Dr Lois Player
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loisplayer.bsky.social
Dr Lois Player
@loisplayer.bsky.social
Behavioural Scientist | Climate Policy & Behaviour Change 🌏 | Novel Computational Methods - NLP & LLMs 👩‍💻 | Research Consultant | Currently Contracting at European Climate Foundation ✨

loisplayer.com
Climate policies are essential. But what if their design is alienating people? 👽

A Nature review shows that climate policies seen as unfair are pushing voters toward right-wing populist parties - who frame climate action as elite, costly, and out of touch 🌍

🧵 1/4

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
July 30, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Last week, I graduated from my PhD in Behavioural Science - marking the end of 8 years at beautiful Bath ✨

I was so grateful (& emotional) to graduate with my partner and lovely friends.

Thanks to my amazing supervisors, @lwhitmarsh.bsky.social @christinademski.bsky.social 🤍

Over & out, Bath 🥹
July 23, 2025 at 7:32 AM
DECOTA is here! 🎉

Our automated free-text analysis tool is now published in Psychological Methods!

DECOTA automatically analyses free-text data quickly, affordably, and with human-like accuracy.

Paper: doi.org/10.1037/met0...
Press story: www.bath.ac.uk/announcement...
April 8, 2025 at 9:59 AM
I’m officially Dr Player! 🥹

It was an honour to defend my PhD last week with world-leading experts, Geertje Schuitema & Nathalia Gjersoe.

Big thanks to my wonderful supervisors, @lwhitmarsh.bsky.social & @christinademski.bsky.social, AAPS CDT, & countless loved ones for their unwavering support ✨
March 10, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
Can we build the #NetZero future the Climate Change Committee says is possible? 🌍

Today @thecccuk.bsky.social published its latest advice to the Government in its #SeventhCarbonBudget report.

Read our CAST response: cast.ac.uk/building-a-n...

Key messages thread 🧵
Building a Net Zero future: CAST’s response to the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget Report - cast.ac.uk
CAST responds to the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) latest advice on how to achieve Net Zero in its Seventh Carbon Budget report.
cast.ac.uk
February 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
So great to see the CCC’s 7th Carbon Budget published today.

It was a pleasure to contribute to this during my time in the wonderful People & Business team, & to see our @cast-centre.bsky.social work referenced 🌟

Importantly: 1/3 of emissions reductions will come from household behaviour change 🤯
The UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget level should be set at 535 MtCO2e, an 87% reduction against 1990 levels.

This country has a prosperous and secure future ahead.

The fossil fuel age is over – it’s time to electrify the United Kingdom.

www.theccc.org.uk/2025/02/26/e...
​​End the fossil fuel age for a secure and prosperous future.​  - Climate Change Committee
Today the country’s climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), present a new pathway to a decarbonised UK.…
www.theccc.org.uk
February 26, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Very excited to have joined the European Climate Foundation as a Research Consultant! 🌍

ECF is an NGO working across Europe to foster #ClimateAction, & I’m looking forward to helping make sense of their public opinion data 📊

An exciting year ahead w/ this role - and lots of big travel plans! ✨
February 6, 2025 at 2:34 PM
PhD thesis submitted! 🥹

3 incredible years – 2 secondments, 3 publications, 3 consultancy projects, 1 book chapter, and even the honour of advising governmental departments – all crystallised into 80,000 words.

From undergrad to PhD, I'm so grateful for 8 beautiful years @uniofbath.bsky.social
January 23, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Excited about the UK Govt's #AI Opportunities plan - a big step to drive positive, safe change w/ AI 🚀

1. Fast-track data centre expansion
2. Unlock datasets to fuel research
3. Train 10,000s in AI by 2030

Fab to see Matt Clifford - who I was lucky to work w/ at Entrepreneur First - leading this!
January 13, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
It’s getting windier, wetter, wilder, hotter, harsher, drier, and less predictable out there

And more expensive

Globally, climate damage to infrastructure, agriculture, health and economic productivity is set to cost $3.1 trillion/year by 2050

With a cascade of bad outcomes⬇️

🔗 shorturl.at/rxFdX
January 9, 2025 at 9:39 AM
My lovely colleagues at CAST are advertising 5 PhD funded places!

Couldn't think of a more wonderful team to do your PhD with ✨ 🌎
CAST PhDs alert 📣: We have 5 funded PhD studentships now open for applications, based at our centre hub @uniofbath.bsky.social & the University of East Anglia.

The deadline for applications is Feb 17 (Bath) and Feb 28 (UEA).

Find out more and apply on our website: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/
CAST Careers - cast.ac.uk
We’ll list any CAST career opportunities below, including PhD studentships with our partner institutions. If there aren’t any opportunities listed right now, or suited to what you’re looking for, subs...
cast.ac.uk
January 8, 2025 at 2:20 PM
For all the bad news in 2024, there was lots of good too ✨

www.positive.news/society/what-went-right-in-2024-the-good-news-that-mattered/

EU emissions fell 8% 🌱
China's renewable boom ⚡️
New biodiversity laws 🌺
Species regeneration 🦬
Flu vaccine progress 💉
15-min city adoption 🏙️

Happy New Year! 🦋
What went right in 2024: the top 25 good news stories of the year
There were ‘mind-blowing’ medical advances, species bounced back, renewables surged, cities became more liveable, plus more good news
www.positive.news
January 1, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Very cool new #LLM study in @natureportfolio.bsky.social 📢

LLMs, like humans, exhibit in-group favouritism & out-group degradation.

Both in the lab and in real human-LLM chats.

We *must* carefully curate training data to mitigate this bias 👩‍💻

www.nature.com/articles/s43588-024-00741-1
December 12, 2024 at 2:06 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
@elpinchbeck.bsky.social is right. Adaptation has been a lesser priority for too long.

Not only are the costs of events like #StormDarragh significant, but climate impacts are holding back the govt's renewal agenda.

More here: green-alliance.org.uk/briefing/ada...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK 'not ready' for extreme weather, says climate change head
The head of the Climate Change Committee calls on the government to invest in adaptations now.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 9, 2024 at 12:00 PM
Starting the week feeling accomplished!

✔️ Paper revisions completed - for a study I'm really proud of.
✔️ Final PhD study written up (!)

Now to finish tying the papers together in my thesis, whilst soaking up my final months in beautiful Bath ✨
December 9, 2024 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
Can the UK really cut emissions without behaviour change? 🤔

Our latest blog post offers CAST's perspective on the Prime Minister's recent announcement on cutting the UK's climate emissions by 81% by 2035.

Read more: cast.ac.uk/starmer-at-c...
Starmer at COP29: Can the UK really cut emissions without behaviour change? - cast.ac.uk
The PM's assertion that the UK can achieve its new emissions target without any changes to people’s lifestyles is misguided, and unhelpful.
cast.ac.uk
December 6, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
🤖 Ever wondered what determines #trust in #AI? We investigated the foundations of trust in an AI chatbot, testing an integrative model of trust from interpersonal trust research ➡️ Key results summarised below! #socialpsyc #trustresearch
Hot off the press JEP:General, with Anna-Marie Bertram ✨
December 6, 2024 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
Climate psychologists are often the first to say: ‘information alone doesn't change green behavior’ ❌

Particularly where big cost/convenience barriers exist

But 85% of us report knowing little about how to be green 📉

🔁 Follow this 🧵 for 11 climate comms hacks ⬇️

My blog on this ➡️ bit.ly/3VdcFlO
December 1, 2024 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
Air Quality Stripes have long-term trends of air pollution in many cities across the world.

Here is London.

Nice work @jimmcquaid.bsky.social & @kirstypringle.bsky.social.

airqualitystripes.info/stripes/?con...

h/t @edhawkins.org
November 29, 2024 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
✨ PREPRINT 📖🤩

"Study Preregistration: A How-To Guide"

Written for students, this guide outlines the 'what, why, and how' of preregistration, perceived barriers and their solutions, and 10 top tips to adopting and/or critically evaluating this open research practice.

osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
November 26, 2024 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
As I told BBC News we must adapt to worsening #climate impacts.

"There are things that we can do that would make a big difference, but it takes investment & it takes planning & coordination. So that's really for government to step in & help make that happen" #StormBert #Floods
November 25, 2024 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
A starter pack of academics, researchers, and organisations active in #EnvironmentalPsychology (the application of psychology to environmental issues, such as climate change, and human-environment interactions.

Let me know if you'd like to be added to this list (reply or dm)

go.bsky.app/2yJ9TJg
November 14, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
Ready for another Computational Social Science Starter Pack?

Here is number 2! More amazing folks to follow! Many students and the next gen represented!

go.bsky.app/GoEyD7d
November 14, 2024 at 11:42 PM
Reposted by Dr Lois Player
So useful - a brilliant summary of the #COP29 outcomes from the lovely people at @carbonbrief.org
NEW – COP29: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Baku

#COP29

➡️ https://buff.ly/3V5jndk
November 24, 2024 at 8:36 PM
Hey Bluesky! 🦋 To introduce myself - I'm Lois, a behavioural scientist @uniofbath.bsky.social.

My PhD explores public support for climate policies 🌏 I work w/ @cast-centre.bsky.social & was seconded to @thecccuk.bsky.social ✨️

I'm also interested in novel computational methods like #NLP & #LLMs 👩‍💻
November 22, 2024 at 10:36 AM