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Rihab Khalid

Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Consumption, University of Cambridge
I am an interdisciplinary researcher in sustainable energy consumption and demand management, focusing on socio-technical approaches to societal transitions. In particular, I am interested in the intersections of gender, energy infrastructure and space use in Pakistan and more broadly in the Global South. My work takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding energy demand, amalgamating socio-cultural theories with more technically grounded understandings of consumption in the context of architectural and urban spaces.I am committed to problem-driven research to tackle societal challenges, and to improve energy efficiency and sufficiency to meet climate change targets through sustainable socio-technical transitions.

I am currently Co-I on the QR-GCRF project: ‘Gender equity and energy access in the Global South’, headed by the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University. The project aims to investigate what the UN Sustainable Development Goal of "access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy" (SDG7) means to the professionals working on matters of energy access, and in particular what the implications are for gender equality (SDG5), in the Global South. While much research, policy and practice address these SDGs separately, there are major gaps in knowledge and action on how energy access and gender equality intersect. Through collaboration with 11 partners across six countries, the project is undertaking 80 semi-structured interviews spanning Nigeria, Ghana, India and Pakistan. Interviews will be targeted towards professionals working on different aspects of the (developing) energy system to understand how their (gendered) expectations are shaping the systems of provision. Findings from the study will be used to produce policy recommendations for each region.

If we want to build truly sustainable cities, we need to think about how women use energy and space

Jul 11, 2022 05:42 am UTC| Technology

Women and men balance their different responsibilities in different ways, something the pandemic has brought into sharp relief. But that isnt always considered by those designing buildings. In fact, buildings designed...

Economy

China Services PMI Beats Forecasts as Domestic Demand Improves

Chinas services sector expanded at a faster pace in August, as stronger business activity, rising new orders and continued employment growth pointed to a modest improvement in domestic demand. The RatingDog Services PMI...

Australia Trade Surplus Beats Forecasts in July as Exports Fall

Australias trade surplus exceeded market expectations in July, although it narrowed from the previous month as exports declined faster than imports, according to data released Thursday by the Australian Bureau of...

Asian Currencies Rise as Yen Surges on BOJ Rate Hike Bets

Asian currencies strengthened against the U.S. dollar on Thursday, led by a sharp rally in the Japanese yen as traders increased bets on a Bank of Japan rate hike and remained alert to possible currency intervention....

Gold Prices Hold Near $4,400 as Fed Rate Hike Bets Ease

Gold prices steadied near $4,400 an ounce on Thursday after rebounding about 1% in the previous session, as easing energy-driven inflation concerns reduced expectations for aggressive Federal Reserve interest rate hikes. A...

Yen Extends Gains as BOJ Rate Hike Bets Rise

The Japanese yen strengthened further on Thursday, extending its sharp overnight rally as hawkish Bank of Japan signals fueled expectations for faster interest rate hikes. The yen climbed to an intraday high of 157.95...

Politics

Pacific Islands Forum Seeks Unified Condemnation of China Missile Test

Pacific Islands Forum chair Surangel Whipps Jr. said Thursday he hopes the 18-member regional bloc can reach consensus on condemning Chinas recent ballistic missile test in the Pacific, as tensions between Beijing and...

Iran War Civilian Toll Rises After U.S. Strikes Hit Wedding

The renewed escalation of the Iran war has intensified concerns over civilian casualties after Iranian officials said 18 people were killed in the latest U.S. strikes, including four at a wedding near the Strait of Hormuz....

Maduro Seeks Dismissal of US Drug Trafficking Charges

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked a U.S. federal judge to dismiss drug trafficking charges against him, arguing that he is protected from prosecution by head-of-state immunity. Maduros lawyer, Barry...

Trump Administration Threatens Smithsonian Support Over Leadership Dispute

President Donald Trumps administration has threatened to withdraw federal agency support for the Smithsonian Institution, escalating its dispute with the prominent U.S. museum and research organization. In a letter to the...

Australia, US Move to Expand Defence Ties in Indo-Pacific

Australia and the United States have agreed to deepen defence cooperation, potentially expanding the U.S. military presence in Australia as both countries seek to strengthen deterrence and security across the Indo-Pacific...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Thomson Reuters C-Track Cyberattack Hits Courts Across U.S. and Canada

A Thomson Reuters unit has disclosed a cybersecurity incident involving its C-Track court case management platform, affecting court systems across 11 U.S. states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. The company detected...

ByteDance Secures $29.6 Billion Loan to Boost AI Investment

ByteDance, the Chinese technology giant behind TikTok, has secured a $29.6 billion loan as it ramps up spending on artificial intelligence and data center infrastructure, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing people familiar...

Microsoft to Reveal Azure Revenue in Major Reporting Shake-Up

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) plans to begin reporting standalone quarterly revenue for its Azure cloud business, giving investors greater visibility into one of the technology giants fastest-growing operations. The...

MongoDB Stock Sinks 14% as Atlas Growth Misses Expectations

MongoDB (NASDAQ: MDB) shares plunged more than 14% in premarket trading Wednesday despite stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2027 results, as investors focused on the lack of growth acceleration in the companys...

Lenovo Shares Fall After Dropbox Security Breach Exposes ID Vulnerability

Lenovo Group shares came under pressure on Wednesday after a security breach at Dropbox revealed a vulnerability connected to the Chinese technology companys Lenovo ID authentication service. Dropbox said approximately...