Emma Tompkins

Emma Tompkins is a Professor at the University of Southampton specializing in environmental social science and human geography. She focuses on understanding how households, businesses, and communities adapt to climate and weather hazards, particularly coastal changes and compound hazards like sargassum proliferation in the tropical Atlantic. Her work spans policy analysis, real-time adaptation monitoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration with natural scientists, engineers, and remote sensing experts. She contributes to the IPCC and UK Climate Change Risk Assessments, emphasizing climate resilience frameworks and inclusive development strategies.

Education: Holds degrees in economics (University of Leicester), environmental economics (University of London), and environmental science (University of East Anglia). She has over 30 years of research experience, with 20 years dedicated to climate adaptation studies in small island states, coastal regions, and emerging hazards. Current roles include leading research in Nature-Based Ocean Solutions, the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, and the India Centre for Inclusive Growth.

Research projects include EU-funded CASCO (Climate Adaptation & Services Community), SARCAP (Ghanaian sargassum capacity building), and SARTRAC (sargassum tracking). She has secured sponsorships from the European Union, British Council, and Leverhulme Trust. Teaching: Offers undergraduate classes on climate adaptation and supervises PhD research in household/business adaptation strategies, coastal resilience, and citizen science applications.

• Scientific Awards: 2023 VC Award for Research Impact (Finalist), 2023 Best Academic Support (Winner), and multiple nominations for teaching excellence (2018–2024).
• Grants & Projects: Over £X million secured for initiatives addressing sargassum management, coastal flood resilience, and delta adaptation. Lead collaborator on international projects linking marine science with community responses.
• Labs/Teams: Active member of the Environmental Change and Sustainability Institute, Southampton Geospatial Digital Oceans Group, and Coastal Communities Research Cluster.