SSHRC Insight Grant Awarded to Jonn Axsen

We are proud to announce that Assistant Professor, Dr. Jonn Axsen, recently won a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant.

Insight Grants provide stable support for long-term research initiatives, enabling scholars to address complex issues pertaining to individuals and societies, and to further our collective understanding.

As an Assistant Professor for the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU, Jonn explores transitions to sustainable energy systems. He draws from disciplines of economics, psychology, sociology and engineering to investigate the nexus of technology, environmental policy, and consumer behaviour. Jonn’s study of consumers’ social valuation of plug-in electric vehicles has earned him recognition as “Young Researcher of the Year” at the OECD’s 2011 International Transportation Forum.

"Electric vehicles present Canada with exciting opportunities. They could substantially reduce environmental impacts and global warming emissions, while maintaining our desires for mobility and quality of life", says Jonn. "But for such an electric transition to actually happen, we need to better understand the needs, desires and lifestyles of Canadian drivers.

"This SSHRC grant is an excellent first step to discover what is required for electric vehicles to be desirable for individuals and the environment. What kind of cars to people want? Where and when do they want to recharge? Where will the electricity come from? By studying these questions using real people, we will be able to effectively inform the strategies taken by Canadian governments, electric utilities, and automakers."

To learn more about Jonn, please visit his biography.