Dr Amber Martin-Woodhead

Senior Research Fellow

Amber is a Senior Research Associate in Design for Sustainability in the School of Art and Design at Manchester Metropolitan University.

She is an interdisciplinary researcher working across design and human geography, with a particular focus on material cultures and sustainable consumption. Her recent and ongoing research examines the sustainable potential of minimalist lifestyles and parenting, sustainable fashion, and circular design systems, with an emphasis on how everyday objects, values, and practices can support more sustainable ways of living.

Amber is currently under contract with Princeton University Press, writing a book on the sustainable potential of lifestyle minimalism. Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Consumer Culture, Urban Studies, Gender, Place & Culture, Area, and International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles, as well as in edited volumes on ethical and sustainable consumption.

She actively contributes to public debate on sustainable consumption through articles in The Conversation and The i newspaper, and frequently provides expert commentary for major media outlets including The Thomson Reuters Foundation News and Cosmopolitan. She 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.

Amber holds a BA (Hons) in Geography, MSc in Economy, Space & Society and a PhD in Human Geography from The University of Nottingham, and a PGcertAPHE from Coventry University.