Prof Michael Hardman
School of Science, Engineering & Environment
Current positions
Professor of Urban Sustainability
Biography
I am currently Professor of Urban Sustainability at the University of Salford. Prior to this, I led programmes in the division of Geography and Environmental Management, alongside other leadership roles, such as a REF Impact Case Study lead for our recent submission. Before joining Salford in 2013, I was a Research Fellow in Birmingham on the UK National Ecosystem Follow-On project, working alongside DEFRA, Natural England, the Environment Agency and others to explore the mainstreaming of the ecosystem approach concept.
My work broadly surrounds exploring ways of enabling sustainability within cities, from radical greening initiatives, to urban agriculture, guerrilla gardening and beyond. I have led and been involved in projects in the likes of Africa, North America, Europe and across the UK. Such funding has been obtained via charities, industrial partners, research councils and global bodies.
Stemming from this work, I have keynoted at a wide variety of major global events, such as the international Society of City and Regional Planners Congress in South Africa, to a UNESCO event in Oregon, USA and other keynotes in the likes of France, Slovakia, The Netherlands and across the UK. I have also acted as a regular media commentator in the likes of the British and global presses, alongside appearing in documentaries on climate change and other forms of media. My work also sees me acting as a senior editor on several journals (e.g. Cogent OA Geography), to undertaking external advisory roles for community bodies, to climate change agencies and beyond.
Alongside my academic roles, I hold several non-academic positions with organisations, from a Trustee of Social Farms & Gardens to an advisor for Food Sync and member of a number of other similar organisations and policy bodies. I also hold several visiting researcher positions in the likes of Europe, Africa and North America. This includes being a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Social Responsibility at Edge Hill University, to visiting researcher posts at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and the Toronto-based Carrot City Research Group.
I supervise a wide range of PGRs from around the world who focus on topics ranging from urban agriculture to radical greening, innovations in public health, environmental impact, flood mitigation and beyond. My PhD students include recent graduates, to lecturers from other institutions and directors of major organisations, both at a national and international level. I welcome PGR applications which focus on my areas of research around the broad field of urban sustainability studies.