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Staff Profile

Dr Sarah Coulthard

Senior lecturer in marine social science

Background
I am a marine social scientist which means that I apply social science theory and method to understand the complex relationships between human society and the marine environment, with a view to support sustainable use of marine resources, flourishing coastal communities and healthy marine ecosystems. I'm also interested in broader (non-marine) natural resource sustainability,  ecosystem services, nature conservation, environmental change, and making just transitions to a more sustainable way of living.  
Research

I graduated with a PhD in 2006 from the University of Bath, which applied theories of social-ecological resilience to inform the coastal management of India’s second largest lagoon (Pulicat lake), where I lived and conducted fieldwork in rural fishing villages for two years. After graduating, I then worked for the Environment Agency as a social policy advisor and in parallel, as a part time postdoc for the University of Bath ‘Wellbeing in Developing Countries’ research group (WeD). WeD was a large 7-year ESRC funded project with the aim to empirically develop a conceptual and methodological framework for the study of wellbeing in developing countries. 

The foundation of my research profile is the application of the now expansive work on social wellbeing, an increasingly important measure of social progress, to the specific context of fisheries and marine governance.  I have used wellbeing methodology as a multi-dimensional social impact assessment tool to capture the diverse impacts of different governance arrangements, and broader social-economic change, in fisheries. Most recently, my research has focussed on the subjective dimension of wellbeing (how people think and feel about their lives), the relational dimension of wellbeing (social relationships between people), and the influence of gender in marine fisheries. I have written extensively about how understanding peoples’ wellbeing strategies can shine new light on the behaviour and motivations of fishers and their families. Most recently, this has included the impact of household relationships and domestic violence on the capacity of women to adapt to environmental change (Coulthard et al 2020).  I have led research extensively in South Asia as well as in Eastern and Southern Africa (see below for specific projects).

I have held posts at the University of Amsterdam, where I retain a position on the board of the biennial People and the Sea (MARE) conference and its associated journal Maritime Studies, Ulster University, and Northumbria University. I am currently on secondment (3 days a week) for the UK Marine Management Organisation, where I contribute to developing a process for piloting Highly Protected Marine Areas HPMAs in UK waters, following the 2020 Benyon Review.  


Research projects:

Principal investigator Contract research for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Developing a social-ecological resilience framework for UK fisheries £10,000 (January 2023 start)

 

Principal Investigator Contract research for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Evaluation of operations of the Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authorities (IFCAs), North East England. £10,000 (October 2022)

 

Principal Investigator Contract research for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Capturing the social value of small-scale commercial and recreational fishing to coastal communities in the context of Highly Protected Marine Area proposals. £10,000 (October 2022).

 

Principal Investigator Digital stories from Holy Island (UK) – the socio-cultural meanings of place, wildlife and fisheries. Community Engagement QR Fund, Newcastle University, £10,000 (Jan-Jul 2022)

 

Principal Investigator Building social resilience in the UK fisheries sector – a rapid assessment of multiple stresses, wellbeing impacts, stakeholder needs and innovative solutions. QR Policy Fund, Newcastle University £20,000 (Jan-Jul 2022).

 

Secondment to Marine Management Organisation (part time) (Sept 2021- November 2022) Stakeholder engagement strategy for Highly Protected Marine Areas (DEFRA). NU12622, £40,701; and Assessing the impacts of gear switching on sustainability and social outcomes in UK inland fisheries (£27,000)

 

Consultancy (2022), Marine Management Organisation: Developing a road map for co-management in coastal resource management in the UK. NU12623 £12,926 (April 2022)

 

Principal Investigator Multiple dimensions of wellbeing in practice across ESPA research. Synthesis /review. NERC-ESRC-DfID funded Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Programme [£23,000] (2017-2018)

Co-Investigator ESPA Insights into Resilience and Wellbeing: Research Frontiers for Sustainable Development. NERC-ESRC-DfID funded Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Programme [£200,000], led by Exeter University (2016-2017).

Principal Investigator Valuing Progress in International Development. Consultancy for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London [£36,000]) (2013-2014).

Co-Investigator Sustainable poverty alleviation from coastal ecosystem services (SPACES): Investigating elasticities, feedbacks and tradeoffs. NERC-ESRC-DfID funded Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme [£2,000,000], led by the Stockholm Resilience Centre (2013-2016).

Principal Investigator Developing a social wellbeing approach for sustainable fisheries in South Asia. ESRC funded First Grants /Future Leaders Scheme [£205,000] (2011-2014).

Co-Investigator Re-incorporating the excluded: Providing space for small-scale fishers in the sustainable development of fisheries of South Africa and South Asia. Led by University of Amsterdam, NWO-WOTRO funded [€ 619,400] (2011-2015).

Co-investigator Participatory Modelling Frameworks to Understand Wellbeing Trade-offs in Coastal Ecosystem Services in Kenya. NERC-ESRC-DfID funded Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA), led by University of East Anglia [£249,762] (2011-2012).

Co-investigator Building Capacity for Sustainable Governance in South Asian Fisheries: Poverty, Wellbeing and Deliberative Policy Networks. NERC-ESRC-DfID funded Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA) [£149,862] (2009-2010), led by Institute of Development Studies, Brighton.

Researcher Reducing Poverty and Enhancing Equity in the Artisanal Fisheries of Post-War Sierra Leone. British Council funded [£89,490] (2007-2008).

Teaching

My teaching reflects a  diverse research portfolio. but often focusses on aspects of sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, health, happiness and wellbeing, marine resource management, and human-environment relationships, often combining with schools of thought from international development and sociology.

Publications