معرفی
Oliver Bates is a Research Fellow in the Department of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, specializing in design research, game design, coding, and data science. His work intersects sustainability, systemic design, and community-driven futures through tech-adjacent research that challenges conventional approaches to work, energy, and digital systems.
His research practice centers on four pillars: (1) Games design and creative methods for exploring system complexity; (2) Designing carbon-aware, sustainable, and just futures with communities; (3) Alternative approaches for evaluating sustainability and systems services; (4) Facilitating transformative conversations. Key interests include energy demand reduction, sustainable last-mile logistics, carbon accounting, fair gig economy work, alternative futures, and cooperative models. His methodology emphasizes co-creation with communities and speculative praxis.
Recent publications reveal a concentrated focus on sustainable computing within planetary boundaries, justice-oriented gig economy transitions, and creative evaluation frameworks. He consistently employs game-based and speculative design to address rebound effects, energy data visibility, and systemic lock-ins, demonstrating how creative HCI methods can reframe sustainability challenges beyond technical efficiency.
Scientific recognition includes:
- IEEE Computer Society 2024 Best Paper Award
- IEEE Computer Society 2021 Best Paper Award
Bates actively contributes to Lancaster's research ecosystem through the Data Science Institute, Energy Lancaster Network, Pentland Centre for Sustainable Business, and Security Lancaster (across Behavioural Science, Societal Threats, and Systems Security subgroups). His projects like Switch-Gig and 'Demand around the clock' integrate academic rigor with real-world community impact.
