Dr Sian Lewis

Sian's research specialty is sexual harassment in public space, focusing on public transport. As a timely topic, she has established herself as an expert in the field and engaged extensively with both stakeholders and the media. She acted as an academic expert on the British Transport Police Sexual Offences Independent Advisory and Scrutiny Panel, wrote evidence for the UK parliamentary Women and Girls Equalities Committee, and has appeared on national and global television and radio. She has also spent time in Udaipur, India, working for a local criminological think tank. She is currently part of an interdisciplinary research team exploring the links between gender-based violence and the pandemic restrictions on movement. Prior to working at the University of Plymouth, Sian has worked as University of Roehampton, Loughborough University and Anglia Ruskin University.

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology – Loughborough University, School of Social Sciences, October 2015 - March 2019
  Thesis Title: Sexual harassment on the London Underground: Mobilities, temporalities and knowledges of gendered violence in public transport.

• MSc in Gender, Sexuality and Society – University of Amsterdam, School of Social Sciences, 2013 - 2014
  Thesis Title: Lads on Tour: Deconstructing Masculinities in Amsterdam’s Red Light District.

• BSc Global Health and Humanitarian Relief – University of Hull, 2009 - 2012

Teaching interests

• Urban space and social exclusion
• Gender, sexual harassment and sexual violence
• Criminological theory

Research interests

• Sexual harassment (in public space)
• Urban space
• Gender based violence
• Current research – gender based violence and lockdown

Other research

2017-2019 – Research assistant on a project titled ‘LGBT Experiences in Construction’. Using in-depth interviews and focus groups we investigated experiences of institutional homophobia within the construction industry. Responsibilities include recruiting participants, conducting interviews, analysing data, delivering presentations and working closely with the project leads: https://www.ciobacademy.org/course/lgbt-in-construction/

Grants & contracts

2020-2021 UKRI grant (£131,485) gender based violence and lockdown. Part of interdisciplinary research team. 

Reports & invited lectures

• Lewis, Sian ‘Sexual Harassment in Public Transport’. International Women’s Week: Tackling Trolling and Sexual Harassment. Loughborough University (March 2020)

• Lewis, Sian, ‘Mind the (gender) gap: sexual harassment on the London Underground’ University of Sussex (March 2018)

• Lewis, Sian, ‘Experiences of sexual harassment on the London Underground’, Loughborough University Consent Week (February 2017)

• Lewis, Sian ‘Lads on Tour’: Deconstructing Masculinities in Amsterdam’s Red Light District’, guest lecture at Loughborough University (2017)

•  Lewis, Sian ‘Experiences and Perceptions of Sexual Harassment on the London Underground’, British Transport Police Research Day, British Transport Police Headquarters, London (December 2016)

• Lewis, Sian ‘Experiences of Sexual Harassment on the London Underground’, University of Warwick Centre for the Study of Women and Gender (2016)

Conferences organised

• Organising committee for the ‘Feminist Methodologies Symposium’ (20/03/2018) at Loughborough University

Other academic activities

• PhD research used to inform British Transport Police Sexual Offences Independent Advisory and Scrutiny Panel (2017)

• PhD research used as published written evidence by the parliamentary Women and Equalities Committee (Sexual harassment of women and girls in public places inquiry: http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/women-and-equalities-committee/sexual-harassment-of-women-and-girls-in-public-places/written/77406.html

• Lewis Sian, Barnard Sarah, Dainty Andrew, ‘LGBT in Construction: Exploring experiences to inform inclusive practices’, Loughborough University LGBT+ Research Day (May 2nd 2018)

• Lewis, Sian ‘Mind the (gender) gap: sexual harassment in the London Underground’, LOVA International Conference on Gender, Ethnography and Mobilities, VU University, Amsterdam (July 2017)