Dr Fiona Ferbrache

Prior to joining Keble College, Fiona undertook postgraduate studies in Social Science (Open University) and Human Geography (University of Exeter), and completed her Ph.D. at the University of Plymouth. During her doctorate, Fiona carried out research in South West France, affiliated with Université Toulouse II - Le Mirail.

Fiona is Fellow by Special Election at Keble College, and Stipendiary Lecturer in Human Geography at Brasenose College.

Fiona's main research interests are three-fold:

1. International migration and citizenship, with empirical focus on the European Union and impacts of Brexit on Britons in France and Spain. Fiona has recently written a co-authored book The Political Agency of British Migrants Brexit and Belonging, and has contributed new research to the forthcoming (2026) Handbook on Brexit and Migration. Her work has also contributed to policy-shaping through impact assessment and European Commission study on the inclusive participation of mobile EU citizens in European Parliament elections and in local/municipal elections in Europe. Her work has been funded through the ESRC Impact Acceleration Accounts, and institutional sources.
2. Urban sustainable transport. Fiona has researched and published widely on Light Rail Transit (LRT), Bus Rapid Transit, and Tram Trains, often focusing on the wider economic impacts of such systems. She has presented her research on LRT at the Houses of Parliament, and been invited as Guest Speaker on BRT in Colombia. Fiona is currently part of a UK rail transport research team producing a Tram-Train Best Practice Guide that will address barriers to Tram-Train implementation and promote development of future UK schemes.
3. Island studies, with conceptual focus on watery geographies and material vitality, and empirical focus on the Channal Islands and French Brittany coast. Fiona has examined the dynamic size and shape of islands through the lens of contemporary tidal change and historical sea-level change, bringing physical geography into a human geographical lens. She has presented this work most recently at an Island Studies conference in Jersey, and is currently working on a project examining material cultures (e.g. slipways, causeways) of the intertidal zone.

Fiona is Fellow of Keble College, and Stipendiary Lecturer at Brasenose College where she contributes to undergraduate teaching for the Preliminary Examination and Final Honours School. She also convenes two geography papers on migration (Prelims and FHS) for Human Sciences.

• Knowles, R.D. and Ferbrache, F. (2026) Tram-Train Best Practice Guide. Integration between Mass Transit Policy and Investment and Strategic Land Use Planning and Development. University of Huddersfield
• Knowles, R.D. and Ferbrache, F. (2025) Tram-Train Best Practice Guide. Review of Tram-Train Research Literature and Reports. University of Huddersfield.
• Ferbrache, F. (2024) Island geologic connections: Reimagining Guernsey's spatial dynamics through land–sea–geologic relations, past and present. Area, 56(4). DOI: 10.1111/area.12965
• Ferbrache, F. (2024) Pedagogic opportunities of sports mega-events: teaching geographies of place through the example of the Tour de France cycle race. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 48(1): 11-21.
• Ferbrache, F. and MacClancy, J. (2021) The Political Agency of British Migrants: Brexit and Belonging. Routledge, London. p.122. ISBN: 9780367462970.
• Knowles, R.D., Ferbrache, F. and Nikitas, A. (2020) Transport's historical, contemporary and future role in shaping urban development: Re-evaluating transit oriented development. Cities, 99. Article 102607.
• Ferbrache, F. (2019) Acts of European Citizenship: how Britons resident in France have been negotiating post-Brexit futures. Geography, 104: 81-88.
• Ferbrache, F. (2019) Local electoral rights for non-French residents? A case-study analysis of British candidates and councillors in French municipal elections. Citizenship Studies. DOI: 10.1080/13621025.2019.1623864
• Ferbrache, F. (2019) Developing Bus Rapid Transit: the value of BRT in urban spaces. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. pp. 288. ISBN: 9781788110907.
• Knowles, R.D. and Ferbrache, F. (eds.) (2019) Transit Oriented Development and Sustainable Cities: Economics, Community and Methods. Edward Eldar, Cheltenham. pp.229. ISBN: 9781788971706.
• Ferbrache, F. (2018) Developing bus rapid transit. Journal of Transport Geography, 70: 203-205.
• Ferbrache, F. and Knowles, R.D. (2017) City boosterism and place-making with light rail transit: a critical review of light rail impacts on city image and quality. Geoforum, 80: 103-113.
• Ferbrache, F. and Knowles, R.D. (2016) Generating opportunities for city sustainability through investments in light rail systems: Introduction to the Special Section on light rail and urban sustainability. Journal of Transport Geography, 54: 369-372.
• Knowles, R.D. and Ferbrache, F. (2016) Evaluation of wider economic impacts of light rail investment on cities. Journal of Transport Geography, 54: 430-439.
• Ferbrache, F. and Yarwood, R. (2015) Britons abroad or European citizens? The negotiation of (trans)national space and citizenship by British migrants in France. Geoforum, 62: 73-83.