Background and activities

I am an environmental social scientist working on the drivers and barriers affecting the development of bottom-up initiatives and social innovations involving renewables, sustainable transportation and energy consumption in buildings. My specific focus is on energy justice, climate justice and related policies. I am also interested in developing new research lines focusing on the relevance of environmental justice in sustainable development education.

Currently, I am a PI and WP leader in the H2020 ACCTING project, while in the recent past, I have worked as a senior researcher in the Department of Psychology of NTNU, engaging in the H2020 ENTRANCES and SMARTEES projects.

Previously I was a postdoctoral fellow, and now I am an Affiliate Researcher at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa, Italy), where I worked on a research project in collaboration with RSE, (Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico, Milano), on energy justice and the social aspects related with the evolution of the Italian energy system.

In 2017, I was awarded my PhD at Heriot-Watt University, (School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society), where I researched social acceptability of onshore wind farms and the co-operative model of community ownership.

In the past, I also worked as ‘Research Associate’ at the University of Glasgow and Heriot-Watt University on a nationwide British project, (TARBASE), aiming at individuating engineering and policy solutions to reduce carbon emissions from the UK building stock. Previously, I researched social engagement in wind energy at the Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development of De Montfort University.

In 2012 and 2013, I was environment executive councillor (Assessore all’ Ambiente) in the municipality of Lucca (Italy) where I coordinated the design and implementation of the environmental policy for the whole city. In that capacity, I introduced the zero-waste strategy, obtaining a 20% increase in recycled waste, and I coordinated the design of the Sustainable Energy Action Plan for the city membership of the Covenant of Mayors.

My main research interests lie broadly in energy and social research, energy policy, sustainable behaviours and environmental policies.

Scientific, academic and artistic work

Displaying a selection of activities. See all publications in the database

Journal publications

Books

Part of book/report

Report/dissertation

  • Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe; Macsinga, Irina; Albulescu, Patricia; Löfström, Erica; Coralia, Sulea; Dumitru, Adina; Nayum, Alim. (2019) D6.1 Report on social innovation drivers, barriers, actors and network structures. European Commission. 2019.
  • Maran, Stefano; Pirni, Alberto Eugenio Ermenegildo; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2018) Raccomandazioni per il coinvolgimento degli stakeholder nello sviluppo della rete. 2018.
  • Jenkins, David; Banfill, P.F.; Pellegrini-Masini, Giuseppe. (2010) Non-domestic conclusions of the Tarbase project –Reducing CO2 emissions of existing buildings. 2010.

Others