This month, the CCRI welcomes three new PhD students to our vibrant Postgraduate community.
Ben Moreland, who previously lectured at the University of Gloucestershire, is conducting research on the ways in which sporting athlete’s bodies and senses are engaged in an ongoing interplay with their selected activity. His PhD is an interdisciplinary study that draws upon existential phenomenology alongside sociology to explore the often taken for granted experiences of recreational mountain bikers.
Ben’s study seeks to question the mind/body dualism and proposes the body operates often independently from the mind during states of euphoria and flow. Ben will be supervised by Dr Daniel Keech and Dr Pete Gaskell, from the University of Gloucestershire, with Dr Andrew Pitchford from the University of Westminster.
Rob Cole joins the CCRI as a DTP student after completing his MSc in Forestry at Bangor University. Rob’s research will aim to identify new woodland owner types, what is driving new woodland ownership and what advice and guidance that would help to meet multiple objectives. His research is part funded by DEFRA where Rob will be completing a three-month placement as part of his studentship.
Prior to starting his MSc Rob worked as a climbing arborist and completed his BA Hons in Documentary Photography and is a keen hiker and emacs enthusiast.
We also welcome Kirsten Clarke who is taking up a joint studentship between CCRI and the James Hutton Institute. Kirsten will be part of the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences (SEGS) department at James Hutton, which the CCRI has close synergies with. She is supervised by Dr Bryonny Goodwin-Hawkins (CCRI), Dr Mags Currie (James Hutton Institute), Dr Jonathan Hopkins (James Hutton Institute), and Associate Professor Joanie Willett (University of Exeter). Additional senior support is provided by Dr Julie Urquhart.
Kirsten’s PhD topic centres on transformative resilience and the future of work in rural areas. She comes to us with a background in geography and sustainability studies, and has previously undertaken research on sustainable land management and the impact of tourism on remote Scottish communities.
