Dr Colin Lorne

Professional biography

I am a Senior Lecturer in Geography and Director of the OpenSpace Research Centre at the Open University. Before the OU, I worked as a Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine on research into integrated care, regions and the NHS, and as a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester studying Health and Social Care Devolution in Greater Manchester. I have previously worked as a Research Associate at the University of Birmingham on localism and connected neighbourhood planning and as an ESRC seminar series co-ordinator working between the University of Bristol and Department for Communities and Local Government. I completed my PhD in Geography at the University of Birmingham in 2015.

Research interests

I have a longstanding interest in the difference that geography makes for interpreting and intervening in a changing world. Sitting broadly at the intersection of urban, political and social geography, my current research focuses on: policy mobilities and the politics of translation; crisis and urban policy experimentation; and the shifting relationships between place, health and economy. The main contributions of my recent work have been to encourage moves towards ‘conjunctural analysis’ within geography and urban studies, as well as fostering interdisciplinary debate over renewed policy and political interest in the concept of ‘place’ as a solution for improving health, wealth and wellbeing. 

Current projects

I am currently working on the Stories-so-far: Doreen Massey archive project with Carry van Lieshout and Ben Newman at the OU with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). The overarching aim of the research is to open up Massey’s archive as a political and educative resource for the future. The collective project team also includes Colin Fuchs (AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award, with RGS-IBG) who will be helping to undertake the necessarily slow, scholarly work to prepare Massey’s academic, public and political materials for the public archive. 

Supported by an Antipode Right to the Discipline grant, we are also working with the Brent-based arts and culture organisation, Metroland Cultures, on the Voices of Place: creative dialogues with Doreen Massey initiative. The collaborative project enables artists/cultural workers to become embedded within the ongoing archiving process to enable new public dialogues and creative interventions which translate and rework Massey’s ideas for the current conjuncture.

With longstanding collaborator, Matt Thompson (UCL), I am also co-editing a new Special Issue which seeks to get to grips with the methodological, analytical and political questions thrown up by ‘this conjuncture’, building on a series of collaborative papers, projects and conference workshops over recent years.

PhD Supervision

In 2025/6, I am supervising the following doctoral researchers:

• Colin Fuchs 'Making Geography Matter: opening up the Doreen Massey archive' (AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award with RGS/IBG). Supervised with George Revill, Ben Newman and Sarah Evans.

I would be happy to supervise PhD students who are interested in the following topics/themes:

• Policy mobilities
• Crisis policymaking
• Conjunctural analysis
• Spatial politics of health and care
• Place, health and economy
• Urban politics and policy

Please do get in touch if you wanted to discuss any ideas you might have.

Teaching interests

I am firmly committed to the founding ambition of the Open University to make education open to all. Currently, I am Deputy Chair of ‘Global Challenges: Social Science in Action’ (D113) as well as part of the course team for ‘Changing Geographies of the UK (D225) and Introducing the Social Sciences (DD102). Previously, I have worked as Qualification Lead for R44—our new BA (Hons) Geography degree at the OU. Since joining the OU, it has been a joy to have been involved in the production of new modules across Levels 1, 2 and 3 working closely with colleagues within and beyond geography. This includes Block Lead roles on both ‘Changing Geographies of the United Kingdom' (D225) and our level 3 dissertation module 'Researching Everyday Geographies' (D325) as well as part of the course team involved in the production of Geography & Environment strand of 'Global Challenges: Social Science in Action’ (D113).

Impact and engagement

A lot of the research I've been doing over the previous five years or so has been informed by, and attempted to in some ways inform, policy. I have been involved in collaborative research projects following the unfolding of health and social care devolution in Greater Manchester with colleagues at University of Manchester (Devolving Health and Social Care: Learning from Greater Manchester). I have also worked with colleagues at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to produce a particularly challenging literature review on integrated care systems, regions and the English NHS examining the perptual reform of regional authorities in the health service since 1948 until the present day, as part of PRUComm, for the Department of Health and Social Care.