Sean Field

Teaching

Sean has recently taught:

• The Anthropology of Energy (SA4064) in the Department of Social Anthropology with Dr Pauline Destrée, which was awarded a 2021 Golden Dandelion Prize for excellence in education for sustainable development.
• Environmental Ethics at Work a Vertically Integrated Project at the University of St Andrews, led by Dr Louise Reid and Dr Mette High.

Before relocating to St Andrews, Sean was a Lecturer in Economic Geography at the University of Toronto’s Department of Geography (Mississauga campus) and an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Queen’s University’s School of Policy Studies. Sean has also been an Adjunct Professor in Queen’s University’s Department of Geography and Planning and Smith School of Business.

Research areas

Sean is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Energy Ethics and in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. Since late-2018, Sean’s research has focused on how financial professionals ethically and financially value energy. His ethnographic work explores the calculation of risks, the performance of financial expertise, the valuation of energy resources, and the integration of ESG into investment practices.

A key implication of his research is that the world of finance is central to the materialization of our collective energy and anthropogenic landscapes. Sean’s project is part of the larger Energy Ethics research project led by Dr Mette High and funded by the European Research Council.

He is the convenor of the Department of Social Anthropology’s Departmental Seminar Series, the co-founder and lead organizer of the Energy Café, the founder of the Energy and Climate Finance Network, and the lead organiser of the Art of Energy.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy - PhD Queen's University
• MSc University of Guelph
• Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) University of Guelph