Dr Fatma Sabet (She/ her)

Profile Overview

I am an Egyptian-British academic dedicated to designing social transitions toward health equity and environmental justice. With a passion for resilient and just food systems and gender health equality, I blend academic expertise with hands-on experience as an applied researcher and food systems educator. As a social entrepreneur, I cofounded UKRI funded FEED: Pioneering Food Equity and Ecological Diets [https://www.feedourfuture.co.uk/] in 2026, a sustainable product range for the public sector. I also created Shillingford Organics Farm School in Exeter, Southwest England, in 2016, connecting school and university students with sustainable farming and local food practices, currently run by Dr Becca Bragg.

After birthing and while nurturing two awesome children, I started my doctoral study in 2019 with an ESRC Doctoral Scholarship, launching the UK’s first realist evaluation of sustainable school food. My research pioneered a planetary health framework for school food systems, integrating social, environmental, and economic assessments through a multi-disciplinary approach. Committed to creative, participatory methods, I advocate for research that drives real-world impact. I am proud to have been a research fellow leading on the TIME Study: a Realist evaluation on Women's Health looking at menopause experiences and support in the workplace. This is currently being translated into two academic papers, a dance performance and a film for wider dissemination.

Academic & Research Roles

Sept 2019 – Dec 2022: ESRC Doctoral Researcher, School of Education, University of Exeter

Jan – Dec 2023: Postdoctoral Knowledge Exchange Research Fellow (Sustainable School Food, Cornwall). Based at the Penryn campus, I collaborated with Sustainable Food Cornwall and Cornwall Council to develop a strategy connecting schools, caterers, and local agroecological food producers. Business School, University of Exeter

Jan 2024 – March 2025: ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Business School, University of Exeter

April 2025 – Present: Research Fellow on the Impact of Menopause, Medical School, University of Exeter