DrKayla Schulte

Dr. Kayla Schulte is a Research Fellow in the Environmental Research Group with a background in environmental social theory, participatory research, and social data science. Her research explores environmental hazard alerts, communication and behavioural responses. 

Kayla's research draws on sociological, human geography, and Science, Technology and Society (STS) theory to explore engagement with digitally-delivered environmental hazard systems. She is interested in air pollution, wildfire, heat or other contaminant alerts delivered through text messages, mobile apps, web platforms or sensors. Her research is focused on: what groups are most and least likely to interact with hazard alerts, what motivates this interaction, whether hazard exposures are reduced, and which portions of a population are most likely to experience associated benefits. Methodologically she specialises in participatory approaches to research, and how to blend quantitative and quantitative data to support more equitable environmental governance. 

Kayla is Co-I on the AWAIR Project (real-time, co-designed public air quality displays) and co-leads the facilitation of the Community Programme dimension of the Breathe London project. was the PI on a Defra-funded air quality project in Barking and Dagenham.

Background 
Prior to joining ERG, Kayla held positions with the U.S. government (U.S. EPA) and worked on multi-stakeholder environmental research and management projects funded by Defra, BEIS, the Met Office, NERC, UKRI and ESRC, NSF, USGS and state departments of environmental protection in the USA. Kayla also serves as an advisor for local government authority projects trialling participatory air quality management methodology, specifically involving low-cost air sensor technology and new sources of digital data.

Kayla completed her doctoral research at the University of Oxford in Sociology at the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science in 2022. She holds MSc in Geography from the University of Oxford and a BA in Environmental Studies from Franklin & Marshall College.