Professor Susan Molyneux-Hodgson
Professor of Sociology, Associate Dean of Research
Overview
From August 2022 I am the Associate PVC for Research and Impact, for the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. This follows on from my role as Associate Dean for Research for the College of Social Sciences and International Studies. Prior to the ADR role, I was Director of Research for Sociology, Philosophy and Anthropology.
I'm a sociologist of science, working in the field of science and technology studies (STS). My overarching interest is in the everyday worlds of scientific work and how technical knowledge is produced through mundane practices. I focus primarily on communities of natural scientists and engineers - although intersections between those communities and the biosciences are increasingly prevalent. I've received funding from ESRC, NERC, EPSRC, BBSRC and InnovateUK and my research projects often include collaborations with scientists in academia and in industry. Currently, I am building on ESRC and EPSRC funded work to reinvigorate sociological attention to nuclear matter(s). In July 2019 I was elected President of SHARE, which is a research platform for social science and humanities researchers that study all aspects of ionising radiation. An EU project on the ethics of medical uses of radiation and the crossover in use of AI started in Sept. 2020. One output will be a 'strategic research agenda' for the social sciences on medical applications of radiation. Empirical studies on the making of the field of synthetic biology recently finished with completion of two projects that explored the performance of 'responsibility' and 'sustainability' in the bioeconomy.
My teaching has usually focused on enabling students to develop as researchers and I have led the undergraduate 2nd and 3rd year core research skills modules ('Into the Field' and 'Dissertation') as well as leading on PGR research training for many years. From autumn 2020 however, I will not be teaching for a while and will miss all the interesting conversations with students on how research is enacted in different disciplines.
Research
Latest book: 'Community and Identity in Contemporary Technosciences' (2021) Springer (Open Access: 10.1007/978-3-030-61728-8)
My research is in the field of science and technology studies and I am mainly concerned with the everyday enactment of scientific work, particularly in natural/physical sciences and engineering. My interests are focussed on two domains of scientific activity: 1) nuclear work, such as radioactive waste management and disposal; radioecology; medical uses of radiation; radiation protection and 2) synthetic biology, industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy.
Since 2013 I've been developing a programme of work under the banner of 'Nuclear Societies'. This programme began as an ESRC-funded PhD initiative and now encompasses grants (ESRC; EPSRC); collaborations with technical groups; and intriguing opportunities for ethnographic fieldwork. More information can be found on the Nuclear Societies research page. In the UK, current policy on new nuclear projects, the potential of small modular reactors, and the search for a geological disposal facility for the nation's nuclear waste, mean that attention to critical sociological research on radiological issues is imperative. An EU-funded project on future research needs in medical applications of radiation (e.g. cancer diagnosis and treatment) began in 2020 and I'm responsible for work on the ethical challenges of digitalisation, artificial intelligence and machine learning. I am elected President of SHARE - a European network of social science and humanities researchers that aims to support SSH research on all aspects of ionising radiation.
I've been tracing the development of synthetic biology since 2007 and through a series of projects have explored some of the ways the emergence of the field has been narrated; how different kinds of physical scientists and engineers have engaged with bioscientific work; and how new forms of bioscience come about through interdisciplinary practice. Two recent funded projects (BBSRC and iUK) involved collaborating with academic and non-academic scientists to understand how ideas of responsible innovation and sustainability were mobilised in their work.
Across both of the above areas and beyond (water management; ecosystem services; biodiversity) a major challenge I work on is the integration of social sciences into the technical debates and projects. This has led to a strand of work and publications on interdisciplinarity as a process and accomplishment.
A recent book 'Community and Identity in Contemporary Technosciences' (doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-61728-8) was published open access by Springer in 2021. The book gathers chapters that explore whether, and how, contemporary scientific communities are experiencing fundamental shifts in community formation, identity and means of knowledge production. Early career scholars contributed chapters from multiple social science and humanities disciplines.
Research group links
Projects
- EURAMED rocc-n-roll - funded by: This project has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2019-2020 under grant agreement No 899995.
- The ReAlChem - Responsible Innovation Project - funded by: Innovate UK
- Critical Analysis of Spent Fuel Structure in Radionuclide Release - funded by: EPSRC
- The DETOX-Responsible Innovation Project - funded by: BBSRC
- Nuclear Societies - funded by: Various
Supervision
I am keen to work with outstanding doctoral students in areas relating to my research interests and in the following areas more generally:
- sociology of science and technology
- engineering studies
- responsible research and innovation
- science policy
- gender and science
Research students
Recent students supervised at Exeter
Current:
Florian Abraham (ESRC) Governing Uranium Mining in Greenland
Past:
Marika Hietala (ESRC) Making Distant Futures: implementing geological disposal of nuclear waste in the UK and Finland
Publications
Copyright Notice: Any articles made available for download are for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the copyright holder.
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 | 2018 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2007 | 2006 | 2003 | 1999 | 1993 |
2023
- Rühm W, Yu H, Clement C, Ainsbury EA, Andresz S, Bryant P, Chapple C-L, Croüail P, Damilakis J, Ermacora MG. (2023) ICRP workshop on the review and revision of the system of radiological protection: a focus on research priorities—feedback from the international community, Journal of Radiological Protection, volume 43, no. 4, DOI:10.1088/1361-6498/acf6ca.
- Abraham F. (2023) Materialising a Mining Project: Past, Present, and Alternative Energy Futures through the Lens of Kvanefjeld.
2022
- Damilakis J, de las Heras Gala H, Impens N, Jacob S, Knežević Ž, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Muylle K, Raskob W, Stora T, Vandenhove H. (2022) 325 THE EURAMED ROCC-N-ROLL PROJECT: ANALYSIS OF STRATEGIC RESEARCH AGENDAS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS IN THE FIELD OF MEDICAL RADIATION PROTECTION AND MEDICAL USE OF RADIONUCLIDES, Physica Medica, volume 104, DOI:10.1016/s1120-1797(22)02222-0.
- Bockhold S, Foley S, Rainford L, Bacher K, Corridori R, Eberstein A, Frija G, Hoeschen C, Konignenberg M, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2022) 390 FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROJECTED INNOVATIONS FOR MEDICAL RADIATION APPLICATIONS AND RADIATION PROTECTION: THE EURAMED ROCC-N-ROLL HORIZON SCANNING SURVEY, Physica Medica, volume 104, DOI:10.1016/s1120-1797(22)02348-1.
- Martell M, Perko T, Zeleznik N, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2022) Lessons being learned from the Covid-19 pandemic for radiological emergencies and vice versa: report from expert discussions, Journal of Radiological Protection, volume 42, no. 1, pages 011518-011518, DOI:10.1088/1361-6498/abd841. [PDF]
2021
- Kastenhofer K, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2021) Making Sense of Community and Identity in Twenty-First Century Technoscience, Community and Identity in Contemporary Technosciences, Springer Nature, 1-37, DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-61728-8_1.
2019
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Rosemann A. (2019) Industrial Biotechnology: To What Extent Is Responsible Innovation on the Agenda?, Trends in Biotechnology, DOI:10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.07.006.
2018
- Balmer AS, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Callard F, Fitzgerald D. (2018) “Could we meet?”: A conversation on collaboration, feeling and failure, BioSocieties, volume 13, no. 3, pages 668-674, DOI:10.1057/s41292-017-0088-6. [PDF]
- Van Oudheusden M, Turcanu C, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2018) Absent, yet present? Moving with ‘Responsible Research and Innovation’ in radiation protection research, Journal of Responsible Innovation, volume 5, no. 2, pages 241-246, DOI:10.1080/23299460.2018.1457403.
2016
- Butterfield A, Sutherland R, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2016) Learning conversions in science: the case of vocational students in the UK, Research in Learning Technology, volume 8, no. 3, pages 89-104, DOI:10.1080/0968776000080310.
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Meyer M. (2016) Placing a new science: exploring spatial and temporal configurations in synthetic biology, The Local Configuration of New Research Fields, Springer, 61-77.
- Balmer AS, Calvert J, Marris C, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Frow E, Kearnes M, Bulpin K, Schyfter P, Mackenzie A, Martin P. (2016) Five rules of thumb for post-ELSI interdisciplinary collaborations, Journal of Responsible Innovation, volume 3, no. 1, pages 73-80, DOI:10.1080/23299460.2016.1177867.
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Hietala M. (2016) Socio-technical Imaginations of Nuclear Waste Disposal in UK and Finland, The Fukushima Effect: A new geopolitical terrain, Routledge, 141-161.
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Balmer A, Bulpin K. (2016) Synthetic Biology: A Sociology of Changing Practices, Palgrave Macmillan.
- Reed K, Kochetkova I, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2016) ‘You're looking for different parts in a jigsaw’: foetal MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) as an emerging technology in professional practice, Sociology of Health and Illness, volume 38, no. 5, pages 736-752, DOI:10.1111/1467-9566.12398.
2015
- . (2015) Fukushima Effect, Routledge.
- Balmer AS, Calvert J, Marris C, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Frow E, Kearnes M, Bulpin K, Schyfter P, MacKenzie A, Martin P. (2015) Taking roles in interdisciplinary collaborations: Reflections on working in post-ELSI spaces in the UK synthetic biology community, Science and Technology Studies, volume 28, no. 3, pages 3-25.
2014
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Balmer AS. (2014) Synthetic biology, water industry and the performance of an innovation barrier, Science and Public Policy, volume 41, no. 4, pages 507-519, DOI:10.1093/scipol/sct074.
- Shehu M, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2014) Faith communities and environmental degradation in Northeast Nigeria, International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, volume 10, no. 1, pages 27-40.
2013
- Bulpin K, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2013) The disciplining of scientific communities, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, volume 38, no. 2, pages 91-105, DOI:10.1179/0308018813Z.00000000038.
- Balmer AS, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2013) Bacterial cultures: Ontologies of bacteria and engineering expertise at the nexus of synthetic biology and water services, Engineering Studies, volume 5, no. 1, pages 59-73, DOI:10.1080/19378629.2013.766198.
2011
- Butterfield A, Sutherland R, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2011) Learning conversions in science: the case of vocational students in the UK, Research in Learning Technology, volume 8, no. 3, DOI:10.3402/rlt.v8i3.12009.
- Meyer M, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2011) « Communautés épistémiques » : une notion utile pour théoriser les collectifs en sciences ?, Terrains & travaux, volume n° 18, no. 1, pages 141-154, DOI:10.3917/tt.018.0141.
- Hodgson SM, Phillips D. (2011) The environmental challenge, Understanding the Environment and Social Policy, 17-40.
- Newman R, Ashley R, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Cashman A. (2011) Managing water as a socio-technical system: The shift from 'experts' to 'alliances', Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Engineering Sustainability, volume 164, no. 1, pages 95-102, DOI:10.1680/ensu.1000032.
2010
- Ashley R, Newman R, McTaggart F, Gillon S, Cashman A, Martin G, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2010) Using non-structural responses to better manage flood risk in Glasgow, Flood Risk Management: Research and Practice, Taylor & Francis, 885-893, DOI:10.1201/9780203883020.ch102.
- Meyer M, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2010) Introduction: The Dynamics of Epistemic Communities, Sociological Research Online, volume 15, no. 2, pages 109-115, DOI:10.5153/sro.2154.
- Hurley L, Ashley R, Molyneux-Hodgson S, Moug P, Schiessel N. (2010) "Measuring" sustainable living agendas, Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, volume 21, no. 1, pages 45-57, DOI:10.1108/14777831011010856.
2009
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Meyer M. (2009) Tales of Emergence-Synthetic Biology as a Scientific Community in the Making, BioSocieties, volume 4, no. 2-3, pages 129-145, DOI:10.1017/S1745855209990019.
- Ashley RM, Moug P, Wild T, Hurley AL, Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2009) Assessing sustainability for urban regeneration in a river corridor - Accounting for climate change, Low Impact Development for Urban Ecosystem and Habitat Protection, DOI:10.1061/41009(333)72.
2007
- Hodgson SM, Cattermole H. (2007) ISR Editorial, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, volume 32, no. 3, DOI:10.1179/030801807X183641.
- Hodgson SM, Irving Z. (2007) Policy and its exploration, Policy Reconsidered: Meanings, Politics and Practices, 1-17.
- Hodgson SM, Irving Z. (2007) Studying policy: A way forward, Policy Reconsidered: Meanings, Politics and Practices, 191-207.
- Hodgson SM, Irving Z. (2007) Policy Reconsidered Meanings, Politics and Practices, Policy Press.
- Hodgson SM, Clark T. (2007) Sociological engagements with computing: The advent of e-science and some implications for the qualitative research community, Sociological Research Online, volume 12, no. 3, DOI:10.5153/sro.1551.
- Hodgson SM, Maltby L, Paetzold A, Phillips D. (2007) Getting a measure of nature: Cultures and values in an ecosystem services approach, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, volume 32, no. 3, pages 249-262, DOI:10.1179/030801807X211739.
- Hodgson SM, Smith JWN. (2007) Building a research agenda on water policy: An exploration of the Water Framework Directive as an interdisciplinary problem, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, volume 32, no. 3, pages 187-202, DOI:10.1179/030801807X183632.
2006
- Hodgson SM. (2006) Narrating community: History and absence in scientific texts, Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, volume 31, no. 2, pages 175-188, DOI:10.1179/030801806X103325.
2003
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Sutherland R. (2003) Mathematics for post-16 vocational courses, Aspects of Teaching Secondary Mathematics, Taylor & Francis, 68-86, DOI:10.4324/9780203165874-10.
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Sutherland R. (2003) Mathematics for post-16 vocational courses, Aspects of Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Perspectives on Practice, 52-68, DOI:10.4324/9780203165874-10.
1999
- Molyneux-Hodgson S, Rojano T, Sutherland R, Ursini S. (1999) Mathematical modelling: The interaction of culture and practice, Educational Studies in Mathematics, volume 39, no. 1-3, pages 167-183, DOI:10.1023/a:1003758310286.
1993
- Matsuda H, Molyneux S, Karl AK, Wherrett BS, Okada S, Nakanishi H. (1993) Third-order nonlinear optical properties of polydiacetylene single crystal, Journal of Photopolymer Science and Technology, volume 6, no. 2, pages 261-268, DOI:10.2494/photopolymer.6.261.