Daniel Welch

Dr. Daniel Welch is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester and a researcher at the Sustainable Consumption Institute (SCI). His work focuses on sociological analyses of consumption patterns, environmental sustainability, and theories of social change. Welch holds a BA in Social Anthropology from the University of Sussex and an MA in Cultural Studies from Lancaster University, complementing his PhD research on sustainability communications.

His research explores contested futures of sustainability, particularly in food, clothing, and transport sectors, through projects like the international IMAGINE initiative. He co-leads the journal Consumption and Society and has organized major conferences, including sessions at the European Sociological Association. Welch’s theoretical contributions include advancing practice theory to address collective action and cultural imaginaries.

He supervises six PhD students on topics ranging from boycott practices to sustainable consumption in China. Welch is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (2008) and serves as an expert reviewer for the Swedish Research Council (FORMAS). His work intersects with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those addressing environmental sustainability and responsible consumption.

Key research areas include:

• Sociology of consumption and sustainability transitions
• Future-oriented cultural analysis
• Practice theory applications
• Critical analyses of corporate sustainability communications

Recent projects include exploring lay expectations of future consumption patterns and the role of cultural imaginaries in shaping social change.