Sophie Day

Dr. Sophie Day is a Senior Research Associate in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia (UEA), and a member of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, the Marine Knowledge Exchange Network, and ClimateUEA. She is currently seconded to North Norfolk District Council, supporting the Coastwise programme—a Defra and Environment Agency-funded initiative to transition coastal communities facing erosion.

Her research focuses on adaptation to coastal change, adaptive governance, public engagement with climate change, and sustainable coastal futures. She completed her PhD at UEA in 2005, analyzing the role of visual communication in public engagement with climate change. She has led major interdisciplinary projects, including stakeholder engagement in the Tyndall Centre’s Sustainable Coasts theme and co-editing the influential 2015 book Broad Scale Coastal Simulation.

Her recent work includes the UK’s first sandscaping scheme and knowledge exchange initiatives to improve coastal resilience. Her publications span high-impact journals such as Global Environmental Change and Ocean Engineering, and her research has been widely cited and referenced in policy documents. She won the 2024 UEA Innovation and Impact Award for her work with Coastwise.

Her 15 most recent articles reflect a consistent focus on coastal adaptation, stakeholder engagement, visual communication, and governance, with strong interdisciplinary integration across environmental science, social science, and policy.

• Consultancy Project of the Year, UEA Innovation and Impact Awards (2024)

Sophie has advised on and led multiple funded research and consultancy projects. Her work with the Marine Knowledge Exchange Network and the Blue Opportunities project highlights her commitment to translating academic research into real-world impact. She has no formal students listed, but has mentored through collaborative research and knowledge exchange.

She is actively involved in public discourse, including writing for The Conversation, and continues to contribute to academic and policy debates on coastal resilience and climate adaptation.