Sophie Durrans

Sophie Durrans is SHARE’s Research Uptake Officer. She is responsible for ensuring that SHARE’s research findings are translated in the most appropriate way to a variety of audiences, and that these findings influence sanitation and hygiene policy and practice locally, nationally and internationally. This involves active engagement of practitioners, policymakers and researchers across several sectors including WASH and health.

Prior to joining SHARE, Sophie worked for the Wellcome Trust, undertaking a variety of roles including environment and health research funding, communications and project management. She also undertook a secondment to the UK Collaborative for Development Sciences. Sophie has experience working with WHO on mobile health programmes for non-communicable diseases, and with Development Media International, an organisation running radio, television and mobile campaigns to change behaviours and improve lives in low and middle-income countries.

Sophie holds an MSc Global Health and Development from University College London, where she focussed in behaviour change and infant nutrition. She completed an MA (Hons) in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, and specialised in Social Anthropology. For her dissertation, she undertook ethnographic research on ‘fantasy coffins’ and funeral customs in Greater Accra, Ghana.