Don Slater

Don Slater is Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Department of Sociology. He co-directs the Configuring Light/Staging the Social research group with King's College London and LightFollowsBehaviour, focusing on urban lighting as material infrastructure. His work bridges sociology, design practice, and urban planning through collaborative research.

Slater's research centers on material culture and technologies in everyday life, with three major strands: (1) Urban lighting studies examining social inequalities, health impacts, and design practices; (2) Digital culture and new media ethnography, particularly in Global South contexts; (3) Consumer culture and sociology of economic life. His Configuring Light group has conducted ESRC seminar series, iGuzzini Social Lightscapes workshops globally, and major Horizon 2020 projects like ENLIGHTENme studying lighting impacts on elderly well-being in Amsterdam, Bologna, and Tartu.

Recent publications reveal strong interdisciplinary trends across urban studies, public health, and design research. His work increasingly integrates health impact assessment with lighting design, particularly through EU-funded projects addressing social inequalities in public lighting. The research shows consistent focus on material-semiotic approaches to infrastructure, with growing emphasis on policy applications in urban planning.

Slater leads significant research initiatives including a four-year Horizon 2020 study on lighting and elderly well-being, Olympic Park gender safety assessments, and Asian lighting professional workshops. His Configuring Light group forms partnerships with iGuzzini, RIBA Publishing, and multiple European cities, securing substantial ESRC and EU funding for transnational urban lighting research.

As co-founder of the Configuring Light research group, Slater develops collaborative frameworks between social researchers and lighting professionals. The group's methodology combines ethnographic fieldwork with design practice, notably through site-based workshops in Colombia, Paris, London, and Derby. Current projects focus on health impacts of lighting infrastructure and social justice dimensions of urban illumination.