Research topic: 

Understanding Interaction in the Environmental Movement - The Case of Anti-Fracking

Sam has held a range of roles with human rights and international development organisations including Amnesty International UK and Oxfam Great Britain, most recently as Head of Policy and Advocacy where he oversaw Oxfam's political influencing strategy and contact management with UK government and parliamentarians. 

Sam is Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Bath where is course convenor for MSc course: 'Humanitarianism in principle and practice’. He has spoken at events at the University of Cambridge, University of Birmingham and University of Amsterdam, covering topics including theories of social change, approaches to international development and UK foreign policy.

He has extensive media experience, delivering interviews on major radio and television news channels (BBC News, BBC Radio 5 Live, Channel 4, Sky News, LBC) and has been quoted in numerous news and current affairs outlets including The Times, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, The Huffington Post and The Independent.

Research interests: 

Sam’s research covers social movements, environmental politics, humanitarianism and NGOs, using qualitative methods as well as comparative and case-study designs. 

A key focus of his work is on the way in which groups in the environmental movement in the UK (NGOs, national direct action networks, grassroots groups) interact and the factors that shape their propensity to engage in cooperation, competition or conflict. Why does cooperation occur in some instances, but not in others? What role do factors such as politics, resources and identity play in shaping these interactions?

Supervisors: Dr Armine Ishkanian, Dr Tim Hildebrandt

Expertise details: Social movements, NGOs, Environmental politics, Alliances, Humanitarianism