Rachael Durrant

Rachael Durrant is a Senior Research Fellow at SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit) within the University of Sussex Business School, where she has been based since 2010. Her research focuses on societal transformations toward sustainability, with particular attention to food and land-use systems, civil society roles, and eco-feminist perspectives on land-based labor.

Education:

• DPhil in Science, Technology and Innovation Studies, University of Sussex (2010-2014)
• MA in Sustainable Development Advocacy, University of Worcester (2007-2008)
• MA in Geography, University of Cambridge (2003-2006)

Durrant's research explores how people and organizations guide transformations toward greener, fairer societal systems through socio-technological, ecological, psycho-social, and cultural lenses. Her current Leverhulme-funded project investigates women's increasing participation in land-based work (farming, forestry, conservation) in 21st century Britain through an eco-feminist perspective. She has developed expertise in community-engaged research methods, including participatory observation, co-designing research with non-academic beneficiaries, and using visual methods like graphic journaling and ethnographic filmmaking.

Her publication record reveals consistent focus on sustainability transitions across multiple domains. Early work examined civil society roles in sustainable food systems, followed by research on urban sustainability transitions in European cities, community-connected pastoral agriculture, rewilding, and social innovation in energy systems. More recently, her work has increasingly integrated gender perspectives, particularly exploring women's relationships with land-based work. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges Science, Technology and Innovation Studies with Gender Studies, Cultural Geography, and Rural Studies.

Scientific Recognition:

• Enabling Impact Award from University of Sussex's Vice Chancellor for Research (2015)
• Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship (2021-2026)

Durrant has secured significant research funding including her current Leverhulme Fellowship 'Eco-Rural Feminism: a new generation of women heading back to the land' and participation in the EU-funded SONNET project on social innovation in energy transitions. She has advised on Master's dissertations, including work on gender-responsive climate financing in South Africa. Her professional activities include committee membership with the Brighton and Sussex Universities Food Network and service on the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation's Food Strand panel.

Her collaborative approach extends to building special interest networks like the Brighton and Sussex Universities Food Network (BSUFN) and working with diverse organizations including Unilever's Sustainable Agriculture team, Heineken NV, the Guardian Hay Festival, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, and the Food Ethics Council.