The Just Energy Transition Lab (JET Lab) is an emerging research and peer-learning community within the African Climate and Development Initiative at the University of Cape Town, bringing together postgraduate researchers working across diverse dimensions of sustainable and just transitions.
Established in 2025 and hosted by Dr Britta Rennkamp, the JET Lab includes researchers from Master’s through to PhD level whose work explores the social, political, technological and institutional dimensions of transition processes. Research represented within this group includes energy transitions, cultural and societal acceptance of alternative energy pathways, energy communities and commons, nuclear energy, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the application of sustainability transitions thinking beyond the energy sector, including to the fashion industry.
Meeting monthly, the JET Lab provides a collaborative space for researchers to share work in progress, test ideas, discuss theoretical and methodological approaches, as well as to learn from one another across research areas and discplinary sectors. The group also offers practical peer support around the research process, including academic publishing, dissertation and thesis development, submission processes, and navigating postgraduate research in general. Through regular exchange and collective learning, the JET Lab is building a community of emerging researchers contributing to a deeper understanding of what equitable, context-sensitive and sustainable transitions can look like in South Africa and beyond.
