Samantha Wilkinson

Dr. Samantha Wilkinson is a Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), affiliated with the School of Education. Her expertise lies in youth geographies, particularly intergenerational alcohol consumption and mobilities. She leads PhD programs in Education and holds roles as Programme Leader for PhD in Education Research. Her interdisciplinary work bridges Human Geography, Sociology, and Public Health.

Education: PhD in Human Geography (University of Manchester, 2015) and postdoctoral roles at the University of Nottingham. She has secured significant grants, including British Academy/Leverhulme funding for studies on Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities' alcohol practices. Recent projects include exploring intergenerational mobilities via junior parkrun and family access-making practices in Greater Manchester.

Research Interests:

• Youth and intergenerational alcohol consumption
• Intergenerational mobilities
• Creative qualitative methods

Her work emphasizes innovative methodologies like crafting, mobile phone interviews, and participatory approaches. She has published over 50 articles and chapters in high-impact journals.

Awards include nominations for Research Excellence (2025) and multiple teaching accolades, including shortlisting for MMU’s 'Teacher of the Year' (2019). She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and serves on editorial boards for journals like Social and Cultural Geography and Children & Society.

Supervision: Currently advising doctoral research on language education, pediatric cancer toxicity, and ADHD inclusion. Grants and collaborations extend to projects funded by the Institute of Alcohol Studies, MMU’s Research Accelerator, and international networks like the Drinking Studies Network.

Labs/Teams: Active in interdisciplinary groups such as the Royal Geographical Society’s Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group, and the British Sociological Association’s Alcohol Study Group.