Megan O'Byrne

(she/her)

BA, MSc

Research

Research Interests:

• The circular economy
• Critical socio-environmental research
• Circular consumption practices
• Socio-material relationships
• Circular economy governance 
• The 'circular consumer' 

Thesis

Repair and reuse in the circular economy: circular consumption discourses, spaces and practices in Ireland and Wales

This research is focused on the socio-spatial context of circular economy policies on consumption practices, using a dual case study of Ireland and Wales. As concerns of resource scarcity and environmental degradation are increasingly linked to anthropogenic consumption patterns, the circular economy (CE) concept has become a prominent policy response. The CE conveys a substantially different vision of both economy and society, by linking all production-consumption activities through closed loops that reduce waste and increase material efficiency. Social scientists interrogate where and how the individual operates within this potential/future circular system. This research examines how the consumer/individual as a subject is represented within circular economy discourses and spaces relating to circular consumption practices, specifically repair and reuse. The aim is to establish to what extent the way that the individual and their consumption practices are framed in CE policies shapes the developing landscape of circular consumption spaces like repair cafés, libraries of things and repair and reuse hubs. 

Research question: How is the circular subject constructed and reinforced within circular economy policy discourses and spaces relating to consumption in Ireland and Wales?

Funding sources

Funded by the ESRC through the Welsh Doctoral Training Partnership 2022-2025 in the Environmental Planning Pathway

Teaching

Teaching and demonstration

2021/22 - 2023/24

• CP0254 Developing Research Methods 1 - Seminar teaching 
• CP0274 Development and the Global South - Seminar teaching 
• CP0380 Researching Contemporary Issues in Geography and Planning (Liverpool) - Field study teaching 
• CP0150 The Global Countryside - Assessment feedback
• CP0380 Researching Contemporary Issues in Geography and Planning (New Orleans) - Field study teaching
• CP0380 Researching Contemporary Issues in Geography and Planning (Paris) - Field study teaching

Accreditation

HEA Associate Fellowship (AFHEA) awarded 28 June 2023

Supervisors