Bridget Byrne

Bridget Byrne is a Professor of Sociology at The University of Manchester, leading the ESRC-funded CoDE (Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity and Inequality). Her research focuses on race, class, gender, citizenship, and the cultural industries. She directs major projects like the Covid19 Racialised Groups Impact Study. Byrne’s work includes books such as White Lives (BSA Philip Abrams Award winner), Making Citizens, and All in the Mix, examining racial identities, citizenship rituals, and school choice.

Her expertise spans qualitative methods and interdisciplinary collaborations. Current roles include editorial work for Sociology and examining race in cultural sectors. Byrne has advised numerous PhD students, with research topics ranging from migrant activism to mixed-race identities. She contributes to public discourse via media engagements and policy-oriented reports.

Research Interests:

• Racialization and urban spaces
• Citizenship ceremonies and national identity
• School choice dynamics and class/race intersections
• Cultural sector equity and diversity

Awards:

• BSA Philip Abrams Award (2006) for White Lives

Grants/Projects:

• ESRC CoDE Centre (2013–ongoing)
• Leverhulme Fellowship-funded citizenship rituals study
• ESRC school catchment area analysis

Labs/Teams: Director of CoDE, collaborating with interdisciplinary networks on ethnicity-related studies.