Emily Cooper

The PhD focused on the impacts of massage parlours on the everyday geographies of residential communities in Blackpool.

Between 2013 and 2014, Emily worked as a Researcher at Ascentis (an awarding body) and held several teaching roles at Lancaster University between 2009-2014. Emily then took up the role of Senior Teaching Associate at Lancaster University in 2014, before joining Northumbria University as Lecturer in Human Geography in 2015.

Emily’s research broadly centres on how sex, space and society interact, with a particular focus on sex work in recent studies. Her doctoral research focused on massage parlours in Blackpool and explored the everyday experiences of local residents and businesses. Emily is also interested in sex work regulation and local authority policies, especially relating to the decision-making processes of intervention/”purification” strategies (such as brothel raids) and evaluating the evidence base for these strategies.

Emily has a keen interest in pedagogical research, particularly relating to non-traditional assessment methods (such as creative performance presentations and reflective journals); and especially with regards to teaching material that is on sensitive topics.

More general research themes include: conflict and deviance in urban space, the geographies of stigma and exclusion in everyday life, and liminal spaces.