Jianyu Chen
Jianyu Chen is a researcher in People-Environment studies and Behavioural Modelling in the Department of Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences (SEGS) at the James Hutton Institute (Aberdeen) since late 2022.
Prior to this position, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the LabEx IMU (Intelligence des Mondes Urbains) and the GRePS of the University Lumière Lyon 2, where he explored social representations of inhabitants living in peri-urban industrial territories in southern Lyon.
He obtained his PhD in late 2021 from the University of Strasbourg (France) and Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) with an interdisciplinary background in Social Psychology and Urban Geography, where he studied various mobility behaviours of cross-border commuters through social representations.
Current research interests
His current research interests include socio-spatial representations of urban dwellers, pro-environment attitudes and behaviours, and the "Green Economy."
Ongoing research projects
Jianyu is currently working on a project related to the Circular Economy in Scotland, which aims to gain a deeper understanding of the current state of the Circular Economy in Scottish society. He is conducting research at the individual and household level to examine the evolution of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours among Scottish people over the past several decades, using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey. The goal of this research is to identify favourable conditions that could promote the adoption of Circular Economy behaviours in the future.
Research approaches
Jianyu employs a mixed methodology approach in his research, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. He has developed expertise in working with longitudinal population census data and aims to integrate macro-level statistical quantitative data with micro-level interpretive qualitative data through the use of a relational quantitative analysis interface, such as factorial analysis (e.g. Multiple Correspondence Analysis).
Additionally, Jianyu is currently developing his skills in Agent-Based Modelling, a computer-assisted simulation method, to gain a better understanding of large-scale changes in behavior within complex social systems over time.
Teaching
Jianyu has also assumed teaching tasks in the Department of Geography and Urban Planning at the University of Strasbourg, on the subject of "Social Representations and Spatial Practices" in Master-level pedagogic modules.
