Section: Staff Profiles
Steven Yearley
- Name
- Professor Steven Yearley
- Title
- Director of the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum
- Organisation
- Sociology, School of Social and Political Science
University of Edinburgh - Address
- 3.02 St John's Land Holyrood Road Edinburgh UK
- Telephone
- +44 (0)131 651 4740
- Steve.Yearley@ed.ac.uk
- URL
- http://www.stis.ed.ac.uk/staff_profiles/yearley_steven
Qualifications
- MA (Cantab & Oxon),
- PhD (York)
Principal Interests and Biographical Statement
Steve Yearley joined Edinburgh in 2005 as Professor of the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge. He is primarily interested in social studies of science and in environmental sociology. Steve is particularly concerned with areas where these specialisms overlap: for example in environmental controversies with a pronounced scientific element (such as with recent disputes over the safety or otherwise of GMOs) or, for example, in attempts to foster public engagement in technical decision-making in environmental areas (for instance, through his work on citizen engagement in urban air-quality issues).
Additionally, Steve has been closely involved – primarily through the Wellcome Trust – with work on social aspects of human genetics and with social science questions relating to bioethics. In Edinburgh, he was appointed Senior Professorial Fellow of the ESRC Genomics Policy & Research Forum. From September 2006 Steve has taken over as the Director of the Forum on secondment from Sociology (see Steve's web page at the Forum).
Steve currently has PhD students working on a variety of topics including environmental modelling, conservation controversies, nuclear power and the ‘risk society’ in China, and environmental justice. He welcomes applications in all areas of science and technology studies, in environmental social science, and in social aspects of genomics and the ‘new biology’. In addition to his collaboration with the Genomics Policy & Research Forum, Steve works closely with colleagues in the Science Studies Unit, in ISSTI, in Innogen, and in the Research Centre for the Social Sciences. He also retains his research links with the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Current Research
Steve is beginning a new project on stakeholder engagement in environmental management and is writing a book on participation in science, technology and decision-making. His most recent book, The SAGE Dictionary of Sociology, which he co-wrote with Steve Bruce of the University of Aberdeen, has appeared at the start of 2006.
Selected Publications
Aside from the Dictionary, Steve’s latest books are Making Sense of Science (London: Sage 2005) - on science studies and social theory - and Cultures of Environmentalism (Basingstoke: Palgrave/Macmillan 2005) - a collection of empirical studies in environmental sociology. Full information about Steve's publications and research work is given on Steve's personal website.
Topics interested in supervising
I'd welcome applications in all areas of science and technology studies, in environmental social science, and in social aspects of genomics and the ‘new biology’. At the moment I have PhD students working or just completed on a variety of topics including environmental modelling, conservation controversies, sustainable schools, nuclear power and the ‘risk society’ in China, and environmental justice. I am particularly keen to supervise in areas where environmental topics and STS overlap.
If you are interested in being supervised by Steven Yearley, please see the links below for more information:
This page was published on 28 February 2011