Alison Bates

Alison Bates is an environmental social scientist interested in how local communities view and shape sustainability and renewable-energy practices. Her interdisciplinary scholarship explores the intersection of energy policy and sustainability transitions, with a specific focus on offshore wind and the offshore wind debate in New England. Specifically, she explores community attitudes and acceptance of renewable energy, often utilizing innovative methodology such as immersive virtual reality to study community attitudes toward offshore wind siting. A recent project focused on stakeholder perceptions of how offshore wind may impact livelihoods, cultural well-being, and adaptation in coastal communities was funded through a partnership with Maine Sea Grant, the Northeast Sea Grant Consortium, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office and Water Power Technologies Office, and NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Bates has served as the elected co-chair of the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium, overseeing significant research funds and creating student internship opportunities in Maine. 

Bates earned her Ph.D. in marine policy from the University of Delaware and her B.S. in biology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.