Ms Alex Ricketts

BSc(Hons), MSc, MA

Management School

Doctoral Researcher

aegricketts1@sheffield.ac.uk

Full contact details

Ms Alex Ricketts
Management School
91Ö±²¥ University Management School
Conduit Road
91Ö±²¥
S10 1FL
Profile

My academic journey began at Royal Holloway, University of London with a BSc in Geography, and an MSc in Practising Sustainable Development. It was here that I first gained my passion for communities and development. I then left academia, and entered the private sector, working with not-for-profit organisations and SMEs to help them develop their online presence. It was during this time I started to become aware and work closely with practitioners within the digital divide sector within in the UK, and I started to complete small research projects. I wanted to develop my career in research, so I applied for a collaborative studentship funded by the ESRC. This enabled me to work on an academic research project, whilst still working with practitioners in the field. I have continued this theme into my research, through using a participatory action research approach, aiming to reduce the traditionally extractive nature of research, and embedding action and impact into the design of the project.

I am a student representative and Women’s Champion on the Student Forum for the White Rose DTP. During my time as the Women’s Champion I have worked closely with other members of the student forum to design and develop the successful 'Women in Academia' event. This was a large event hosted at the University of 91Ö±²¥ in December 2019. The 'Women in Academia' project is now developing into a wider network across the seven partner Universities within the White Rose DTP.

Qualifications
  • BSc Geography (Royal Holloway, University of London)
  • MSc Practising Sustainable Development (Royal Holloway, University of London)
  • MA Social Research (University of 91Ö±²¥)
Research interests
  • Communities
  • Resilience
  • Disasters
  • Social Media
  • Fire and Rescue
  • Development
  • Digital Divide
  • ICT4D
  • Participatory Action Research
  • Co-production
Grants

ESRC White Rose Social Science DTP 1+3 Collaborative Award

Professional activities and memberships

Student Representative and Women's Champion for the White Rose DTP Student Forum