Thomas Avery
Swansea University
Welsh Crucible 2026
Tom brings communities, policymakers, and researchers together to develop locally meaningful research. Based in Swansea University’s Local Challenges Research Office, his research aims to promote inclusion of community voices in place-based activity, whether that involves community trust in local governance, community focused schools, net zero transitions, or measuring regional well-being.
He is interested in whose voices and priorities gain influence within local policy and research systems, especially in the Welsh context where citizen participation and co-production are legislated for but unevenly practiced. This kind of challenge-led work is fundamentally interdisciplinary and crosses sectoral boundaries, meaning Tom regularly collaborates with economists, sociologists, educators, policymakers, charities, and creative practitioners.
He is always keen to connect with people interested in community-led research, participatory governance, place-based policy, and new ways of building stronger relationships between universities and their communities.