Fischer, Jan | United Kingdom
Fellow at IAS-STS 2008/2009
Jan Fischer is a doctoral candidate at the Manchester Architecture Research Centre in the School of Environment and Development at the University of Manchester, England. Previously he worked as a Research Associate in Public Health at Oxford Brookes University, where he researched user involvement in drug addiction treatment. He received an MSc in Political Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and he did his undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, where he graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
His current research focuses on the interplay between policy, regulation and architects in the creation of carbon neutral buildings. This draws on the theoretical work from a number of social science debates, including science and technology studies, political sociology and human geography. His other academic interests include medical sociology (and in particular the study of drug addiction), the study of power, the state and citizenship, politics and international relations, and philosophy of science.
As a Research Fellow at the IAS-STS Jan Fischer was awarded with the Manfred-Heindler-grant.
Project at IAS-STS: Sustainable Buildings: Designers as Intermediaries of Carbon-neutral Futures
Jan Fischer’s PhD research investigates efforts in reducing non-renewable energy consumption in buildings. It particularly focuses on the interplay between policy and regulation on the one hand and designers on the other hand in moving towards carbon-neutral buildings.
Current policy debates about low carbon buildings tend to concentrate either on technological innovation or on changing human behaviour as the key to more sustainable energy consumption. Recent work in the social sciences suggests a better focus might be on the co-evolution of new technical strategies and changing consumption practices. Focusing on the work of architects and regulators, his PhD will explore the ways in which design might inhibit or facilitate this co-evolution process in order to develop a better understanding of how we may encourage the uptake of sustainable technologies by consumers.
Jan Fischer wants to develop and apply an interdisciplinary analytical perspective to the debate about energy-efficient buildings, drawing upon debates in science and technology studies, political sociology and human geography. This relies upon a range of social science methodologies. So far he has conducted semi-structured interviews with a number of architects and ethnographically observed an architect during a design project. His PhD aims to enhance our understanding of the contextual framing and contested nature of sustainable design. The research will also contribute to on-going socio-technical research into carbon reduction in buildings led by Manchester Architecture Research Centre (MARC) as part of Carbon Reduction in Buildings (CaRB) Consortium
Selected Publications
Fischer, Jan, Neale, Joanne, Bloor, Michael, Jenkins, Nicholas (forthcoming): “Conflict and user involvement in drug misuse treatment decision-making: a qualitative study”, Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, manuscript accepted September 2008.
Fischer, Jan and Neale, Joanne 2008: “Involving Drug Users in Treatment Decisions: an exploration of potential problems”, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, vol. 15, no. 2, April, pp. 161-175.
Fischer, Jan, Jenkins, Nick, Bloor, Michael, Neale, Joanne and Berney, Lee 2007: Drug user involvement in treatment decisions, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation (ISBN: 978 1 85935 564 0)