
Aoife Brophy
Departmental Research Lecturer in Innovation and Enterprise
- aoife.brophy@sbs.ox.ac.uk
Saïd Business School
University of Oxford
Park End Street
Oxford
OX1 1HP
Profile
Aoife’s research focuses on understanding what systemic environmental challenges such as the climate crisis, and associated system transitions, mean for business.
Aoife holds a joint appointment between the Smith School and Saïd Business School. Aoife was previously a senior researcher at the Group for Sustainability and Technology (SusTec) at ETH in Zurich. She received her PhD from the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge and her MA from the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.
Research
Aoife studies the role of business in contributing to system transitions for sustainable development. Her research focuses on new business models and forms of collaboration between different organisations (public, private and non-profit) that are required to support sustainable system transformations. Her work spans a range of contexts including research on utilities in the energy transition, sustainable districts, circular economy, and energy access in sub-Saharan Africa.
She has recently finished leading project RISE, Renewable Innovative and Sustainable Electrification, funded by the ESRC on off-grid energy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Publications
Policy mixes for business model innovation: the case of off-grid energy for sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa(opens in new window)
- Journal article
- Research Policy
How climate policies can translate to tangible change: Evidence from eleven low- and lower-middle income countries(opens in new window)
- Journal article
- Journal of Cleaner Production
Towards people-private-public partnerships: An integrated community engagement model for capturing energy access needs(opens in new window)
- Journal article
- Energy Research and Social Science
Making it personal: Developing sustainability leaders in business(opens in new window)
- Journal article
- Organization and Environment
Threat Interpretation and Innovation in the Context of Climate Change: An Ethical Perspective(opens in new window)
- Journal article
- JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS
Engagement
Aoife regularly engages with companies and other organisations working on themes at the intersection between business and sustainable development for research and teaching. Some recent examples of engagement activities include:
- Webinar on green recovery for University of Oxford Covid Conversations
- Co-host for an episode of the podcast Reimagine on 'The Sustainability Revolution with Al Gore' showcasing our teaching on GOTO for the MBAs
- Op-ed for the Independent on learning from innovation in response to Covid-19 for the climate crisis
- Stakeholder workshops with policymakers, businesses and communities in Uganda and Zambia at end of 2019 to share the findings of project RISE
Teaching
Aoife has co-directed the Global Opportunities and Threats Oxford (GOTO) programme for the MBAs in Oxford for the past 2 years on the Future of Energy and this year on Climate Action. This year’s programme culminated in the virtual GOTO Summit with keynote speaker Al Gore.
She is developing several executive education initiatives on climate action as integrated components of her research, including the Leadership in a Climate Emergency programme.
She also teaches Business and Environment for the MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance at the School of Geography and the Environment.