Emma Surman

My research adopts a social scientific approach to the areas of consumer culture, critical marketing and organisation studies. My current projects explore the links between the production and consumption of food and I hold an EPSRC grant to explore the potential of digital technologies to assist people who experience food poverty. I am also interested in and have conducted research into food swapping and the growing (and eating) of food amongst school children. My previous work has looked at the experience of telework amongst call centre staff and gender, emotion and embodied learning in organisations.

I adopt an interpretive and ethnographic approach to research but am also looking to explore new methods of research, which enable the co-design of research and co-creation of knowledge. I am a member of the Community Animation and Social Innovation Centre (CASIC) at Keele and I am currently working with the New Vic Theatre using cultural animation techniques to conduct research with local communities as part of my EPSRC grant on food banks.