Ruth Evans

Ruth Evans is a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading, where she leads the Human Geography Research Cluster and contributes to the Global Development Research Division. She is also the University of Sanctuary Co-ordinator, promoting inclusive practices for displaced people.

• University: University of Reading
• School: School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science
• Department: Department of Geography and Environmental Science
• Role: Professor and Research Cluster Leader

Her research centers on geographies of care, childhood, youth, and transnational families, with a focus on Africa and migrant communities in Europe. Key themes include bereavement, inheritance, disability, HIV/AIDS, land rights, food security, and ethical participatory research. She employs visual and qualitative methods to amplify marginalized voices.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend in transnational care, emotional geographies of death, and youth caregiving. She has conducted comparative studies across Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, and the UK, examining how families navigate illness, migration, and loss. Her work increasingly engages with refugee and migrant families in Europe, especially during the pandemic.

Ruth is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and serves on the editorial board of Gender, Place and Culture. She has secured funding from ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, and the Chronic Poverty Research Centre.

• Fellow, Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers

She supervises PhD students on topics related to care, migration, and intergenerational relations. Her research often involves community engagement and policy impact, particularly through participatory dissemination with young people. She has led projects on land rights in Ghana, bereavement in Senegal, and care in transnational families in Europe.

Ruth is a core member of the Participation Lab and leads the JPI/UKRI-ESRC-funded project Care, Inequality and Wellbeing in Transnational Families in Europe (2021–2024). She collaborates with institutions in Spain, France, Sweden, and Ghana, fostering international research networks focused on care and wellbeing.