Dr Sarah Parry
Job Title
Senior Lecturer
Room number
1.61Building (Address)
Old Surgeons' HallStreet (Address)
High School YardsCity (Address)
EdinburghCountry (Address)
UKPost code (Address)
EH1 1LZResearch interests
Research interests
Current Projects
I am a sociologist with an interest in care – as an ethical and political concern – for generating new agendas for understanding and responding to our socioecological crises. My current project, Building Sustainability on a Foundation of Care, aims to elaborate a socioecological care approach for building better people-planet relations.
Previous research has focused on relations between gender and sustainability in affluent countries, particularly at the household scale, and interactions between social science in environmental public policy processes. My research utilises qualitative methods, has often involved interdisciplinary collaborations, and has engaged a wide variety of stakeholders. Recently published work can be found in the journals of Environment and Planning E: Nature & Space, The Sociological Review, The Journal of Familes, Relationships & Societies, and forthcoming in a Handbook for Research on Sustainable Lifestyles.
I am the Director for Sus+ The Edinburgh University Network of Social Scientists for Sustainability; Co-Lead for College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science Research Themes on Energy and Sustainability; Partner on UArctic Ocean Incubator; Co-Theme Lead (with Dr Faye Wade) on SFC Scottish Research Alliance for Energy, Homes and Livelihoods; and involved in various activities/roles delivering the MA in Sustainable Development.
Completed Projects
Sustainable Practices Research Group (2010 - 2013)
I was principal investigator for the 'Engagement, Interaction and Influence' work-package for the Sustainable Practices Research Group (SPRG), funded by ESRC, DEFRA and Scottish Government. Building on my previous research on public engagement, this project had both a research and an engagement component aiming to further our understanding of the relationship between social science and public policy. My collaborators on this project were Prof. Joseph Murphy (Co-I) and Dr Fraser Stewart (Research Fellow, 2011-2013).
Eurostemcell (2010 - 2014)
I was involved in a European consortium for communicating stem cell research. This project brought together the major EU-funded large-scale stem cell projects and aimed to create a coordinated platform for widespread dissemination of scientific knowledge spanning the research fields of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. My role was to advise on the evaluation of the communication and engagement activities generated as part of this project.
Meanings of nature (2008 - 2010)
Funded through the ESRC's Genomics Network I coordinated a network of scholars to explore the relationship between developments in genomics and our knowledge and understanding of 'nature'. I subsequently co-edited a book (with John Dupré) on the same topic which was published in 2010 (see below).
Public engagement and stem cell research (2005 - 2008)
Funded under the ESRC's programme, "Stem Cell Research: The Economic and Social Agenda", I was principal investigator on a three year project: "The Social Dynamics of Public Engagement in Stem Cell Research". The project had two aims: first, to explore the views of a wide range of publics and experts in Scotland and, second, to develop engagement methods for establishing a dialogue between different groups.
PhD Supervision
I have enjoyed supervising doctoral students from a range of backgrounds - from the natural and social sciences - and would welcome students interested in: i) Gender-environment relations, particularly in over-developed countries; ii) Gender and sustainability in households and communities; iii) Animal-human relations in the context of environmental issues; and iv) Care and sustainability. I will be glad to hear from any excellent students that have an idea that builds on any of these interests.
Find out more about the programmes that I am involved with: (opening in new windows)
Current PhD Students
Xin Zhang (2020-2026, part-time) Sustainable Clothing Practices.
Eva Gray (2022-2026) Adopting the Electric Vehicle: Racing, Culture, and the Transition to Sustainable Mobility.
Charlie Third (2024-2028) Just and Sustainable Transitions: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding Behaviour Change in the Cairngorms National Park.
tbc (2024-2028) Enhancing Diversity in Scotland’s Construction Workforce: Exploring the Role of Modern Methods of Construction.
Background
After completing my doctoral research in the Science Studies Unit, University of Edinburgh, in 2003 I joined STIS as a lecturer in sociology. My academic roots are in sociology, cultural studies and science and technology studies - a path that began with an inspirational and gifted A Level Sociology teacher. As part of previous and current work, I am interested in:
- Gender, environment and sustainability, particularly in affluent countries
- Gender, environment and sustainability in households and communities
- Socioecological care
- Multi-species relations in the context of environmental issues
Undergraduate Teaching
I am committed to research-led teaching that brings the rich underpinning scholarship of a topic into the classroom as well as engaging with cutting-edge ideas and findings. This has guided my teaching approach and content at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Recent examples of teaching-related activities include:
- Honours teaching: Care and Sustainability, Gender and Environment, Controversies in Medicine, Technology and Environment.
- Pre-Honours teaching: Sustainable Development 2a, Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World.
- Exam Convenor for the MA in Sustainable Development.
Management and Leadership
- Director of Sus+ The Edinburgh Network of Social Scientists for Sustainability (2022-ongoing)
- Co-Theme Lead (with Dr Faye Wade) on SFC Scottish Research Alliance for Energy, Homes and Livelihoods (2023-2027)
- Co-Theme Lead (with Professor Soledad Garcia Ferrari and Dr Arno Verhoeven) on Energy and Sustainability for College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (2023-ongoing)
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, School of Social Science (2020-2024)
- Programme Director for MA in Sustainable Development (2018-2021; 2023)
- Programme Director for MSc in Science and Technology in Society (2011-2013)
- Coordinator of Impact Case Studies for the Sociology submission to REF2014
Works within
Staff Hours and Guidance
Book a time to meet with me on Thursdays, or email me for alternatives.
Publications by user content
Publication | Research Explorer link |
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Parry S, Murphy J. Gender and sustainability in our home: A collaborative autoethnography linking experience, scholarship and progressive politics. Families, Relationships and Societies. 2022 Nov 28. Epub 2022 Nov 28. doi: 10.1332/204674321X16669559148344 |
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de Wilde M, Parry S. Feminised concern or feminist Care? Reclaiming gender normativities in zero waste living. The Sociological Review. 2022 May 1;70(3):526-546. Epub 2022 Mar 3. doi: 10.1177/00380261221080110 |
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Murphy J, Parry S. Gender, households and sustainability: Disentangling and re-entangling with the help of ‘work’ and ‘care’. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. 2021 Jan 15. Epub 2021 Jan 15. doi: 10.1177/2514848620948432 |
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Murphy J, Parry S, Walls J. The EPSRC’s policy of responsible innovation from a trading zones perspective. Minerva. 2016 Jun;54(2):151–174. Epub 2016 Mar 23. doi: 10.1007/s11024-016-9294-9 |
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Parry S, Murphy J. Problematizing interactions between social science and public policy. Critical Policy Studies. 2015 Jan 2;9(1):97-107. Epub 2014 Nov 4. doi: 10.1080/19460171.2014.964277 |
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Stewart F, Parry S, Murphy J. Sustainable Communities as a Policy Frame: The Case of the Climate Challenge Fund in Scotland. Innogen. 2013. |
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Parry S, Murphy J. Towards a framework for analyzing interactions between social science and environmental policy. Evidence and Policy. 2013;9(4):531-546. doi: 10.1332/174426413X13836455133196 |
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Parry S, Faulkner W, Cunningham-Burley S, Marks NJ. Heterogeneous agendas around public engagement in stem cell research: The case for maintaining plasticity. Science & Technology Studies. 2012 Jan 1;25(2):61-80. doi: 10.23987/sts.55276 |
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Bates SR, Faulkner W, Parry S, Cunningham-Burley S. ‘How Do We Know it's Not Been Done Yet?!’ Trust, Trust Building and Regulation in Stem Cell Research. Science and Public Policy. 2010 Nov;37(9):703-718. doi: 10.1093/spp/37.9.703 |
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Parry S, Dupre J. Introducing nature after the Genome. In Parry S, Dupre J, editors, Nature After The Genome. Oxford:Wiley-Blackwell. 2010. p. Chapter 1 |
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Hallowell N, Parry S, Cooke S, Crawford G, Lucassen AM, Parker M. Lay and Professional Understandings of Research and Clinical Activities in Cancer Genetics and Their Implications for Informed Consent. AJOB Primary Research. 2010 Jun;1(2):25-34. Epub 2010 Jun 28. doi: 10.1080/21507716.2010.492717 |
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Parry S. Interspecies Entities and the Politics of Nature. The Sociological Review. 2010 May 1;58(S1):113-129. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-954X.2010.01914.x |
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Parry S, Dupre J. Introducing Nature after the Genome. The Sociological Review. 2010 May;58(s1):3-16. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-954X.2010.01908.x |
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Parry S. Interspecies Entities and the Politics of Nature. The Sociological Review. 2010 May;58(s1):113-129. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-954X.2010.01914.x |
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Parry S. Stem Cell Scientists’ Discursive Strategies for Cognitive Authority. Science as Culture. 2009;18(1):89-114. doi: 10.1080/09505430802603837 |
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Haddow G, Cunningham-Burley S, Bruce A, Parry S. Generation Scotland: Consulting Publics and Specialists at an Early Stage in a Genetic Database's Development. Critical Public Health. 2008;18(2):139-149. doi: 10.1080/09581590701824086 |
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Parry S. (Re)Constructing embryos in stem cell research: Exploring the meaning of embryos for people involved in fertility treatments’. Social Science & Medicine. 2006;62(10):2349-2359. |
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Parry S. The politics of cloning: Mapping the rhetorical convergence of embryos and stem cells in parliamentary debates. New Genetics and Society. 2003;22(2):177-200. doi: 10.1080/1463677032000102594 |
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