I am a relatively new PhD student, having begun my research in October with the James Hutton Institute and the Countryside and Community Research Institute at the University of Gloucestershire, as part of the NICRE team in the South West. My previous research has examined topics such as land ownership and the impact of tourism on rural communities. NICRE’s work has proved central to my reading for my PhD so far, particularly its research on tackling digital exclusion, rural enterprise hubs, and the future of work. I have also been investigating topics such as the rural-urban divide, rural business resilience, and the impact of Covid-19 on rural communities worldwide.
I had the opportunity to contribute to NICRE’s future of work module on its innovation portal by writing a State of the Art Review (SOTA) during the summer before starting my PhD, which outlined future trends in remote working and their implications for rural businesses, building on the resources already available on the website. This was a fantastic opportunity to immerse myself in the literature for my PhD.