Academic career
Before going freelance I was a researcher at the University of Edinburgh (2008–17), specialising in food studies and science and technology studies (STS). After a first degree in English, I moved into cultural studies and sociology, focusing on food and nutrition: my PhD explored ‘nutritional primitivism’ in popular low-carbohydrate diets of the 1990s and 2000s. My postdoctoral role at the ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum had a knowledge exchange remit: I was responsible for communicating research about ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic science to policymakers. I also undertook research about knowledge exchange and research impact in the social sciences. In 2013 I secured a Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship to continue my research in food studies, exploring cultural representations of the Scottish diet.
My academic career is the backbone of my work as a freelance editor, supporting researchers across the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as organisations publishing research-based evidence to inform policy. I’m also delighted to provide research services in my specialist areas on a consultancy basis.
Employment
Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, 2013–17. Stalking the deep-fried Mars bar: The history of the Scottish diet stereotype.
Policy Research Fellow, ESRC Genomics Policy and Research Forum, University of Edinburgh, 2008–13.
Education
MFA (Distinction), Manchester Writing School, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2020.
PhD, Discipline of English, University of Adelaide, and Human Nutrition Division, CSIRO, 2008. The food nature intended you to eat: Nutritional primitivism in low-carbohydrate diet discourse.
BA (Hons 1st class), Discipline of English, University of Adelaide, 2003.
Highlights
Over 20 academic publications (full list below), as well as research-based blog posts, newsletter articles, policy briefings, and consultation responses.
Over £190,000 in grant funding (>95% as PI), including Wellcome Trust Research Fellowship in Medical Humanities.
Invited plenaries at conferences in Scotland and Finland, plus seminar presentations and guest lectures at universities across the UK and Australia.
Public talks ranging from local community organisations to repeat invitations for the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Media coverage of my research by Science online, Vogue Australia, The Times, The Scotsman, The Herald, Daily Record, The Courier, and The Sun.
Interviews on BBC Radio Scotland, Swiss Public Radio, ABC Radio (Australia), and Radio Adelaide.
Board member of the Association for the Study of Food & Society 2015–18. Co-convenor of Food Researchers in Edinburgh 2013–16.
Organised two conferences and numerous smaller workshops and events. Founded and coordinated a departmental writing group. Experienced mentor.
Admitted to the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland in 2014.
Articles & chapters
Knight, C., & Tominc, A. (2023). The travelogue cooking show in a sub-state nation: Representing Scotland in British food television. European Journal of Cultural Studies, online ahead of print.
Knight, C., & Shipman, J. (2021). Food in contemporary migration experiences between Britain and Australia: A duoethnographic exploration. Food and Foodways, 29(1), 24–43.
Fraser, J., & Knight, C. (2019). Signifying poverty, class, and nation through Scottish foods: From haggis to deep-fried Mars bars. In A. Ichijo, V. Johannes, & R. Ranta (Eds.), The emergence of national food: The dynamics of food and nationalism (pp. 73–84). Bloomsbury.
Loyer, J., & Knight, C. (2018). Selling the “Inca superfood”: Nutritional primitivism in superfoods books and maca marketing. Food, Culture & Society, 21(4), 449–467.
Knight, C. (2016). Negative stereotypes of the Scottish diet: A qualitative analysis of deep-fried Mars bar references in bestselling newspapers in Scotland, 2011–14. Appetite, 103, 369–376.
Knight, C. (2016). Deep-frying the nation: Communicating about Scottish food and nutrition. In M. McWilliams (Ed.), Food and communication: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2015 (pp. 206–215). Prospect.
Knight, C. (2015). “We can’t go back a hundred million years”: Low-carbohydrate dieters’ responses to nutritional primitivism. Food, Culture & Society, 18(3), 441–461.
Knight, C. (2015). Vegetarianism. In K. Albala (Ed.), Food issues: An encyclopedia (pp. 1428–1433). SAGE.
Vogel, K., & Knight, C. (2015). Analytic outreach for intelligence: Insights from a workshop on emerging biotechnology threats. Intelligence and National Security, 30(4), 686–703.
Knight, C., & Lyall, C. (2013). Knowledge brokers: The role of intermediaries in producing research impact. Evidence & Policy, 9(3), 309–316.
Knight, C., & Smith, M. (2013). The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. New Genetics and Society, 32(2), 107–118.
Lightowler, C., & Knight, C. (2013). Sustaining knowledge exchange and research impact in the social sciences and humanities: Investing in knowledge broker roles in UK universities. Evidence & Policy, 9(3), 317–334.
Knight, C. (2012). “An alliance with Mother Nature”: Natural food, health, and morality in low-carbohydrate diet books. Food and Foodways, 20(2), 102–122.
Knight, C. (2012). Indigenous nutrition research and the low-carbohydrate diet movement: Explaining obesity and diabetes in Protein Power. Continuum, 26(2), 289–301.
Knight, C. (2011). “Most people are simply not designed to eat pasta”: Evolutionary explanations for obesity in the low-carbohydrate diet movement. Public Understanding of Science, 20(5), 706–719.
Knight, C. (2011). “If you’re not allowed to have rice, what do you have with your curry?”: Nostalgia and tradition in low-carbohydrate diet discourse and practice. Sociological Research Online, 16(2).
Knight, C., & Smith, M. (2011). The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008: A multidisciplinary workshop. SCRIPTed, 8(1), 106.
Knight, C., & Lightowler, C. (2010). Reflections of “knowledge exchange professionals” in the social sciences: Emerging opportunities and challenges for university-based knowledge brokers. Evidence & Policy, 6(4), 543–556.
Knight, C. (2006). Ada’s piano-playing in Jane Campion’s The Piano: Genteel accomplishment or Romantic self-expression? Australian Feminist Studies, 21(49), 23–34.
Knight, C. (2006). Nostalgia and authenticity in low-carbohydrate dieting. In R. Hosking (Ed.), Authenticity in the kitchen: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2005 (pp. 272–282). Prospect.
Knight, C. (2005). “The food nature intended you to eat”: Low-carbohydrate diets and primitivist philosophy. In L. Heldke, K. Mommer, & C. Pineo (Eds.), The Atkins diet and philosophy (pp. 43–56). Open Court.
Edited collections
Knight, C., & Lyall, C. (Eds.). (2013). Knowledge brokers in the social sciences. Evidence & Policy, 9(3).
Knight, C., & Smith, M. (Eds.). (2013). The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. New Genetics and Society, 32(2).