Research

Gender specialist wins prestigious international award

Published 25 January 2012

Dr Kath Browne's pioneering work on gender and sexualities has won her one of the most prestigious international awards in her field.

Dr Browne has been awarded the Jan Monk Service Award by the world's largest professional body of geographers, the Association of American Geographers (AAG). The award is given by the Geographic Perspectives on Women (GPOW) Speciality Group and recognises her work on women and feminist geography both in the academic and wider public sphere.

Dr Browne's research focuses on social geographies of difference and specifically on sexualities and gender. She has developed unique cross-sector networks which have resulted in wide-ranging research studies. These include Count Me In Too, an award-winning project which brought together academic researchers and community activists. It investigated different aspects of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Brighton and Hove, ranging from mental health to housing.

Dr Browne will receive her award at the AAG Annual Meeting in New York City in February. It is her second prestigious award – in 2007 she was given the Gill Memorial Award from the Royal Geographical Society for her work on geographies of sexualities.

Dr Browne said: "I am extremely grateful to receive this prestigious award from the world's largest professional body of geographers. The award is a tribute to the activists, feminists, research participants and students that I have been honoured to work with. I must particularly mention Leela Bakshi, an activist researcher on the Count Me In Too project, who is a constant inspiration."