Biography 

Research Fellow: Examining Cellular Agriculture as a Just Transition to Environmentally, Economically and Socially Sustainable Food Systems

Disciplines: Science and Technology Studies, Science Communication, Public Engagement

Dr James Riley is a Research Fellow at the Royal Agricultural University working with the Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA). His work focuses on science communication, public engagement, and the social dimensions of emerging food technologies. For CARMA, he designs and delivers deliberative public engagement and social research, including citizen and stakeholder forums, examining how public hopes and concerns can inform responsible innovation and governance in cellular agriculture.

Dr Riley is a mixed-methods researcher who studies public perceptions of science, media representations, and public engagement with science and technological change. From 2019 to 2024, he was a Research Fellow at the Institute for STEMM in Culture & Society (ISTEMMiCS) at the University of Birmingham, where he worked on projects relating to evolution and human origins, science and religion, sustainability and plastics, and citizen science.

Alongside his academic work, he has over a decade of experience designing and delivering public engagement and science communication initiatives for universities, research councils, charities including Cancer Research UK, local authorities, and cultural partners. He has also contributed to and help lead academic networks, conferences, and advisory groups in the UK and internationally. His former podcast series, The Science & Belief in Society Podcast, was recommended by New Scientist.

Professional memberships

  • Science in Public Research Network (committee member, 2016 - present)
  • British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (ECR ThinkIn advisory group, 2021 - 2024)
  • International Research Network for the Study of Science & Belief in Society (senior management group,
  • 2022-2024)
  • AHRC Impact Accelerator Account Management Group (University of Birmingham 2022 – 2023)
  • University of Birmingham, Early Career and Research Staff Committee (ECARS) (committee member, 2022)

Research

Research keywords

Science communication, science and technology studies, responsible research and innovation, cellular agriculture, cultivated meat.

Research ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3585-7544

Current research projects

Current Research Project: Cellular Agriculture Manufacturing Hub (CARMA), Work Package 6, Publics and Policy Engagement, EPSRC Funded https://www.rau.ac.uk/research/carma-cellular-agriculture

 

Teaching

Dr Riley is presently employed as a Research Fellow with no set teaching commitments, but he guest lectures on an ad-hoc basis at the Royal Agricultural University and the University of the West of England. His teaching covers the topics of science, technology and society, public engagement, and research skills.

Publications

  • Riley, J., Talleh Nkobou, A., & Lewis, K. (2026). Cultivating Debate: Citizen Insights on a Future with Cultivated Meat. Royal Agricultural University. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18394094
  • Elsdon-Baker, F., Jones, S. H., & Riley, J. (Eds.). (2025). International Perspectives on Science, Culture, and Belief: From Complexity to Globality. Routledge
  • Riley, J., & Elsdon-Baker, F. (2025). Where the Conflict Really Lies: Quantitatively Locating Evolution Conflicts Internationally. In International Perspectives on Science, Culture, and Belief.: From Complexity to Globality. Routledge.
  • Elsdon-Baker, F., Jones, S. H., & Riley, J. (2025). Introduction: From Complexity to Globality. In International Perspectives on Science, Culture, and Belief (pp. 1-11). Routledge.
  • Riley, J. (2025). Bad Ads: Targeted Disinformation, Division and Fraud on Meta’s Platforms. Open Rights Group.
  • Riley, J., & Hall, A. (2025). Climate change is (not) funny!: Insights from a climate change comedy event. Journal of Science Communication.
  • Riley, J. (2024). Beyond Deficits and Conflicts: The Evolution of the Study of Attitudes Towards Evolution, Creation, and Human Origins. In Science and Religion: Approaches from Science and Technology Studies (pp. 103-127). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  • Riley, J., & Mason-Wilkes, W. (2024). Dark Citizen Science, Public Understanding of Science, 33(2), 142 157.
  • Elsdon-Baker, F., Dove, A, P., MacPherson, R., & Riley, J. (2024). A Future for Sustainable Plastics: UK Public and Political Attitudes. Birmingham Plastics Network, University of Birmingham.
  • Gosschalk, K., Piggott, L., Gray, H., Riley, J., & Elsdon-Baker, F. (2023). Science and Religion Exploring the
  • Spectrum: A Multi-Country Study on Public Perceptions of Evolution, Religion and Science. YouGov and University of Birmingham.
  • Catto, R., Riley, J., Elsdon-Baker, F., Jones, S. H., & Leicht, C. (2023). Science, religion, and nonreligion: Engaging subdisciplines to move further beyond mythbusting. Acta Sociologica, 66(1), 96-110.
  • Dove, A, P., Elsdon-Baker, F., Krause, S., Thomson, I., Riley, J., Hall, A., Lean, T., & Strahan, D. (2023). Plastic: A Call to Action. Birmingham Plastics Network, University of Birmingham. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6865976