Amber Martin-Woodhead

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.