YESI appoints new Health and Environment Theme co-lead
The York Environmental Sustainability Institute YESI) is delighted to welcome Dr Sabine Clarke as the new co-lead for our Health and Environment Research Theme.
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Sabine is a Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of York and brings a wealth of expertise in the history of science, technology, and medicine, with a particular focus on the British Empire and global development.
Sabine currently leads the Wellcome Trust-funded project The Chemical Empire, which explores the use of synthetic insecticides in Britain, the Caribbean, and Africa. Her work reconstructs the lived experience of pesticide use across the Global South between 1914 and 1965, uncovering how harm was produced and managed through colonial science and policy. Her approach—centering users, technologies, and their contexts—provides groundbreaking insight into the health and environmental consequences of pesticide use and the legacies that persist today.
An enthusiastic advocate of interdisciplinary collaboration, Sabine has contributed to public debate and policy through her writing, including for the British Academy, and appearances such as her feature on the BBC World Service discussing the work of Rachel Carson.
Reflecting on her new role, Sabine said:
“I am really excited about the opportunity to join YESI and have the chance to work with colleagues from a range of disciplines across the University to develop research on environment and health and environmental sustainability more generally. YESI provides an amazing chance for researchers in the Arts and Humanities to see what a difference their work can make in helping resolve our most pressing problems.”
Sabine’s appointment not only brings valuable historical and policy perspectives to YESI’s Health and Environment theme, but also strengthens our connections with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities—broadening the scope of interdisciplinary collaboration across the University. Her leadership will help ensure that diverse voices, methodologies, and insights are at the heart of tackling complex environmental sustainability challenges.