During two interdisciplinary summer research placements with the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC), Psychology student Jibraan Kidwai discovered how research can directly inform national policy on sustainability, housing and public health.

Green number plates

Jibraan’s first placement with the ISCC examined public understanding of the UK’s green number plates for electric vehicles (EVs).

Working with supervisors Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh and PhD student Pete Dyson, he co-designed a large-scale behavioural survey combining demographics, questionnaires, and a cognitive recognition task that involved identifying EVs based on number plates, branding and visual cues.

'It was incredible,' says Jibraan, 'we had 2,500 plus responses in about four hours.'

This enabled the team to analyse whether the policy influenced public behaviour and awareness. The placement was so successful that the team extended Jibraan's internship to a full ten weeks.

Renters' Rights consultation

For his second placement, Jibraan joined an interdisciplinary team across Psychology, Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE), and the ISCC to investigate the links between building design, housing quality and mental and physical health.

Jibraan reviewed and integrated major UK housing datasets, explored heat-mapping for areas like Bristol, and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), and supported work feeding into the government’s Renters’ Rights consultation.

'I would have never thought that, as a 20- to 21‑year‑old, I would be writing to inform the government,' says Jibraan. 'It was incredible how the whole University came together to concretely inform government policy.'

His work contributed to early evidence exploring how housing hazards impact NHS costs and how future policy might address inequalities in housing quality.

Shaping career path

These experiences confirmed his passion for research and helped shape his career path.

'These placements made me realise the concrete impact that research can have,' says Jibraan. 'I now see the impact research can make. Sustainability, climate change, health, housing - it’s all come together to inform something I never thought I’d be bringing into my career.'

Jibraan’s advice to students thinking of applying?

'Do it - it will be the most rewarding and the most fun thing you can do in the summer.'