Emily Clamp

Biography

In 2022, I graduated from Keele University with a First-Class Honours degree in Environment and Sustainability. I subsequently completed my Master’s degree in Environmental Sustainability in Green Technology in 2024, graduating with Distinction.

Throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, I developed a particular interest in both social and environmental geography, exploring how spaces are contested, experienced, and perceived by individuals. My research interests include how people interact with and are affected by different spaces, particularly in relation to gender, spatial inequalities, and the diverse ways in which spaces are used and experienced.

Through my academic research, I have gained experience using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This includes analysing datasets, conducting interviews, and engaging in reflexive research practices.

In 2024 I received a 4-year funded PhD through the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Programme at Keele University, as part of the wider Sustainable Rural Futures (SURF) cohort.

Research and scholarship

PhD Title: Perceptions of loneliness and isolation among farming women: Exploring the impact roles and responsibilities on spatial experience.

Research aim: My research aims to explore how women in farming experience, navigate, and cope with feelings of loneliness and social isolation within the farming lifestyle. It examines how the interplay between spaces, seasonality, and the demands of agricultural life can shape emotional experiences of farming women.

To understand this, I have had ‘conversations’ through a series of interviews with different women in farming, these are different ages, backgrounds, roles and responsibilities on the farm, listening to their individuals’ stories and experiences. I have also carried out an online survey.

I am currently exploring the most effective ways to disseminate my research findings by bringing together diverse audiences, including farming and non-farming communities, as well as health and education professionals. My aim is to help knowledge changes and raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities that women in farming face in relation to loneliness and social isolation within farming, alongside the coping strategies they employ. To help to build resilience in this community.

Collaborations and grants awards

Grant Award: Leverhulme Studentship