Skip to main content
Carly Baker

Miss Carly Baker

Graduate Tutor

School of Geography and Planning

Overview

Hi there, my name is Carly and I am a post graduate researcher. I have spent the past ten years working in veterinary medicine and on farms. While working in those fields, I discovered that our food and health systems were incredibly unjust, and that animal agriculture was severely damaging the environment, which is what led me to university.

I planned to research food geographies and justice and I had no intention of bringing veterinary medicine into my research. But, after spending countless hours trying to find the most nutritious and ethical food for my two dogs, I connected my interest in environmental and food justice to veterinary medicine. It turns out that pet food has a significant social and environmental impact. Consequently, the premium pet food industry is developing alternative pet food movements, which claim many of the same nutritional and ethical qualities of alternative food movements.

The alternative protein sector is my primary focus of my PhD research. My project builds off my Master's research on certified humane pet foods, conducted in the Department of Geography at University of Kentucky. I received my undergraduate degree in geography at University of Washington, where I studied the advantages and limitations of the One Health framework.

My goal is to eventually work in education, preferably places where knowledge is more accessible, such as community colleges. Attending community college changed my life and set me on the path to pursue a doctoral degree as a first-generation and non-traditional college student. I had the opportunity to assist in teaching at the University of Kentucky. Courses: Global Cities and Introduction to Environmental Problems.

Supervisors

Mara Miele

Christopher Bear

Publication

2024

Articles

Research

Methods: ethnography, multispecies, interviews, content and visual analysis, semiotics

Areas of study:

  • alternative food geographies (especially alternative proteins): pet food is largely understudied yet is deeply entangled with the human food industry materially, economically, and discursively.
  • critical animal and pet studies
  • Science and Technology Studies
  • Feminist Geography

Funding, grants, and scholarships:

ERSC Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (2022-2025)

Master's research funded by University of Kentucky teaching assitant ship and BWB funding (2020-2022); Undergraduate degree funded by University of Washington, Tolo Foundation Scholarship, UW Class of 1954 Scholarship, and Emma Sarepta Yule Scholarship (2017-2020).

2020 National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Award for Excellence of Scholarship in Geography, University of Washington

Publications and presentations

Baker, Carly (2022). The Pet's 'Perfect Bowl': environmental and welfare discourse in the certified humane pet food. University of Kentucky Master's thesis. Available here: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/geography_etds/90/

Baker, Carly (2022) "The Pet's 'Perfect Bowl': environmental and welfare discourse in the certified humane pet food" paper presentation at the American Association of Geographers and Dimensions of Political Ecology conferences

Baker, Carly (2019) "Relational Geographies of One Health: Critical Perspective on the Interconnections" Plenum Undergraduate Geography Journal;

  • Paper presentation at Association of Washington Geographers conference, Central Washington University, June 2019
  • Paper presentation at University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Baker, Carly (2017) "Potential of One Voice (poem)," Yours Truly Magazine Publication, Cascadia Community College.

Baker, Carly (2016) "School Gardens: Progressive or Reactionary," paper presented at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Contact Details

Email BakerCR1@cardiff.ac.uk