Dr Laura Major
Research Fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Personal statement
Personal statement
I'm an anthropologist specialising in the study of material culture, justice, and community. My research investigates how relationships between people and objects, or landscapes, affect their lives and the choices they make. My work helps in the design of better, fairer, practices and systems with the aim of contributing to sustainable and just management of material cultures and natural landscapes.
I'm currently a Research Fellow based in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde and embedded within a multi-institution interdisciplinary programme hosted by the University of Glasgow.
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Prize And Awards
- Finalist - The Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards
- Recipient
- 2022
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Publications
- Recognising community-managed water institutions : Justice, governance and resilience in rural and island Scotland
- Major Laura, Lawson Elizabeth, Amezaga Jaime, Roberts Jen
- Water Security (2026)
- Seascapes, personhood, and humanity : conceptualising the contribution of international human rights law to sustainable governance of the marine environment
- Major Laura, Webster Elaine
- People and Nature Vol 8, pp. 1128-1140 (2026)
- https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70270
- Equality is not Enough: Equity and the Just Transition to Sustainable Water Systems in Scotland
- Major Laura, Roberts Jen
- (2026)
- A Review of Foundation Scotland’s Approach to Community Benefit Funds : Executive Summary
- Gowens Rebecca, Hannon Matthew, Roberts Jennifer J, Cairns Iain, Major Laura
- (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00094774
- A Review of Foundation Scotland’s Approach to Community Benefit Funds
- Gowens Rebecca, Hannon Matthew, Roberts Jennifer J, Cairns Iain, Major Laura
- (2025)
- https://doi.org/10.17868/strath.00094730
- Homes Need More Than Land : Remembering Water in Rural and Island Development Planning
- Major Laura, Roberts Jen, Lawson Elizabeth
- (2025)
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Professional Activities
- World Water Day at Strathclyde 2026
- Speaker
- 17/3/2026
- The Water of Lismore: Community Exhibition on Water Histories, Practices and Infrastructures
- Curator
- 20/4/2025
- World Water Day 2025
- Speaker
- 24/3/2025
- 'Taps Aff!' The unexpected challenges of water scarcity in Scotland
- Contributor
- 1/9/2024
- Community Insights Update: Barra and Vatersay
- Speaker
- 3/7/2023
- Blue Spaces: Connecting Humanities, Social Sciences and STEM
- Participant
- 5/6/2023
Projects
- Foundation Scotland Community Benefit Fund Review
- Hannon, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Cairns, Iain (Co-investigator) Major, Laura (Co-investigator) Roberts, Jen (Co-investigator)
- 02-Jan-2023 - 31-Jan-2024
- “Taps Aff!” Voicing experiences of water scarcity in rural Scotland
- Major, Laura (Principal Investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2024
- FIRNS Community Benefit Certification for Carbon Offsetting
- Hannon, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Major, Laura (Co-investigator) Roberts, Jen (Co-investigator)
- 01-Jan-2023 - 01-Jan-2024
- EPSRC IAA: SEPA Secondment: Raising the Profile of Water Issues Across Scotland
- Bertram, Doug (Academic) White, Chris (Academic) Roberts, Jen (Co-investigator) Major, Laura (Research Co-investigator) Peters, Joshua (Researcher)
- 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2026
- Research Fellow, UKRI GCRF One Ocean Hub
- Major, Laura (Fellow)
- The One Ocean Hub brings together international and national groups of researchers to address the need for an ocean's governance framework that better protects and promotes the wellbeing of the ocean and the lives most reliant on it.
- 01-Jan-2019 - 31-Jan-2021
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Contact
Dr
Laura
Major
Research Fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Email: laura.major@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted