Background

The IAU is a designated EC Europa Centre of Excellence in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which brings together one of the largest teams of expertise in this field worldwide. Our research activity was independently assessed as being of ‘international standing’ in the 2001 Higher Education Funding Council for England Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) amongst UK universities. Our clients include, amongst others, the European Commission, UK government/agencies, local government and the commercial sector.

Research expertise

• EIA procedures and guidance including screening, scoping, and ES review
• Environmental decision making
• Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and sustainability appraisal (SA)
• Socio-economic impact assessment, and local and regional economic studies
• Environmental policy, planning and legislation
• Regional spatial planning and policy
• Cumulative effects assessment
• Planning for climate change, uncertainty and risk
• Sectoral studies, including energy, tourism, transport, water, waste and minerals
• International comparative studies
• Technical studies and methods (eg causal network analysis, GIS, and expert systems in EIA)
• Innovation and urban and regional economic performance
• Evolutionary economic geography
• Sustainable urban economic development
• Spatial economics
• Knowledge economy and urban regions

Selected recent/current research activity

• Adaptation strategies for climate change in the built environment (EPSRC)
• MACIS (Minimisation of and Adaptation to Climate change ImpactS on biodiversity (EUFP6))
• Socio-economic impact assessment studies (for example, for the offshore wind industry, for universities and for the Oxfordshire health and high-tech sectors)
• Path dependence, territorial innovation and the absorptive capacity of city regional economies (NESTA)
• Study of key issues for small business in Oxfordshire (Federation of Self Employed and Small Business Ltd.)
• Sustainability appraisals of development plans, and independent reviews of environmental statements (various funders).

Training opportunities

• major centre for PhD studies, supported by ESRC and eligible for CASE, ESRC/NERC and other studentships. IAU normally has 8-10 EU and international PhD students.
• MSc/Diploma in Environmental Assessment and Management
• MSc/Diploma in Environmental Management and Technology
• Certificate courses in EIA, and in SEA (online) (PDF documents)
• an array of popular short courses (for example on Screening, Scoping and Environment Statement Review, and on the new SEA Directive).

Some recent research publications

• Glasson, J., Downing, L., Chadwick, A. and Lawton Smith, H. (2007) The Economic Ecology of Small Business in Oxfordshire. London, Federation of Small Business.
• Weston, J. (2007) Implementing International Environmental Agreements: The Case of the Wadden Sea. European Planning Studies, 15, pp 133-152.
• Wilson, E., Nanayakkara, L., Nicol, F.J. and Ueberjahn-Tritta, A. (2008) Public open space and human thermal comfort: the implications of alternative climate change and socio-economic scenarios. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning 10(1) pp 31-45.

External links

• With international organisations involved in EIA, such as the EC and World Bank
• With EIA professionals/academics in other countries (eg EU, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and a growing number of developing and transitional economies including Brazil, China, Egypt, Romania, Slovakia)
• With other UK universities (eg Manchester, Cardiff, University of East Anglia and Southampton)
• With environmental consultancies, often on collaborative research projects (eg Atkins, Gibb, Levett-Therivel)