Sarah Neal

Sarah Neal is Professor of Sociology at the University of Sheffield, where she joined in 2016 after previously working at Middlesex University, the Open University and the University of Surrey. She is affiliated with the School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations and serves as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science.

Professor Neal's research focuses on ethnicity, multiculture, migration and superdiversity, with particular interest in community, belonging and place in both urban and rural environments. Her work also explores education, citizenship and school worlds; the politics of Brexit; leisure practices, inequalities and urban and rural greenspace; and qualitative research methods. She has been Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator on numerous research projects funded by The Leverhulme Trust, the Economic and Social Research Council, and Natural England.

Her extensive publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on understanding the complex dynamics of multicultural societies, with particular attention to how everyday social interactions shape and are shaped by broader social, political and economic forces. Her work often examines the intersections between migration, place-making, and identity formation in both urban and rural contexts across England.

Professor Neal has received significant recognition for her scholarly contributions, most notably being named a Fellow of the Academy of Social Science. She previously served as Co-Editor of the journal Sociology from 2013-2017 and currently serves on the Editorial Boards of Ethnic and Racial Studies and the Journal of Intercultural Studies.

She has successfully secured funding for multiple major research projects, including 'Just Turn Up: informal sport and social participation in the superdiverse city' (ESRC, 2022-2024), 'Living Brexit in rural Britain: migration and rural communities' (Leverhulme Trust, 2023-2025), and 'Becoming citizens in 'post secular' Britain: religion in primary school life' (Leverhulme Trust, 2022-2025). Her research consistently emphasizes complex methodologies appropriate for studying diverse and dynamic social phenomena.

Professor Neal teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules on Qualitative Research Methods, Race, Ethnicity and Migration, and the Sociology of Everyday Life. She supervises PhD students working on migration, place and urban multiculture; everyday life, ethnicity, community and belonging; rural sociology; and related topics.