Ella Gennard

Biography

Ella Gennard is a Geography MA student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a background in human and environmental geography. Her research interests centre on surfing, coastal environments, place attachment, and the relationships between people and place. She previously studied Geography at King’s College London, where her undergraduate dissertation explored surfing and place attachment in Santa Barbara. At UCSB, she is interested in expanding her research into environmental resilience, particularly wildfire risk and community responses to environmental change.

Research

My research explores the relationship between surfing, place, identity, and coastal environments, focusing on how people develop emotional and cultural connections to the spaces they inhabit and experience. Drawing on human geography concepts including place attachment, topophilia, and sense of place, my previous research at the University of California, Santa Barbara examined how surfing shapes perceptions of local surf breaks and coastal spaces, using surveys, interviews, and participant observation. I am particularly interested in how relationships with place can create belonging, community, and territoriality. Alongside my interests in coastal and cultural geography, I am also interested in interdisciplinary research on environmental resilience and adaptation. At UCSB, I am particularly interested in contributing to the WRI wildfire resilience initiative and exploring how communities experience and respond to environmental change and wildfire risk.