School of Social and Political Science

Background

As an interdisciplinary social scientist, I follow emerging socio-ecological, bio-technological, and agri/cultural ideas, practices and policies that ‘promise’ sustainable futures. 

Much of my research to date has focused ethnographically on emerging food politics, particularly the global implications of synthetic biology and lab-grown food and their interconnections and effects upon established food cultures, agricultural livelihoods, diversity and traditional knowers, growers and users of natural products.

Some of this has involved attending the UN Convention on Biological Diversity COP meetings, researching the governance of genetic resources and synthetic biology, the issue of (digital) biopiracy, the bioeconomy and biocultural justice. Another part of this has involved a 'follow-the-thing' study of Stevia / Ka’a he’ê and what this promissory plant can teach us about unfolding plant-people relations in the 21st century. In 2023, I gained a grant to turn my research into a book (in press), based at the University of Exeter in Cornwall.

I joined the University of Edinburgh in 2025 as a research fellow working alongside Professor Jane Calvert on an interdisciplinary collaborative exploration of Pollinator Pathmaker Living Artworks to re-imagine gardens, and what and who they are for? 

Broad research specialisms:

Plant politics and agrarian futures.
De/anti-colonial, feminist Science & Technology Studies (STS).
Global Bioeconomies, genetic engineering & synthetic biology.
UN Biodiversity Governance.
Political ecology and agroecology.
Corporate Responsible Research & Innovation (RRI) and promissory narratives.
Multi-sited ethnography and creative interdisciplinary methods.
Pollinator/gardener relations and multispecies communities.
 

Qualifications

PhD Interdisciplinary Social Science (2021) University of Bristol 
MRes Global Political Economy: Transformations & Policy Analysis (2016) University of Bristol
BA (hons) International Development (2012) University of Sussex

Foundation Degree in Art & Design (2007) Falmouth University