Alexandra Sexton

Alexandra Sexton is a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow in Geography at the University of Sheffield.

Her research examines the geographies, politics and histories of food innovation, with a focus on high-tech meat and dairy alternatives. She is particularly interested in the ways that notions of edibility, novelty and ‘good’ food become established, as well as how they change. Her work also investigates the changing economic geographies of food that alternative proteins have prompted in recent years, particularly the turn towards Silicon Valley models of doing food innovation. Her other research interests include: alternative food networks, food justice and security, the politics and ethics of food tech, just transitions and responsible innovation.

Alex has conducted advisory work on the future of protein foods for the UK Government, World Economic Forum and members of the European Parliament. She has lectured widely at international conferences, think tanks and public festivals, including at the EAT Stockholm Food Forum and the Hay Festival. She is a Council Member for the Food Ethics Council in London and a co-founder of Cultivate, the first UK-based non-profit group that supports informed, multi-voiced dialogue about the emergent field of cellular agriculture from UK perspectives. She is a regular contributor to media and industry discussions on the future of food, including a BBC Minute video on cultured meat.

Over recent years Alex has been exploring the implications of alternative proteins for rural landscapes and livelihoods in the UK, and considering what role, if any, these technologies might play in a just protein transition for UK agriculture.