Middlesex University

Patrick Elf

Dr Patrick Elf is a Senior Research Fellow – Sustainable Business at the Centre for Enterprise, Environment and Development Research (CEEDR) at Middlesex University and Co-Investigator at the ESRC funded Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP) at the University of Surrey. Patrick’s research focuses on investigating avenues for organisational change as well as behaviour change approaches towards the adoption of more sustainable lifestyles, and mechanisms towards the adaptation of sustainable business models. He has a particular interest in sustainable and transformative consumption and questions of post-growth and degrowth.

Recently UKRI funded projects include interdisciplinary longitudinal work examining the potential of sustainable small and medium fashion enterprises to advance the circular economy, work on sustainable food systems and post-growth business models. Patrick leads major research initiatives including work with IKEA UK on co-creational behaviour change approaches, work with the National Lottery Community Fund examining support mechanisms to drive social cohesion, sustainable development and community wellbeing, work for London Councils on implementing their Green Economy Action Plan, and on the ESRC’s ACCESS FlexFund work on regenerative post-growth approaches. He maintains close links with Brazilian institutions including USP, UnB, UFCG, UFPE and PUC MG, conducted extensive research across Brazil and is currently supervising a number of PhD students (USP & UnB).