Academic Engagement & Professional Service
Academic Engagement & Conference Presentations
RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2026
Presenter & Session Co-convenor | London | September 2026
The RGS-IBG Annual International Conference provided an opportunity to share emerging ideas from my doctoral research and to contribute to the conference programme through two session-convening roles.
Research Presentation
Title: From Surplus to Social Infrastructure: Participatory Redistribution in Unequal Food Systems (Nigeria–UK)
I presented emerging insights from my doctoral research, drawing together fieldwork in Nigeria and the UK, as well as reflections from the Nigeria-Wales knowledge exchange workshop. The presentation explored surplus food redistribution not simply as a response to food waste and food insecurity, but as a form of social infrastructure shaped by participation, relationships, governance and inequalities.
Session Co-convening: Participatory Geographies Research
Alongside presenting, I co-convened the session in which the paper was presented. This provided an opportunity not only to contribute my own research but also to facilitate a wider academic conversation around participatory approaches, inequality, and the relationships between research and practice.
Session Co-convening: New and Emerging Rural Researchers
I also co-convened the New and Emerging Rural Researchers session through my involvement with the Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG). The session created a supportive space for postgraduate and early-career researchers to present emerging work, receive feedback and connect with others working across rural geography.
Reflection
This year's RGS-IBG conference felt like an important point in my PhD journey. Presenting gave me an opportunity to bring together ideas that have developed through fieldwork in Nigeria and the UK, conversations with practitioners, and the Nigeria-Wales workshop, and to test how I am now framing the wider contribution of the research.
What made the experience particularly valuable was participating in the conference in different roles. I was not only presenting my own research but also co-convening two sessions, one connected directly to the themes of my research and another supporting new and emerging rural researchers. Moving between these roles gave me a different experience of the conference and reminded me that academic engagement is as much about creating space for other people's ideas and conversations as it is about presenting our own.
I came away with useful questions, new connections and greater clarity about the story my research is telling as I move further into analysis and writing.
Audience: Academic researchers, PGRs, ECRs and Practitioners
Contribution: Presenter& Co-convener
CoSE PGR Conference, Bangor University, 2026
Conference Presenter | Bangor, UK | 2026
Title: From Surplus to Systemic Health: A One Health Perspective on Food Redistribution in Nigeria and the UK
My presentation examined my research on surplus food redistribution through a One Health lens, drawing on my fieldwork in Nigeria and the UK. It explored how organisations such as the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, FareShare North West, Bwyd Da Môn, and Porthi Dre transform surplus food into social, economic, and environmental value. By tracing the journey of food from donors to communities, the research highlighted how redistribution systems contribute to food access, community wellbeing, resource efficiency, and local resilience. The presentation argued that surplus food redistribution is more than a charitable response to waste; it is an important component of healthier and more sustainable food systems.
Audience: Academic researchers, PGRs, undergraduates, supervisors, and lecturers
Contribution: Presenter
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual Conference 2025
Conference presenter | Birmingham, UK | 2025
Paper Title: A Hopeful Solution: Fieldwork Perspectives on Lagos Food Bank Redistribution Initiatives
Presented research exploring surplus food redistribution through a decolonial food systems lens. Drawing on fieldwork from Nigeria, the presentation examined how redistribution initiatives create social, economic, and environmental value while operating within complex governance structures and experiences of food insecurity.
Audience: Academic researchers, postgraduate students, and practitioners
Contribution: Conference presenter
22nd Rural Entrepreneurship Conference (REC2025)
Conference presenter | Bangor, UK | 2025
Paper Title: Beyond Charity: Business Outcomes and Employability Dimensions of Lagos Food Bank Initiative
This work shares how surplus food redistribution can function as an example of social entrepreneurship. Drawing on fieldwork with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative (Nigeria), it explored how rescued food creates economic opportunities, supports small-scale farmers, boosts employability skills among volunteers, and strengthens community partnerships. The study highlighted how food redistribution can go beyond charity, serving as a practical way to support sustainable livelihoods, local capacity building, and resilient rural development while addressing food waste and food insecurity. This approach not only benefits communities but also encourages a more collaborative and hopeful future
Audience: Academic researchers, postgraduate students, and practitioners
Contribution: Conference presenter
CoSE PHD Conference, Bangor University, 2025
Conference and Poster Presenter | Bangor, UK | 2025
Title: From Waste to Wellness: How Surplus Food Redistribution Transforms Public Health and Sustainability
The poster and presentation explored how the Lagos Food Bank Initiative transforms surplus food into a resource to improve health, reduce waste, and support vulnerable communities. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, and qualitative research, the presentation explored the social, environmental, and economic value created through food redistribution. Initial findings highlighted the role of volunteers, partnerships, and community-based initiatives in strengthening food systems, building resilience, and advancing larger sustainability and public health goals.
Audience: Academic researchers, PGRs, undergraduates, supervisors, and lecturers
Contribution: Presenter
Research talk to GEOSOC, Bangor University, 2024
Presenter | Bangor, UK | 2024
Paper Title: Fieldwork Reflections: Stories from the frontlines of Lagos Food Bank
My presentation shared reflections from my fieldwork with Lagos Food Bank Initiative, using my experience to show undergraduates what qualitative research can look like beyond textbooks. I discussed how fieldwork in Nigeria differs from fieldwork in the UK, particularly regarding access, travel, infrastructure, relationships, flexibility, and the emotions that accompany fieldwork. The talk also introduced reflexivity by considering my own position as a Nigerian researcher based in the UK and how my background, assumptions, relationships, and field experiences shaped how I collected and interpreted data. Drawing on interviews, participatory observation, document analysis, and following the journey of food, the talk showed that qualitative research is not simply “talking to people.” It requires planning, patience, adaptation, trust-building, and constant reflection.
Audience: Geography Undergraduates, Lecturers
Contribution: Presenter
Public Scholarship & Media contributions
Bonner, E. (Other), Hjort, E. (Other), Bennett-Gillison, S. (Other), Thomas Lane, E. (Other), Ayub, F. (Other), Ifiemor, P. (Other), Tenbrink, T. (Other), Jones, J. (Other) & Raine, B. (Other) (2025)
Jun 2025
Ydy mwy bob tro yn well? Ail-ystyried twf mewn cyd-destun gwledig (Is more always better? Reconsidering growth in a rural context)
Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG) Blog Contribution
Finding Community in the PhD Journey
Methods, Messiness, and Making Sense of Data: Reflections from Recent RGRG PGR Coffee Sessions
Academic Publications
Peer-reviewed publications arising from this research will be listed here as they become available
Academic & Professional Service
Academic research extends beyond publications and presentations. Alongside my doctoral research, I contribute to academic communities through mentoring, student representation, conference facilitation, and peer support activities within Bangor University and wider research networks.
Research Group Postgraduate Representative (RGRG)
Role: Postgraduate Representative
Organisation: Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG), Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Period: 2025 - 2026
Contribution:
Organised and facilitated a programme of online postgraduate coffee sessions focused on research experiences, methods, writing and publishing.
Created opportunities for postgraduate researchers to share challenges, exchange practical knowledge and build connections across institutions.
Supported communication and engagement between postgraduate researchers and the RGRG committee.
Contributed to postgraduate-focused communications and activities within the research group.
Co-convened the New and Emerging Rural Researchers session at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference 2026.
Impact: Supported peer learning, knowledge exchange and professional development among postgraduate researchers across rural geography and related disciplines, while contributing to a more connected and supportive postgraduate research community.
Session Co-convenor, RGS-IBG Annual International Conference | 2026
Session: New and Emerging Rural Researchers
Research Group Sponsor: Rural Geography Research Group (RGRG), Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Date: 3 September 2026
Session Co-convenor, RGS-IBG Annual International Conference | 2026
Session: Innovative and fair food communities: towards shared knowledge, shared hope and future resilience.
Research Group Sponsor: Participatory Geography Research Group (PyGyRG) in conjunction with Food Geography Research Group. Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Date: 2 September 2026
Student Mentoring & University Service
Alongside my research, I have contributed to student support and university engagement at Bangor University through mentoring and peer-support roles.
International Student Mentor | Bangor University
Supported international students in navigating university life and postgraduate study, sharing practical experiences and signposting relevant academic and wellbeing support.
Peer Guide | Bangor University
Supported new students transitioning into university life through orientation activities, Open Days and informal guidance on academic and student support services.
Contribution: These roles have allowed me to support students' confidence and belonging by drawing on my own experience navigating postgraduate and university life.