Ferne Edwards

Qualifications:

PhD (Australian National University, 2015)

Position:

Lecturer in Food Systems

Department:

College of Health, Science and Society

Email:

Ferne.Edwards@uwe.ac.uk

Social media:

About me

Dr. Ferne Edwards is an interdisciplinary social scientist with a background in cultural anthropology with extensive international research and teaching experience on just and sustainable cities, food systems, nature and social change. Awarded her PhD in 2015, she has published more than 50 academic refereed publications, including 3 edited books ('Food for Degrowth: Perspectives and Practices', 'Food, Senses and the City', and 'Urban Natures: Living the More-than-Human City') and 1 monograph ('Food Resistance Movements: Journeying Across Alternative Food Networks'). Ferne has drawn from her research to conduct many guest lectures, coordinate courses and supervise Masters and PhD students on a broad number of topics.

Ferne also has experience designing and delivering global, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral research panels, programs and networks. Positions held include: being a core member of the SHARECITY team contributing to the SHARECITY 100 database and conducting fieldwork on ICT-mediated food sharing practices in Australia and Spain (University College Dublin, 2016-18); leading the governance infrastructure, networks and institutionalisation work package for the EU H2020 IA project EdiCitNet to establish an international edible cities network (RMIT Europe, Barcelona 2018-2020), and leading two work packages in the H2020 FoodCLIC project to support sustainable food interventions in cities across the world (University of Surrey, 2022-2024). In addition, Ferne's work has been recognised internationally as a Sustainability Fellow (University of Surrey), UrbanA Fellow for Just and Sustainable Cities (EU project, 2019-2021), World Social Science Fellow on Urban Issues in the Global South (International Social Science Council, 2013), Australian Anthropology Society Fellow (2016 ongoing), and Honorary Research Associate for the Centre for Urban Research (RMIT University, 2016-2019). In the UK, she has contributed to the UKRI FixOurFood programme, the MACC Joined Up Landscapes program and works as the Education Coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Food Teaching and Learning (IFSTAL) program across the UK.

Ferne works as a Lecturer in Food Systems at UWE Bristol and continues her role as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Food Policy, City St. George’s, University of London.

Area of expertise

Ferne's work explores the socio-cultural contexts, ethics, politics and sustainability potential of diverse social food economies in cities. She has conducted ethnographies on food waste, urban beekeeping, non-monetised alternative food economies, and food sharing in Australia, Venezuela, Spain, Norway and the UK. This research contributes knowledge to urban natures, conservation, design, and healthy and resilient cities.

Publications

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