Safi Bailey
(she/her)

Research student

I am a first year PhD candidate in Sociology. My research explores the seasonal social worlds of the swimming communities of England's river Thames. To dive into these worlds, I am using a range of mobile and sensory methods including video technologies. I am particularly interested in themes of belonging and becoming, nonhuman entanglements, and ecological and human wellbeing.

Thesis

A year of immersion into the River Thames: Diving into the seasonal social worlds of river swimming

I am currently conducting my PhD research into the swimming communities of England's longest river: the Thames. My research aims to explore the inclusions and exclusions of this community, the bodily entanglements that arise from immersion into wild waters, and ideas of ecological and human wellbeing. My research will journey over the course of one year to capture the seasonal variations of these social worlds, using mobile and sensory methods to, quite literally, dive in.

Funding sources

Economic and Social Research Council 1+3 Studentship

MSc in Social Science Research Methods (Sociology) - First Class. Cardiff University.
BA in Geography - First Class with Distinction. University of Cambridge.

Honours and awards

Downham Yeomans Scholarship (2022 and 2023) - awarded for performing in the top 25% of the cohort in undergraduate examinations.
Sidney Sussex College Prize (2022 and 2023) - awarded for performing in the top 10% of the cohort in undergraduate examinations.