Dr Nichola Harmer

Lecturer in Human Geography

Qualifications

PhD Human Geography, Plymouth University, 2013.

Professional membership

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society with IBG

Teaching interests

I am currently Stage 2 tutor for Geography, International Exchanges Co-ordinator for Geography. I teach on a range of undergraduate Geography modules. At Stage One these include leading our Sustainable Futures module (GGX1206) and teaching about research methods in our Changing Places module (GGH1202). I co-teach on two new Stage Four modules: Citizenship, Territory, War (GGH3208) and Environmental Politics and Governance (GGH3210). I am a personal/academic tutor across the undergraduate stages for our Geography with International Relations students. I supervise undergraduate dissertations in Human Geography and supervise masters level dissertations in Sustainable Environmental Management. I also teach on the MRes Human Geography. I am currently Director of Studies for one PhD student researching identity narratives in river borderlands and I am second supervisor for a second PhD student who is examining the impacts of fracking on rural communities in the UK. 

Research interests

My research interest cover three main areas with some significant overlap: the relationship between the UK and the British Overseas Territories, sustainability and creative approaches to research in human geography, particularly literature and art. My PhD focused on perceptions of the contemporary relationship between the UK and the overseas territories, focusing on issues of power, identity and ethics. More recently I have researched UK Parliamentary debate on the overseas territories and am currently examining parliamentary discourse on marine and terrestrial environments in the overseas territories. I have also contributed to research and co-authored articles on a wide range of sustainability issues including eco-cities, climate change adaptation, and emissions trading schemes. Having studied American Literature for my undergraduate degree, I am also interested in literary geographies and have written on post-peak oil apocalyptic fiction. I am currently working on a collaboration with artist Naomi Hart on artistic representation of parliamentary debate on environmental issues in the UK overseas territories.