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ERI researcher Breffn铆 Lennon wins UNIC Best Paper Award

13 May 2025

Dr Breffn铆 Lennon, Research Fellow at the Environmental Research Institute (ERI) and School of Engineering and Architecture, is a winner of the UNIC Best Paper Award for his paper on sustainability and citizen energy communities, co-written with Dr Niall Dunphy, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Engineering and Architecture/ERI.

Breffn铆 took part in an awards ceremony on 9 May at the UNIC Thematic Conference at Malm枚 深夜亚洲福利久久, Sweden.  

The UNIC Best Paper Awards recognise outstanding work that align with UNIC's mission to foster resilience and renewal in Europe鈥檚 post-industrial urban centers.鈥疧pen to original, unpublished or published papers on the themes of Urban resilience, sustainability and the future of inclusive post-industrial societies, they were judged through a diverse, cross-institutional peer process that found them exciting contributions to UNIC鈥檚 evolving Thematic Lines. Entries came from across UNIC universities, tackling issues ranging from societal participation and 鈥渟mart cities鈥� to city branding and sustainability. Breffn铆 and Niall鈥檚 paper was one of two papers awarded the final prize. 

Breffn铆 and Niall鈥檚 winning paper is titled, 鈥淪ustaining energetic communities: energy citizenship and participation in an age of upheaval and transition鈥�. The human use of energy is at the heart of our current global upheavals, from climate and biodiversity to geopolitics and conflict. Building on UNIC鈥檚 Thematic Line 鈥漇ustainability and Green Cities鈥�, Breffn铆 and Niall鈥檚 compelling work underscores how the correlation between the (meta)physical flows taken by the various forms of energy we depend on鈥攁nd the transitory social, cultural, economic, and political relationships that frame them鈥攔equire much deeper study if we are to achieve the types of sustainable communities envisaged by the United Nations as part of its sustainable development goals (SDGs) for 2030. 

鈥淚 am very honoured to have our work acknowledged in this way, particularly given the depth of knowledge that exists amongst the different researchers across UNIC. I鈥檓 very delighted to be recognised by my peers,鈥� said Breffn铆. 鈥淭he paper highlights how energy flows through various forms of natural and social circuitry and how these energyscapes impact the drivers, motivations, and barriers to participation for many citizens, who invariably must decide if and how to engage (or indeed not to engage) for a variety of intersecting reasons.鈥�