Dr Alison Pooley

Alison will be leading the Sustainable Healthy Communities theme within the Suffolk Sustainability Institute. Alison has extensive experience within higher education, particularly within architecture and the built environment, where she has led and developed both undergraduate and postgraduate accredited architecture courses. Alison comes to University of Suffolk from the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Wales, where she first started teaching in 2003 on their MSc programmes, going on to develop the Professional Diploma in Architecture (Part 2) in 2008. Before starting an academic career, Alison was in architectural practice for several years, before which she worked as a housing officer in East London; an experience which led her to want to retrain and study architecture.

As well as having an active research and teaching profile, Alison is a trustee of three local housing charities, including her local Community Land Trust. Her current research is focused on forms of housing that address the future needs of an ageing population, bringing her professional practice full circle to address inequalities in housing supply and performance.

Alison completed her PhD exploring learning, transformation, and environmental responsibility with the UK construction industry at the Welsh School of Architecture, and her research preoccupations remain focused on healthy, resilient communities, and responding to the environmental imperative through transforming practice.

Alison retains her links with the Centre for Alternative Technology, teaching on their M.Arch Sustainable Architecture course, and supervises PhD students across a range of built environment themes.