Luke Nolan
- Email: ss23ln@leeds.ac.uk
- Thesis title: Identity and the Reproduction of Cooperative Labour in UK Worker Cooperatives
- Supervisors: Jo Cutter, Professor Vera Trappmann
Profile
I am a postgraduate researcher with the department of People, Work and Employment at Leeds University Business School. I joined the PhD programme in October 2024, funded by a departmental scholarship. My interest in work and employment grew from my experiences of work in the hospitality and retail industries for over ten years. I am passionate about both learning and teaching sociology and hope to contribute to our understanding of the social world through my research.
Research interests
My PhD research is investigating the experiences and identities of workers in UK worker co-operatives. Through in-depth qualitative interviews I am trying to understand how workers’ lived experiences, occupations, and workplace relations inform the reproduction of labour organised around co-operative principles in different ways.
Beyond my PhD project, some of my other research interests include:
- Just transitions from an ecological economics perspective
- Occupational identities
- Democratic participation and autonomy in the workplace
- Participatory research methods
Qualifications
- BA Sociology, The Open University 2023
- MA Social Research, The University of Leeds 2024
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change