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Staff Profile

Dr Amy Proctor

Senior Lecturer

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 8506
  • Address: Centre for Rural Economy
    School of Natural and Environmental Sciences
    University of Newcastle
    Newcastle Upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background

Area of Expertise 

Amy Proctor is a Social Scientist based in the Centre for Rural Economy, within the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Newcastle University. Her research interests centre upon the challenges and complexities of rural land and livestock management and the knowledge and expertise which underpin this. She is an experienced interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary researcher, leading on projects which bring together novel combinations of disciplines to tackle wicked problems, often co-designed with land managers and stakeholders. Amy also has interests in understanding the nature and impact of knowledge exchange within research and how stakeholders engage in this process and to what effect.


Amy is Co-I on the £4.5m UKRI-funded RESPECT project undertaking interdisciplinary research exploring how best to support landholders to undertake peatland restoration as part of the Land Use for Net Zero programme. Amy was Co-PI on the £1.5m Wellcome Trust-funded FIELD project leading interdisciplinary research exploring how endemic livestock disease is influenced by nature and culture, science and society and the actions of humans and livestock. She was also PI on the European Horizon 2020 EFFECT project exploring innovations in contract design to enhance delivery of environmental public goods from agriculture.


Amy has also been involved in work for Defra and Natural England, co-designing research with land managers and stakeholders to inform the development of key policies underpinning post-Brexit land management including ELM and the Peatland Strategy for England.


External roles

2020-2023 Member of UKRI Strategic Priorities Fund Landscape Decisions Programme Steering Committee

2016-present Review Editor in Veterinary Humanities and Social Sciences for Frontiers in Veterinary Science Journal


For a full list of my publications please see my Google Scholar Profile


Research

Amy's research has focused on agricultural extension and rural expertise. She also has interests in understanding the nature and impact of knowledge exchange within research and how stakeholders engage in this process and to what effect.

 

Recent Research Projects and Contracts


PhD Students

  • Tom Atkins (2024-ongoing) Adaptive management strategies of amenity grasslands for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
  • Naomi Oakley (2020-ongoing, PT) 'Social opportunities and barriers to regenerative land management on England's upland peatlands' 
  • Cynthia Nneka Olumba 'An analysis of land degradation neutrality interventions in southeast Nigeria' (awarded 2024)
  • Nur Bahiah Mohamed Harris (awarded 2019)


Teaching

The applied and interdisciplinary strengths of Amy's research expertise sit at the heart of her teaching practice. 

Amy is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and leads and contributes to teaching across a range of degree programmes within SNES. She is passionate about providing learning opportunities for students to help them recognise the importance of having a broader, interdisciplinary viewpoint, developing key academic and professional skills and encouraging experiential learning through exposure to ‘real-world’ settings, practitioners and authentic assessments.


Amy is module leader for the Stage 1 'Sustainability in Practice' module (NES1100). Amy also contributes to teaching on the Stage 2 modules 'Sustainable Solutions' (NES2202) and 'Site Management & Communication Skills' (NES2104). She also acts as Stage 3 dissertation supervisor for Sustainable Land & Business Management and Agri-Business Management Students.


Publications