Research Interests

Biography

My primary research focus is at the intersection of innovation, sustainability science, and public policy, focusing on sustainable production-consumption systems. A large portion of my research is on how policy interacts with the development and implementation of "green" technologies in supply chains, especially those that include the production and/or use of chemicals. I look at how policy can incentivize innovation- but also at how innovation can feed-back into policy, and when new technologies allow for, and sometimes even demand, new approaches to policy on the part of public, private and civil society actors. This includes areas such as certification and voluntary regulatory tools, as examples of some of the different approaches being used to effectively regulation emerging technologies. I also have a longstanding interest in the use of scientific expertise in the policy process, which has led to work on the controversies surrounding efforts to control bovine Tb with the culling badgers in the UK and possums in the NZ.

HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS

• Iran, Samira., Martinez, Cosette Joyner., Vladimirova, Katia., Diddi, Sonali., Henninger, Claudia E., Mccormick, Helen., Matus, Kira., Niinimaki, Kirsi., Sauerwein, Meike., Singh, Renu., Tiedke, Loredana., Wallaschkowski, Stephan (2022). When mortality knocks: Pandemic inspired attitude shifts towards sustainable clothing consumption in six countries. International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles. 1, 9–39.

• Gietel-Basten, Stuart., Matus, Kira JM, and Mori, Rintaro (2022). COVID-19 as a trigger for innovation policy action for older persons? Evidence from Asia. Policy and Society, 41 (1), 168–186.

• Matus, Kira and Veale, Michael. (2022). The use of certification to regulate the social impacts of machine learning: Lessons from sustainability certification. Regulation & Governance, 16:177-196.

• Stepehnson, Matthew., Lejarrage, Iza., Matus, Kira., Mulugetta, Yacob., Yarime, Masaru., Zhan, James. (2021). SusTech: enabling new technologies to drive sustainable development through value chains. Accepted for submission to the T20-Italy Task Force on Digital Transformations (September 2021). https://www.t20italy.org/2021/09/09/sustech-solutions-enabling-new-technologies-to-drive-sustainable-development/

• Matus, Kira. (2021). Public Policy and Perception Considerations. In “How to Commercialize Chemical Technologies for a Sustainable Future” Clark, Timothy J. and Pasternak, Andrew (eds). Wiley Publishing.

• Sivarudran Pillai, V. and Matus, KJM (2021). Towards a responsible integration of artificial intelligence technology in the construction sector. Science and Public Policy, 47 (5), 689-704.

• Bernal, Marie N., and Matus, Kira JM. (2020). Media Attention and Policy Response: 21st Century Chemical Regulation in the United States. Science and Public Policy, 47 (4), 548-560

• Donadelli, Flavia and Matus, Kira. (2019). Using Private Regulation for the Public Good. In The Palgrave Handbook of the Public Servant, Sullivan, Helen and Helen Dickson (eds). Palgrave Macmillan.

• Schröder, Patrick., Vergragt, Philip P., Brown, Halina S., Dendler, Leonie., Gorenflo, Neal., Matus, Kira., Quist, Jaco., Rupprecht, Christoph., Tukker, Arnold., Wennersten, Ronald R. (2019). Advancing sustainable consumption and production in cities-A transdisciplinary research and stakeholder engagement framework to address consumption-based emissions and impacts. Journal of Cleaner Production, 213, 114-125.2