Biography

Graduate of the University of Leicester (BA and PhD). 

My first job was working at City University London managing the 1970 Birth Cohort Study (BCS70), from which our report on adult literacy (Ekinsmyth and Bynner, 1993) directly led to the UK Government 'Skills for Life' programme.

I joined the Department of Geography at Portsmouth as a Lecturer in 1993. This is now the School of the Environment and Life Sciences.  I am Co-Chair of the UK Women's Enterprise Policy Group and an Executive Committee member of the ISBE Gender and Entreprenuership Network. I am a Mentor on the MENAGEN International Mentee Programme.

My international research profile is in the geography of work, self-employment/enterprise and gender. I recently won 2 awards at ISBE 2023 international conference (Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship) including Best Overall Conference Paper.

I have recently been working in a multi-partner team on the EU-Intereg-funded 'Accelerating Women's Entrepreneurship' project. This has led to a number of reports and academic publications (most recently Ekinsmyth (2026), 'Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Disadvantaged Places, Local Economy).

I currently lead modules on 'Uneven Cities, Planning and Design', 'Transport and Sustainability', a 'Berlin Fieldtrip - Urban Renegeration', and 'Cold Environments Helsinki - Sustainable Urban Change'. I also contribute to other teaching in the School.

Research interests

An Economic Geographer with key research interests in gender, place and self-employment/enterprise.

I have a strong international research profile, in particular the related themes of women's enterprise, creative economy work; self-employment, spaces, places and practice of enterprise; gender, self-employment, work-life balance, parenting and work. My most recent  prize-winning paper at ISBE 2023 is on enterprise support ecosystems in disadvantaged places (published - Ekinsmyth, 2026).

My research is especially concerned with the intersection of the economic and the social at the level of the working pratices of individuals and households.  Much of my research is applied - I recently published a policy review on family policy and entrepreneurship (2022 - Enterprise Research Centre) and in my role as Co-Chair of the Women's Enterprise Policy Group, a Government-targetted report 'Fuelling Growth' (Ekinsmyth and Treanor, 2024).