With a background spanning environmental consultancy, academic research, and policy engagement, Dr Hampton investigates how individuals, communities and leaders can drive meaningful responses to climate change. His work focuses on bridging the gap between personal behaviour and systemic transformation, using interdisciplinary methods to support low-carbon lifestyles, business practices and governance.

Dr Hampton joins the Institute from his dual roles as Research Fellow in the Psychology Department at the University of Bath and Senior Researcher at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.

He also works part-time as a freelance environmental consultant, specialising in supporting SMEs in the sustainability sector and advising on carbon footprinting, packaging, and water use. In his spare time, he enjoys painting and won the Oxford Art Society’s Young Artist Competition in 2017. His artwork can be viewed at www.samuelhampton.co.uk.

In the following Q&A, Dr Hampton shares insights into his research and vision for his role at ISCC.

Describe your journey from geographer to interdisciplinary change researcher.

My academic journey began with a degree in geography, where I gravitated towards the social sciences, exploring how individuals relate to their environments.

After eight years in sustainability consulting, including advising corporations on carbon footprinting and producer responsibility, I returned to Oxford to pursue a PhD. Drawing on my consultancy experience, my doctoral research focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their role in the energy transition.

I have always been more motivated by achieving real-world change than contributing solely to academic theory and my work is about bridging the gap between research and impact.

What initially drew you to the University of Bath?

I first came across Lorraine Whitmarsh, Professor in the Department of Psychology and a core member of the ISCC, during the so-called ‘chalk and cheese’ debate in the academic literature. It was a discussion about whether climate action should focus on individual behaviour or systemic change.

Professor Whitmarsh’s response highlighted how individual behaviour and systemic change are deeply interconnected, an approach I really admired. I also appreciated her use of quantitative methods, which can be especially impactful with policymakers and businesses.

I'm interested in understanding climate engagement across diverse demographics and life stages, so I approached Professor Whitmarsh to collaborate on a project related to her concept of Carbon Capability, a framework that examines how individuals and groups engage with climate action.

This work has generated a series of sub-projects, including:

• A study on high-income earners, exploring how wealth enables low-carbon choices but also reinforces carbon-intensive social norms.

• Research into new parents, investigating their sense of responsibility and perceived lack of climate knowledge.

• An upcoming survey of children aged 12–18, asking what it means to be a “carbon capable child” in today’s world.

Can you delve into this idea of everyday influencers and grassroots impact?

One of my areas of research focuses on “everyday influencers”, community figures like hairdressers, nurses, and taxi drivers who can spark climate conversations in informal settings. Hairdressers, for example, have a unique opportunity to engage people in climate conversations, and it's about recognising influence where we don’t usually expect it.

My recent study on eco-stylists was featured in the Daily Mail. The paper hasn’t even been published yet, but the preprint has already gained traction. We’re planning a video with a local hairdresser to coincide with the launch of the paper.

I'm also developing a grant proposal to expand this work, aiming to explore how community leaders can be equipped to promote sustainability in their everyday roles.

What other projects are you working on?

Another major initiative, in collaboration with Dr Steve Westlake, Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Bath, focuses on climate leadership. The project seeks to recruit 300 high-profile figures, including politicians, business leaders, and sports personalities, to lead by example in their personal climate behaviours.

We’re aiming high: global figures, politicians, household names. The idea is to support leaders, not nag them, and help them lead by example in their personal climate behaviours. We want leaders to talk about climate change with integrity. That means reflecting on their own actions and setting an example.

This work builds my broader interest in how personal behaviour intersects with systemic change, a theme central to my fellowship at the ISCC.

How do you approach interdisciplinary collaboration?

I'm a strong advocate for interdisciplinary research, particularly within the social sciences. I'm involved with CAST (Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations), a consortium that brings together sociologists, psychologists, and other experts to tackle climate challenges collaboratively.

These disciplines often approach problems from very different perspectives, and CAST creates a space where those differences become productive rather than divisive. As ISCC Fellow, I hope to strengthen links between ISCC and CAST, and to secure funding for research into multiple societal roles and how they can be mobilised for climate action.

How does your work engage with policy and industry?

My work has a strong policy and industry dimension. For example, I recently completed a project funded by Research England Policy Support Fund, working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to explore when government intervention is needed to support SME decarbonisation.

We explored when SMEs are willing to pay for decarbonisation support, and when government intervention is necessary. For example, banks might offer services for free as part of lending packages, reducing the need for public funding.

I'm also supervising a PhD student in the Green Industrial Futures CDT, exploring scalable solutions for SMEs, including the use of banking data to automate carbon footprinting.

What is your vision for the Social Transformations Fellowship at ISCC?

I'm excited to continue the work that’s already gaining traction and to scale it up through major projects, like a European Research Council (ERC) grant focused on everyday influencers.

I also hope to deepen collaboration with CAST, which I see as a model for interdisciplinary climate research. One of our upcoming initiatives will explore how different societal roles – citizens, professionals, influencers, and community leaders – can be mobilised for climate action.

There is huge potential in equipping frontline workers like community nurses and occupational therapists with sustainability knowledge, especially as they support vulnerable people during extreme weather events. It's about connecting research with real-world impact.