People & Partners

Dr Megan Davies is an inter-disciplinary researcher who brings together her interest in transformative learning and transdisciplinary research to support sustainability transitions. She explores the governance, finance, and justice dimensions of infrastructure transitions in the global South, focussing on South Africa’s energy transition. She completed her PhD, South Africa’s contested transition to energy democracy – lessons and struggles emerging from the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which investigated the socio-economic and political ramifications of decentralised renewable energy infrastructure and used a transdisciplinary research methodology to explore this in the context of South Africa’s flagship renewable energy initiative.

Megan’s PhD research provides the basis for her continued exploration of South Africa’s energy transition, with an awareness of the ongoing struggles to advance just, equitable and sustainable futures in the country. Leading the “Reconfiguring Energy for Social Equity” project (2021 – 2024), she collaborates with international research partners from Utrecht University, the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, and the University of Freiburg.

Megan is also involved in the CST’s postgraduate programmes. As programme leader and co-convenor for the foundation and capstone modules for the PGDip in Sustainable Development, she is motivated to bridge research and teaching at the Centre by enlivening connections between CST’s transdisciplinary research and the range of modules on offer. In the teaching space, she is curious about education for sustainable development and how transformative learning might support sustainability transitions. In addition to the PGDip programme, she is a postgraduate supervisor of Master’s and PhD students, and in this context is interested in the role of embedded research and reflective practice to support knowledge co-production for sustainability.