Olufolahan Osunmuyiwa’s research is about sustainable electrification, energy sufficiency and societal transformation in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Her research explores the transformative nature of sustainable energy systems/solutions and how its provision impacts socio-economic, class and gender dynamics within local contexts. At Heriot-Watt, Olufolahan is part of the interdisciplinary research group at the Institute for Sustainable Building Design.
Currently, her research is focused on unpacking the behavioural dynamics underlying current and future energy demand in South Asia. A core part of this research involves designing tools that will promote energy sufficiency in the South Asian region. Outside of her energy demand project, Olufolahan also works on the ENGENDER project which is focused on redesigning small-scale electric systems in a gender-sensitive way to promote equal opportunity for socially inclusive entrepreneurship in rural communities of Tanzania and Rwanda. Here, she is affiliated with Chalmers University Gothenburg, Sweden where she works with Prof Sverker Molander and Dr Helene Ahlborg. Her background is in energy and environmental policy. Theoretically, her work builds on and contributes to debates in the field of energy and development, entrepreneurship theory, feminist theory, power theory, science and technology studies and innovation studies.