Summary
Dr. Kayla Schulte is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Environmental Research Group with a background in environmental social theory, participatory research, and social data science. Her research broadly explores how knowledge about local air quality is co-produced in society.
Kayla's research draws on sociological, human geography, and Science, Technology and Society (STS) theory to explore engagement with emerging mobile app, sensors and other digitally enabled sources of real-time air quality information. Her research interests include: who uses real-time air quality information systems, what motivates this use, whether exposures to air pollution are effectively reduced, and which portions of a population are most likely to experience such benefits. Methodologically she specialises in participatory approaches to research, and how to blend quantitative and quantitative data to support more equitable air quality governance.
Kayla is PI for a Defra-funded air quality project in Barking and Dagenham. She also supports the Community Programme dimension of the Breathe London project.
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.
Publications
Journals
Newman SJ, Schulte K, Morellini MM, et al., 2024, Offshoring emissions through used vehicle exports, Nature Climate Change, Vol:14, ISSN:1758-678X, Pages:238-241
Newman SJ, Schulte K, Morellini MM, et al., 2024, Publisher Correction: Offshoring emissions through used vehicle exports (Nature Climate Change, (2024), 14, 3, (238-241), 10.1038/s41558-024-01943-1), Nature Climate Change, Vol:14, ISSN:1758-678X
Schulte K, Hudson B, 2023, A cross-sectional study of inequalities in digital air pollution information access and exposure reducing behavior uptake in the UK, Environment International, Vol:181, ISSN:0160-4120
Lee WD, Schulte K, Schwanen T, 2022, An online interactive dashboard to explore personal exposure to air pollution, Findings, Vol:2022, ISSN:2652-8800
Schulte K, 2022, ‘Real-time’ air quality channels: a technology review of emerging environmental alert systems, Big Data & Society, Vol:9, ISSN:2053-9517