JustGESI Research Associate Presents Poster at 2026 ECR Net Zero Conference in Birmingham
Poster presented by Sangita Thebe Limbu at the ECR Net Zero Conference on 9 March 2026.
Dr Sangita Thebe Limbu, Research Associate on the JustGESI Project, attended the Early Career Researchers (ECR) Net Zero Conference held in Birmingham on 9-10 March 2026. The event brought together early career researchers working across energy, sustainability and net zero transitions, creating a multidisciplinary space for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
The conference was sponsored and organised by 16 EPSRC energy related research initiatives, including the Supergen Energy Networks Hub, Supergen Bioenergy Hub, SuperAIRE, the Supergen Offshore Renewables Hub, ACE Network, EDI+, EDRC, HI-ACT, IDRIC, IGNITE Network+, REEF UKC, SES Network+, UKERC, UK HyRES, UKCCSRC and N ZEEE.
This year, the conference welcomed 187 registered ECR participants from across the UK, along with 40 speakers who presented their research. The two day programme featured keynote talks, panel discussions, research presentations, poster sessions, skills development workshops, and dedicated networking opportunities.
The event opened with a keynote from Professor Sara Walker (University of Birmingham, HI-ACT and EDRC), who shared an inspiring personal reflection on their professional journey. Professor Walker’s address offered encouragement to early career academics by emphasising the importance of setting boundaries, maintaining work life balance, knowing one’s values and prioritising networking, relationship building and collaboration.
Across the two days, discussions covered a wide range of topics, from global energy policy and just transition to the significance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion(EDI) within energy research. Presenters also shared new insights into digital modelling, intelligent energy systems, low carbon technologies, circular engineering, industry sustainability and climate resilient security. The programme also included three minute research pitches and a vibrant poster showcase.
As part of the poster session, Dr Thebe Limbu presented a poster titled Mapping Power: An Institutional Ethnography Framework for Advancing Gender Equality Disability and Social Inclusion in Energy Transitions. The poster outlined how the JustGESI research project is applying Institutional Ethnography (IE) to uncover the often hidden social relations that sustain gendered and intersecting inequalities within energy sector.
The JustGESI poster outlines the project’s methodological framework for studying energy focused organisations across Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, beginning with the everyday activities and experiences of practitioners and citizens and tracing how policies, budgets and administrative texts coordinate those institutional activities. This methodological approach aims to reveal the paper trails and social dynamics that frequently remain invisible in mainstream energy research but are central to understanding inequalities within energy systems.
