheruvallil-Contractor, S. & Halford, A.
31/12/21 → 30/09/22
Project: Research
-
[Review of] Irish Mormonism: Reconciling Identity in Global Mormonism, by HAZEL O’BRIEN
Halford, A., 5 Apr 2024, In: Sociology of Religion. 85, 1, p. 119-120 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review › peer-review
-
A Lifecycle Approach for Artificial Intelligence Ethics in Energy Systems
El-Haber, N., Burnett, D., Halford, A., Stamp, K., De Silva, D., Manic, M. & Jennings, A., 20 Jul 2024, In: Energies. 17, 14, 11 p., 3572.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure) -
Expressions of Self: Race, Religion and Representation of minoritised children and young people in the British Care System
Cheruvallil-Contractor, S., Halford, A. & Anand, K., 17 Jan 2024, Nuffield Foundation. 46 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other report › peer-review
-
Participants or Recipients? Negotiating Gender and Energy as Empowerment in the Displaced Setting
Halford, A., 31 Jan 2024, Women and the Energy Sector : Gender Inequality and Sustainability in Production and Consumption. Rocha Lawton, N. & Forson, C. (eds.). Palgrave Macmillian, p. 297-314 18 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
-
Supporting minoritised children’s identity: Frontline Briefing
Cheruvallil-Contractor, S., Halford, A. & Anand, K., 17 Jan 2024, Research in Practice . 28 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other report › peer-review
Datasets
-
EPSRC HEED Data Repository: Nepal Household Appliance Survey
Gaura, E. (Creator), Brusey, J. (Creator), Crawley, H. (Creator), Halford, A. (Creator) & Verba, N. (Creator), Zenodo, 2021
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5046425, https://zenodo.org/api/records/5046425
Dataset
-
EPSRC-funded Humanitarian Engineering and Energy for Displacement (HEED) datasets
Bhargava, K. (Creator), Verba, N. (Creator), Nixon, J. (Creator), Gaura, E. (Creator), Brusey, J. (Creator) & Halford, A. (Creator), Zenodo, 2021
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5792260, https://zenodo.org/record/5792260
Dataset
Activities
-
Sustainable and Inclusive Energy Solutions in Refugee Camps
Alison Halford (Speaker)
6 Feb 2024Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Data Practices, Ethics and Energy 4.0: Understanding UK energy sector practices around data management and data sharing
Alison Halford (Speaker)
19 Apr 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Negotiating AI, Data Practices, and Ethics
Alison Halford (Speaker)
13 Nov 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Feminatywa Festival
Alison Halford (Speaker)
13 Nov 2023Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Public Engagement Event
-
British Council Pakistan-UK Mobility Program for faculty and students (Consortium of Six Universities across Pakistan and UK)
Alison Halford (Reviewer)
21 Nov 2023 → 1 Dec 2023Activity: Other
Prizes
-
1st Place (Shared) Five Minute Thesis Competition
Halford, Alison (Recipient), 2 Oct 2020
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
-
2nd Place Best Academic Poster
Halford, Alison (Recipient), 27 May 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Thesis
-
'As Sisters in Zion': how do Mormon women in Britain negotiate gender?
Author: Halford, A., Sept 2020Supervisor: Aune, K. (Supervisor)
Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy
File