Deirdre McKay

Deirdre McKay is a Professor of Sustainable Development at Keele University's School of Life Sciences, Department of Geography. She directs postgraduate programs including the MSc Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology and MA Human Geography and Sustainability. Her interdisciplinary research bridges environmental geography and Area Studies, focusing on global migration impacts, community-led sustainability initiatives, and material culture studies.

• Current projects: Unravelling Fibreshed (textile microfibres), Wilder Connections (urban rewilding), Beaches, Beach Finds and Belonging (marine litter)
• Past projects: Restorying Riverscapes, AHRC Curating Development, Newton Fund Tech4Dev

Research interests encompass:

• Environmental geography: community-led nature recovery, plastic pollution, global clothing supply chains
• Migration studies: diasporic impacts, polymedia communication
• Material culture: affective properties of plastics, digital objects

Recent publications address microplastic pollution, transnational environmental governance, and digital materiality. Collaborative works with scientists and community partners dominate her output.

Scientific awards include:

• Indiana University Press/Mellon Foundation Fellow (2011–2014)
• British Academy Principal Investigator (2011–2013)
• AHRC Fellowship (2007–2010)
• Australian Research Council CI (2003–2008)

Postgraduate supervision covers projects on Ukrainian migration, nurse recruitment ethics, African disaster risk reduction, and South African environmental awareness. Former advisees have explored plastic waste, cosmopolitanism, and post-development theory.