Emma Rawlings Smith

Emma Rawlings Smith is a Lecturer in Sustainability and Geography Education at the University of Southampton's School of Education, serving as PGCE Geography Programme Lead, SES Sustainability Champion, and Principal Investigator for an ESRC-funded COLIF Sustainability Project. Her work bridges geography teacher development, sustainability integration, and educational policy reform.

Her academic qualifications include a BSc in Geography from the University of Sussex, an MA in Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy (Distinction) from the University of Sheffield, a PGCE in Geography, an MA in Education (Distinction), and a doctorate on place recontextualisation in geography textbooks.

• BSc Geography, University of Sussex
• MA Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy (Distinction), University of Sheffield
• PGCE Geography, University of Sheffield
• MA Education (Distinction)
• PhD in Education (Professional capital of place-knowledge recontextualisation)

Her research centers on curriculum thinking and teacher agency in geography education, sustainability and green skills development, teacher mentoring practices, and student transitions to university. She investigates how geography teachers exercise professional judgment in curriculum design and integrate sustainability into teacher training, with particular focus on pandemic-era educational challenges and international comparative studies.

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals consistent emphasis on geography education reform, sustainability integration, and teacher professional development through multinational collaborations. Key trends include curriculum design for sustainability, teacher agency in educational contexts, and pandemic impacts on student engagement, all bridging theoretical frameworks with practical classroom applications.

Scientific awards:

• Geographical Association Distinguished Service Award (2025)
• Chartered Geographer (2009)
• Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (2005)
• Fellow of Advance HE (2021)

She actively supervises PhD students and has secured significant research funding including ESRC grants for sustainability projects and Welsh Government funding for student transition studies. Her external roles with the Royal Geographical Society Council and Geographical Association enhance her mentoring capacity and policy influence in geography education.

Dr Smith collaborates through the Mathematics and Science Education research group and Sustainability and Resilience Institute (SRI) at Southampton, maintaining international partnerships across Europe and Singapore focused on geography teacher education and sustainability curriculum development.