Research output per year
Research output per year
Accepting PhD Students
Willing to speak to media
Research activity per year
Dr. Amber Martin-Woodhead is an Assistant Professor in Human Geography at Coventry University’s School of The Environment and an ASPiRE research fellow in the Centre for Business in Society.
Her research explores the geographies of consumption and sustainability, with a particular focus on lifestyle minimalism and sustainable fashion. Her work examines how minimalist practices can foster both personal and environmental benefits, investigating topics such as sustainable parenting in minimalist households and the role of minimalist inspired fashion challenges in promoting sustainability, including collaborations with organisations like Tearfund.
Dr. Martin-Woodhead’s work has been published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Consumer Culture, Area, and the International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles, as well as in edited volumes on ethical and sustainable consumption. She is currently authoring a book on the sustainable potential of lifestyle minimalism.
As a recognised expert on sustainable consumption, she contributes widely to public discourse through articles in The Conversation and The i newspaper. She frequently provides expert commentary for major media outlets such as Thomson Reuters Foundation News and Cosmopolitan, and has appeared on podcasts and radio programs, including BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours, offering insights into sustainable fashion, decluttering culture, and minimalist living.
At Coventry University, Dr. Martin-Woodhead has led and taught a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Shop Til’ You Drop: Geographies of Consumption, which critically examines the environmental and social impacts of consumer culture. Her teaching integrates real-world case studies, research-led insights, and fieldwork opportunities to engage students in pressing sustainability issues. She also supervises Geography and Environmental Management dissertation students on sustainable consumption, circular economies, and ethical fashion.
Amber was awarded an ESRC 1+3 studentship to complete a MSC in Economy, Space and Society and a PhD at the University of Nottingham, which she completed in 2013. The doctoral thesis used a mixed methods approach to explore the social, economic, and feminist geographies of the sex retail industry.
Following her PhD, she took a role as Lecturer in Economic Geography at Queen Mary, University of London, where she taught on globalisation, consumption and economic geography and conducted research on the luxury fashion industry with Professor Louise Crewe (University of Nottingham).
She then worked as quantitative research executive in a market research agency, designing and analysing large scale consumer surveys for clients from the luxury retail and beauty industries.
She joined Coventry University as a lecturer in 2016 and was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2021. She has led many modules focused on economic and feminist geography and also teaches qualitative and quantitative research methods. She maintains her research in minimalism and sustainable fashion and regularly contributes to broadcast and written media on these themes.
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education, Postgraduate Certificate, Certificate in Learning and Teaching, Distinction., Queen Mary University of London
1 Sept 2013 → 1 Jun 2014
Award Date: 1 Jun 2014
Human Geography, Doctorate, Sex shops and Erotic boutiques: Geographies of sex-product retailing in contemporary England. , University of Nottingham
1 Sept 2009 → 2 Dec 2013
Award Date: 2 Dec 2013
Economic Geography, MSc, Economy, Space and Society, University of Nottingham
1 Sept 2008 → 1 Sept 2009
Award Date: 1 Jun 2009
Geography, Degree, BA Geography, University of Nottingham
1 Sept 2005 → 1 May 2008
Award Date: 1 Jun 2008
Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Speaker)
Activity: Talk or presentation › Oral presentation
Martin-Woodhead, A. (Recipient), 2024
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
26/03/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
22/11/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
13/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
2/05/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
21/02/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment