Lecturer in Gender, University of Bristol I am a sociologist of sexuality and gender. In practice, I am concerned with LGBTQ+ sexualities, trans and non binary identities, qualitative methodologies and health inequalities broadly defined. My research focus on LGBTQ+ identities, mental health, and gender theory. From 2010-2014 I attended Colorado College where I graduated with a BA Hons in History and Feminist and Gender Studies. From 2014-2016 I completed a partime MRes in Security, Conflict and Justice at the University of Bristol. From 2016-2019 I completed my PhD in Sociology at the University of Bristol, which focused on bisexual people's identities and experiences of love, gender, and family. My PhD thesis was awarded the 2021 Hilary Hartley prize for best departmental thesis. Since completing my PhD, I have been hired as a Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Sociology, Politics, and International Studies for 2020-2021. I also worked as a Research Associate at Lancaster University (2020-2021) where I am involved with the CLASS: Creating LGBT+ Affirming School Environments project, where we are conducting a realist evaluation of anti-homophobic/transphobic/biphobic bullying interventions. Since autumn 2021, I have been acting as a Lecturer in Gender at the University of Bristol. I have two current projects. The first of which is writing a monograph based on my recent PhD thesis which explored bi+ people's experiences of sexual identity, gender identity, and romantic relationships. I am also researching further ethical considerations related to conducting research using qualitative research methods.
Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in Environmental Law, University College Dublin Ray Purdy is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Law, UCD (2022 -). Prior to this he held academic research positions at: University of Oxford (1995-1996, 2006-2022); Imperial College (1996-2003); and University College London (2000-2014). His key area of academic expertise is in environmental law where has developed a substantial personal research profile of international standing on a wide variety of research subjects – particularly environmental compliance, legislative analysis and drafting, environmental monitoring and enforcement, climate change). He is probably best well known for his research on the use of space technologies as evidence and their capacity to monitor and enforce laws (particularly environmental ones). He has conducted funded research in this field for the European Commission, UK Space Agency, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council and European Space Agency. He has written guidance reports on this subject for: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), DG ENV European Commission, International Network on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) and the EU LIFE+ programme. In 2014 after nearly 20 years of frustration of research not having the impact on the world that he hoped, he set up an academic spin off company called Air & Space Evidence, with a emeritus Professor of Earth Observation from University College London, and a former intelligence services analyst. This company, internationally recognized as the 'World's First Space Detective Agency," seeks to help move commercial remote sensing from the black world of intelligence uses by governments to the white world of commerce (and public good). It undertakes many different types of investigations and research using archived (and tasked) Earth observation data and designs environmental monitoring programmes using satellite imagery (and algorithms). The company was named by the leading US business and innovation magazine, Fast Company, as one their 12 World Changing Company Ideas for 2015. It won the Earth Observation Product of the Year Award 2017 (from the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies).
Professor of Human Geography, Aberystwyth University My work lies at the intersection between political, historical and cultural geography and focuses in particular on the various geographies of the state and its related group identities. I have addressed the geographies of the state in a variety of contexts, ranging from the various organisational, territorial and cultural changes associated with the state-making process in medieval Wales to the more contemporary processes of territorial and functional restructuring affecting the UK state. My work on these themes has appeared in a variety of different journal articles as well as a monograph - People/States/Territories - published by Blackwell as part of the RGS-IBG Book Series. I have also examined the geographies of group identity in a number of different contexts. Work here includes my research on the emergence of ethnic identities in medieval Wales and my more current research on the geographies of Welsh identity in the late twentieth century. This latter work has recently appeared in a book entitled Placing the Nation (with Carwyn Fowler). My research, to date, has been supported by funding from the ESRC, the AHRC, the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy and the University of Wales' Board of Celtic Studies. I teach on a number of these research themes at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Most of teaching is done through the medium of Welsh but I also teach on some English-medium modules in the field of political geography. I have also sought to consolidate my competence in teaching through publishing a textbook entitled An Introduction to Political Geography (with Martin Jones and Mike Woods). My competence in teaching was confirmed when I received an Aberystwyth University Award for Teaching Excellence in 2005.
Research Associate in Urban Political Economy, University of Sheffield Richard’s research focuses largely on urban political economy, focusing on financialisation in social housing and the private rented sector and their relation to wider processes of urbanisation. His PhD thesis examined the drivers of financialisation within English housing associations, including the role of austerity programmes implemented following the 2007-2009 financial crisis. This work also explored the governance of risk within the social housing sector, and how legal and regulatory frameworks have been reconstructed to accommodate the interests of a wider set of financial actors. His current work is as a research associate on the ESRC-funded Centripetal Cities project led by the Management School’s Professor Adam Leaver alongside the Urban Institute’s Dr Jon Silver, whose aim is to re-appraise the success of property-led regeneration urban growth models through a study of the Build to Rent sector in Greater Manchester.
Working as a Course Leader and Lecturer within the Cyber and Digital Forensics department at the National Cyber Security Academy. After completing the undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications within Digital Forensics, real-world experience was gained in the field by completing case work for several police forces throughout the UK and attending court as an Expert Witness. After gaining this experience, these skills have been used to teach the next generation at the NSCA (National Cyber Security Academy) while effectively managing the MSc Applied Cyber Security course.
