معرفی
Dr. Emily Nicholls is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning at the University of York. Previously, she served as a Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Portsmouth, where she was Sociology Course Leader and School lead for admissions, recruitment and outreach. She joined York in April 2021 after completing her PhD in Sociology at Newcastle University in 2015.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Sociology from Newcastle University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Local Government Management from the University of Warwick, an MA in Gender Research from Newcastle University, and a BA (Hons) in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Leeds.
Dr. Nicholls' research focuses on gender and identity (particularly femininities), the sociology of (non)consumption (specifically relating to alcohol, sobriety, and veganism), and the Night Time Economy. Her work explores women's experiences of early sobriety, drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic, marketing of alcohol-free drinks, and consumption of plant-based meat substitutes. She employs qualitative research methods and has secured funding from the Institute of Alcohol Studies and other sources for her projects.
Her recent publications demonstrate a clear trajectory toward understanding non-consumption practices, particularly around alcohol-free products and plant-based diets, with increasing attention to class distinctions, identity construction, and the influence of neoliberal discourses on sober lifestyles. Her work bridges academic research with practical applications, having informed national consultations around the marketing and labeling of 'no and low' alcohol products in England, Scotland, and Ireland.
- British Sociological Association Philip Abrams Memorial Prize (SHORTLISTED), 2019
- Feminist and Women's Studies Association Student Essay Prize, 2016
- Allied Health Professions Research Public Health Research competition winner, 2015
Dr. Nicholls supervises PhD students interested in alcohol, drinking, or sobriety; plant-based diets and veganism; and areas at the intersections of gender, post-feminism, and (non)consumption. She has received funding for projects including 'Sobriety Stories: Drinking pasts, sober presents and imagined futures' and research on plant-based meat substitutes. She is also a Partner Investigator on an Australian Research Council-funded project exploring social practice approaches to reducing alcohol consumption amongst midlife women.
She co-directs the international and interdisciplinary Drinking Studies Network and serves as External Examiner at Northumbria University (2020-2024). Her departmental roles at York include Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning and Deputy Chair of Board of Studies.
