2024-25 Doctoral Researcher Cohort
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Main supervisor: Professor Toby James
Second supervisor: Professor Ari Baris
Twitter: @aleksovdarko
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Research Project title: How populist narratives affect the electoral integrity? - Lessons from the Western Balkans
Research Description: This project foresees interdisciplinary research focusing on the impact of populist narratives on electoral integrity in the Western Balkans, specifically in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, from 2016 to 2024. Amidst global concerns about the threats false election claims pose to democracy, this project aims to provide an unparalleled eight-year overview of these four low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs), which are significant due to their transitional hybrid regimes, low electoral integrity, and classification as partly free.
The Western Balkans, a region marred by historical grievances and at risk of conflict resurgence, has seen a troubling shift from fledgling democracies towards blending democratic and authoritarian practices. This research is paramount for understanding how populist narratives contribute to electoral backsliding and threaten democracy, thereby supporting efforts to safeguard democratic principles and improve electoral quality and democratic resilience.
The project's objectives are to: (1) Explore the alignment of narratives targeting electoral integrity with key populism drivers, examining variations based on the political standing of populist entities; (2) Investigate strategies employed by populists to undermine electoral integrity across different contexts; and (3) Analyze the link between electoral integrity, identity issues, and political polarization, focusing on how populists exploit social divisions.
Utilizing Pippa Norris' concepts on electoral integrity and populism, complemented by Social Identity Theory (Teifel and Turner, 2004), the project adopts a qualitative approach, encompassing content analysis, process tracing and in-depth interviews. This methodology aims to dissect the multifaceted effects of populist narratives on electoral integrity, leveraging the researcher's extensive field experience, language proficiency, and regional stakeholder relationships.
The significance of this research lies in its comprehensive exploration of the intricate dynamics between populist narratives and electoral integrity in a geopolitically sensitive region. By addressing this gap, the project aspires to contribute valuable insights into combating the erosion of democratic values and enhancing the integrity of electoral processes in the Western Balkans and beyond.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
(City St George’s, University of London)
Main supervisor: Rachel Cohen
Second supervisor: Theo Kindynis
Twitter: @re_idallen
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Research project title: Reckless leisure? A spatial ethnography of unauthorised 'wild' swimming in London
Research description: Described as 'Britain's new craze', wild swimming has become a buzz-word in recent years as the activity has risen to a mainstream pastime. The benefits of outdoor swimming for health and wellbeing are well documented, and wild swimming has been described as a therapeutic, even spiritual, activity. However, as the summers get hotter and anthropogenic climate change accelerates, many Londoners are locked out of the limited and expensive options for swimming and are instead driven to find alternative blue spaces that are often polluted or involve trespass. There has been little critical consideration of outdoor swimming in the city and in unauthorised urban spaces. This research will problematise the notion of 'wild' swimming and adopt an urban sociological lens towards the activity. It seeks to understand the experiences of those that practice unauthorised outdoor swimming in London and what these experiences tell us about the intersection between polluted leisure, urban public space and social control.
This research will focus on Shadwell Basin, a former dock in East London, and Beckenham Place Park Swimming Lake, a purpose-built swimming lake in South London - but only after closing time when access is unauthorised and free. The spatial ethnography will use extensive observational methods and interviewing in order to understand the experiences of London's unauthorised 'wild' swimmers, contextualising these experiences through an archival exploration of swimming facility provision, water infrastructure and public space ownership, and the histories of swimming in London. This research will contribute to the gap in the blue spaces literature on urban and unauthorised swimming and continue to trouble the binary structuring of these spaces as either a threat or a benefit to health and wellbeing. By engaging with and expanding the scope of the novel notion of 'grey spaces', it will use 'wild' swimming as a new way to explore the ambiguity and contradictions of public space ownership and the grey, polluted materialities of the urban environment. This research aims to encourage city councils in London and around the UK to reconsider provision and access to swimming facilities and blue spaces in the context of rising water pollution levels and accelerating global warming.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
(University of Roehampton)
Main supervisor: Professor Lauren Stewart
Second supervisor: Dr Katie Rose Sanfilippo
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Research project title: Developing a culturally informed antenatal participatory music intervention for maternal mental health
Research description: Poor antenatal mental health can have significant adverse effects on the mother and infant, including postnatal depression, premature birth and infant developmental delays. Current treatment options typically exhibit mixed efficacy, little consideration of access barriers and a lack of focus on low-intensity, prevention-oriented approaches. Antenatal participatory music interventions could address some of these limitations by providing an enjoyable and motivating option fostering social connections, inclusivity, self-development and enhanced wellbeing. Research has demonstrated that postnatal participatory music interventions can significantly reduce maternal depression, anxiety and stress when compared with control groups, but research on antenatal participatory music groups is highly limited and yet to be explored within a UK setting. Therefore, this doctorate aims to develop and evaluate a novel culturally informed antenatal participatory music intervention for maternal mental health. Co-production methodologies will be key to centralising the principles of diversity, sustainability and scalability of the intervention.
Four studies will be completed in partnership with Lewisham Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP), who will provide a platform to engage stakeholders and connect the intervention within existing community assets. The first study will create a Theory of Change model and Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to document the key assumptions, goals, contextual factors and outcomes relevant to the intervention. This will synthesise prior literature with stakeholder workshops. The second study will conduct 3-4 focus groups to explore how diverse Lewisham women currently use music antenatally and what they would like to see included in the intervention. This will lead to a co-development workshop and manualising of the intervention.
Thirdly, a small feasibility and pilot study will explore the acceptability and potential efficacy of the intervention delivered within two existing antenatal support groups in Lewisham, in comparison with a control antenatal support group. Quantitative surveys before and after the intervention will measure maternal mental health symptoms. Finally, a mixed methods process evaluation will be completed, including interviews with participating women and leaders. Specifically, this will explore the outcomes, sustainability, scalability and access barriers of the intervention.
Overall, this doctorate will have a significant societal impact both within Lewisham and at a population health level by developing an antenatal music intervention with implications for maternal mental health and infant development. This intervention can also reduce the costs to society of perinatal mental health treatment and reduce the prevalence of health inequalities through co-development with underserved communities.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Dr Diana Omigie
Second supervisor: Professor Alice Jones Bartoli
Twitter: @SaulArgent
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saul-argent-a7938b144/
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Research project title: Creativity, curiosity and professional artists in schools
Research description: Responding to a concerning decrease in creative opportunities in schools I will be undertaking research investigating how artists impact pupil's skills development (with
a focus on 21st Century skills: creativity, curiosity and critical thinking) and attainment. This will be supported by Goldsmiths' Psychology department and Curious Minds, a leading cultural education charity based in the North of England.
Engaging with arts and culture has been shown to improve wellbeing, reduce loneliness and increase civic engagement. In schools, investing time and resources into creative activities, both curricular and extra-curricular, can improve attendance and engagement, attainment and future employability or likelihood to continue to further education. Yet, since 2010, the number of teaching hours for creative subjects in English secondary schools has decreased by a fifth and students choosing arts subjects for GCSE has reduced by 40%. The increasing lack of access to high quality arts and culture in UK state schools is a social justice issue contributing to the growing socioeconomic gap in educational outcomes and future life chances.
Artist's approach to working with young people differs from teachers and youth workers. Artists can positively disrupt learning environments, meeting young people on their level, demystifying creative professions and nurturing self-belief, particularly among young people who feel alienated by traditional approaches to education. This studentship provides an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the inspirational aspect of artists working with children and young people and the mechanisms by which they may achieve this through the lens of a psychology research methodology.
I will conduct research in primary and secondary schools using interviews, questionnaires and creative tasks before, during and after artist interventions to ascertain how this affects pupil's development of a range of creative skills. I will build on an understanding of how young people learn creativity, curiosity and critical thinking from a psychological perspective and how this relates to inspiration and attainment. Findings could raise the profile of artist-led learning nationally, generate exciting new approaches to training for artists, school teachers and other education professionals, as well as demonstrating to schools, local authorities and policy makers the importance and value of investment in collaborations between schools and artists.
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Resolving Uncertainty and Addressing Crises
Main supervisor: Professor Neli Demireva
Second supervisor: Dr Sarah Kunz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuel-kcau/
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Research project title: A Transnational Study of Humanitarian Exodus: Deskilling of Highly Skilled Professionals - the Case of Hong Kong Sports Migrants in the United Kingdom
Research description: This research investigates the migration experiences of highly skilled sports professionals from Hong Kong under the humanitarian British National Overseas (BNO) visa scheme. The enforcement of the Hong Kong National Security Law in 2020 led to a mass exodus of HK residents. In response, the UK introduced the British National Overseas (BNO) visa in 2021 as a humanitarian measure to support migration from the former colony. However, the BNO visa has restrictions, notably prohibiting these migrants from continuing their careers as sports professionals, forcing them into different career paths. This sudden shift can lead to a range of challenges, including deskilling, loss of professional identity, financial instability, and mental health crises, affecting not only the migrants but also their families.
This research employs qualitative methods, including UK immigration policy analysis and interviews with various stakeholders, to reveal the social and professional dynamics involved in choosing political exile amid uncertainty. It explores how historical and political ties between Hong Kong, the UK, and China influence the experiences of these migrants and seeks to understand the broader implications of this migration wave. By focusing on how these highly skilled individuals navigate the challenges of changing careers, integrating into a new society, and maintaining their professional and personal identities, the research will also examine broader issues such as gender, equality, and the recognition of professional credentials in the context of migration.
This research contributes to the literature on transnational highly skilled and cultural migration, particularly in the underexplored area of sports professionals and other highly skilled migrants, where professional recognition challenges and language barriers often lead to deskilling. Ultimately, this research aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving UK migration and humanitarian visa policies to better support diversity, inclusion, and the successful integration of highly skilled migrants into society.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
Main supervisor: Dr Heather Smith
Second supervisor: Professor Bruce Jefferson
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Research project title: Community-based co-design of small-scale wastewater systems
Research description: As the water environment become more strained from the effects of climate change and other human pressures, significant effort is being invested in developing novel technologies and management approaches to deliver more sustainable water and wastewater services. This challenge can be particularly difficult for rural communities, where low population densities and dispersed infrastructure make it hard for providers to deliver cost-effective services. Working closely with Scottish Water, and other stakeholders (e.g. SEPA, local authorities), my research project will answer key social questions that need exploration, including community expectations towards water and wastewater services, and whether/how community members might adopt a greater role in the management of small-scale systems.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Kiran Grewal
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Research project title: The limitations of the human rights system in settler colonial contexts: The case of Palestinian children imprisoned by the state of Israel.
Research description: On December 14, 1960, the U.N. General Assembly issued a solemn proclamation in Resolution 1514: that the "speedy and unconditional end [to] colonialism in all its forms and manifestations" was a 'necessity' (Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples). For the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, [was and is] contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and [was and is] an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation (Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples). It was this proclamation that the global community fondly remembers as the start of the decolonisation era. Despite the moment's grandeur, the modern global political climate suggests that this declaration from 1960 was far too ambitious and perhaps altogether deceptive. Traditional colonial empires superficially collapsed. But their undercurrents ”the need to dominate the 'other'” lingered. The result was that colonialism of the past did not crumble but instead persisted, evolved, and re-clothed itself in nations both new and old.
Settler colonialism is the General Assembly Resolution 1514's modern enemy. Settler colonialism is premised on the state's recruitment of a class of settlers whose goal is to not only occupy the land of the Indigenous but also to eliminate the Indigenous who stand in their way (Wolfe, 2006)Settler colonialism and colonialism are distinct, yet intertwined, modes of oppression. While colonisers say, 'you, work for me' settler colonisers say, 'you, go away' (Veracini, 2011). Still, at the core of both projects are migration and a relationship of ascendency (Veracini, 2011). Since 1960, settler colonialism has wreaked havoc on a number of global communities: from Indigenous people across the Americas, New Zealand, and Australia, (Price, 1950) to the Palestinians (Rouhana & Sabbagh Khoury,2015).
Acknowledging and upholding established human rights standards as outlined in major documents and treaties is undeniably crucial. However, it is equally imperative to recognise the necessity of tailoring the human rights system to specific contexts and the unique needs of diverse populations.
This research proposal aims to comprehend the functioning of the human rights system in settler colonial states. The exploration involves evaluating and analysing the effectiveness, limitations, and the impact of the human rights system in addressing the imprisonment of Palestinian children by the settler colonial state, Israel.
Thus, this research is grounded in two primary arguments. Firstly, the performance of the human rights system, including civil society, INGOs, and human rights defenders,
must be re-examined. Their intervention apparatus raises critical questions not only regarding their ability to care for and protect children from state criminalities but also concerning their role in maintaining the state's abusive power and racialised oppression. Secondly, the human rights system should be contextualised and adapt itself to the political context. The human rights system does not operate in the same way in different political contexts; Thus, the human rights system should develop and evolve according to the political context to achieve social justice.
Document analysis, in-depth interviews with key stakeholders such as human rights activists, legal experts, ex-detainees, and their families, alongside representatives from relevant organisations, will be employed to illuminate the limitations of the human rights regime in addressing the issue of Palestinian children's imprisonment.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Main supervisor: Professor Adam Ockelford
Second supervisor: Professor Lorella Terzi
LinkedIn: natalie cairns-ratter
Facebook: natalie cairns-ratter
Instagram: nat32violin
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Research project title: Reconceptualising repetitive behaviours as flow experience for autistic children in a music context
Research description: This research aims to reconceptualise repetitive behaviours some autistic children manifest as flow experience in a musical context. Flow experience can be described as when a person is truly immersed and engaged within a task resulting in high levels of cognitive functioning and enjoyment for an individual (Csikszentmihalyi, 2013). Research regarding flow experience demonstrates a key indicator of being in 'flow' state, is repetition (Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura, 2002) therefore, this study aims to reframe repetitive behaviours which have previously been framed as restrictive and maladaptive for autistic individuals (APA, 2013; McDonnell and Milton, 2014), as important positive behaviours involved in the state of 'flow'.
A mixed methods study design will be used, combining quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection and analysis.
This research will contribute to an emerging field of how autistic lived experience is viewed and interpreted from a neurodiverse and neuro-affirming starting point, moving away from the 'neurotypical' (Murray et al., 2023). This research could be part of a wider movement of social change and justice to help redefine and shape what autistic human experience can look like. I aim to not just make a change in educational provision but create change in society and being within the world (Terzi, 2005; Rosqvist et al, 2020).
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Research project title: A novel neurofeedback protocol to improve sleep, health, and learning
Research description: One in three people regularly experience insomnia and this can undermine health and performance. Unfortunately, existing insomnia treatments are often ineffective. For instance, 1 in 4 insomniacs don't benefit at all from the current gold standard treatment of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and only 40% of insomniacs achieve remission with CBT-I. CBT-I also does not help with some important daytime consequences of poor sleep, like inattention or elevated blood pressure. This may be because CBT-I does not specifically address the cortical over-arousal driving insomnia.
Neurofeedback may be able to help with this. Neurofeedback lets people visualise their brain rhythms and train themselves to produce more desirable ones. For insomniacs this could be a way to build up habits for producing more sleep-conducive brain rhythms. Indeed, there is already evidence supporting neurofeedback as a sleep aid. However, existing neurofeedback protocols generally focus on training 'sensorimotor rhythms', which might not be the ideal ones. This PhD project focuses instead on the brain rhythms most associated with hindering sleep onset, or with making deep sleep stages lighter and less stable. The hope is that this new protocol will not only promote objectively better sleep, but could have knock-on benefits to better physical and mental health, as well as improved attention and learning.
To test this idea insomniacs and good sleepers will spend 2 weeks training with either our new neurofeedback protocol or with yoked neurofeedback (in other words with irrelevant feedback not expected to improve sleep). We will assess sleep, mood, physical health, energy levels and cognitive performance before and after the 2-week intervention to see if the active form of our neurofeedback leads to improvements. The expectation is that insomniacs who learn to regulate their brainwaves according to our protocol should have reduced insomnia symptoms by the end of the intervention, and this in turn should mediate a drop in anxiety and depression symptoms, plus improved attention, learning, and cardiovascular health.
Beyond this initial experiment, we will also check for longer-term, real-world benefits from neurofeedback training, such as improved academic performance and lower illness rates. In addition, we will test whether it is possible to boost the effects of neurofeedback training by re-presenting an auditory cue associated with successful training while participants sleep. A final study will investigate whether the neurofeedback intervention could be helpful for people with (sub)clinical PTSD. The literature suggests that disturbed sleep in PTSD preserves traumatic memories, so an intervention that restores more restful sleep may help reduce PTSD symptoms.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
(City St George’s, University of London)
Main supervisor: Professor Christine McCourt
Second supervisor: Dr Marina Daniele
Twitter: @rosaceladon
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Research project: An exploratory study of black mother's traumatic birth experiences in the UK
Research description: For many mothers, childbirth is a traumatic event that carries long-term mental health implications, sometimes leading to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. The research on traumatic birth-related mental illness and impact has directed its efforts to achieve early identification and treatment on one side, and access women's narratives on the other, producing detailed evidence for a clinical approach and a psychosocial understanding of its occurrence.
The recent UK reports on the staggering racial disparities in maternity outcomes and experiences show an overlap with well-established risk factors for birth trauma and highlight the need to consider traumatic birth through a wider ecological lens that recognises the impact of non-medical aspects in its development, also known as social determinants of mental health.
Understanding how social determinants of health impact childbirth care delivery may support better prevention and treatment, and provide the possibility to integrate the current individual and psychosocial approaches within a holistic, ecological model of illness emergence that considers all personal, social and systemic aspects.
Social determinants have been most frequently studied by accessing large medical datasets, however, there has been a call from both scholars and public health experts to pursue a better understanding of health inequalities through a more complex system model of evidence, that includes increased attention to the lived experiences of marginalised groups.
This study responds to these calls by considering the effects of a social determinant of health, ethnicity, through the embodied experiences of traumatic birth of a group of black women. It recognises the implications of researching black women's reproductive healthcare experiences, particularly by a white student, and attempts to counteract the intrinsic power imbalances and possible unconscious biases by means of cultural humility training and conscious methodological choices.
To this extent, it uses an art-based participatory methodology, body mapping, that is embedded in a decolonising, social justice-oriented approach, and has historical importance in providing rich insights into the illness experiences of marginalised groups. In body mapping, the researcher works as a facilitator that supports the participant in creating a life-size body map that represents their embodied narrative of events, beliefs, feelings and perceptions relevant to the research topic. The participatory element of body mapping is also mirrored throughout data analysis and report writing, through a feedback loop that respects the participant's narrative and strengthens research quality as a member checking practice.
This study engages with the debate on traumatic birth emergence by exploring an ecological model of birth trauma, as well as contributing to the broader debate on healthcare inequalities and standards of care for marginalised groups.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Professor Anna Traianou
Second supervisor: Dr Pia Pichler
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Research project title: Objective, embodied and institutionalised? Translation of History curriculum policy in England
Research description: This research seeks to explore the process by which the GCSE History curricula were constructed, and the contestations around representation, during the 2013-16 national period of GCSE educational reform and subsequent changes to 2024. It employs a qualitative methodology of critical discourse analysis of policy documents to explore the representation of the chosen historical narratives for study; looking at the framing of who is included and the ways they are discursively constructed.
It aims to produce detailed qualitative accounts on the ways in which policy actors interact during curriculum construction and the discourses around representation which are created, accepted and challenged at each stage of the policy translation process. Through this process I aim to discover how institutional factors and decision making may have impacted work in creating a representative approach to curriculum policy and design, and how this understanding may offer different approaches to future reform.
The representations of identity explored will be individuals or groups who do not fit within the presented dominant groups, and have been minoritised within their social worlds. This will include representations of gender, race, ethnicity and class within different time periods through the curriculum. It will also explore, where those individuals or groups are presented, how they are portrayed and how that portrayal might support or challenge a particular cultural narrative and how that presentation may impact on those who both share and do not share a sense of common identity.
GCSE History qualifications saw coordinated reform in the early 2010s, with an stated aim by then Education Minister Michael Gove to employ the history curriculum at all levels to teach 'our Island story' and replace the curriculum which Gove stated was a denigration of Britain's past (Alexander & Weekes-Bernard 2017 p.482). Whilst the concept of creating and affirming a particular national identity through the teaching of History was not new (Haydn 2012), the 2010s reforms made an explicit connection to citizenship and moral education in
This research will employ critical discourse analysis approaches to policy actors' documents, supported by semi-structured interviews, to explore the interlinked discourses created through layers of decision making. It will focus on written policy documents, drawn from the government; the DfE; regulatory bodies such as Ofqual and OFSTED and Awarding Organisations. The translation and reinterpretation of these documents and their interactions should reveal the aims of each policy actor and the extent to which they impacted the final curriculum.
Through these lenses, I aim to understand the process of policy translation across different actors in History education policy construction to find the blocks, challenges and failures of representation throughout. Through this process, the research will reveal how each subsequent document was transformed through the organisational aims of that policy actor and their dynamics and power relationships with others involved at each stage. Through this understanding of the process of policy creation, it may be possible to identify key areas to improve representation and find new ways to enact change within future iterations of the GCSE History curricula.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Main supervisor: Professor Kevin Daniels
Second supervisor: Dr Irene Skovgaard Smith and Dr Helen Fitzhugh
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Research project title: Understanding the use of evidence in Civil Service policy-making
Research description: For a number of years, research has highlighted a lack of evidence-based learning in government. In 2013, a National Audit Office (NAO) report indicated that government did not effectively use the learning from evaluations, that insufficient evaluation was taking place, and that robust methods to assess impact were lacking (NAO, 2013). Despite subsequent progress, a more recent report identified that challenges had persisted with low levels of coverage of major spending programmes by evaluation (NAO, 2021). A range of issues and barriers affect the role of evaluation and the use of evidence to inform policy. These include: a lack of political buy-in with the tendency to focus on the next big issue without spending the time to learn; the fact that evaluation is often bolted on at the end, rather than integral as part of policy formulation, design and delivery; and a lack of a strategic approach and mixed views on the purpose of evaluation (see, for instance, White et al., 2007; Hallsworth et al., 2011; NAO, 2021). These issues and their relative importance are viewed differently, with different perspectives between leads of policy and analytical professions (NAO, 2021).
Against this backdrop, the main aim of this research is to understand the reasons underpinning the Civil Service's use of social science evidence in shaping government policies, and how the use of evidence can be improved. This will consider how evidence is acquired and used, the different actors and institutions that are involved, and the factors that influence them. The research is collaborative with the Evaluation Task Force, which is a joint unit of the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. The research has five main objectives:
1. To provide a typology of different actors and institutions that influence the quantity, quality and use of evidence in governmental decisions and policy.
2. To develop a typology of how evidence is acquired, from whom it is acquired and how it is used by the actors identified. This may include political or symbolic aspects, as well as rational aspects.
3. To understand the factors that may influence the actors and their acquisition and use of evidence.
4. To identify a model of what the Evaluation Task Force and wider Civil Service consider to be procedurally appropriate and inappropriate procurement and use of evidence.
5. To develop recommendations of how the use of evidence can be enhanced to inform better policy decisions.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Main supervisor: Hannah Hoechner
Second supervisor: Nitya Rao
Twitter: @AlbertKuami
LinkedIn: Kuami Albert Degbevi
Facebook: Albert Degbevi
Instagram: degbevialbert
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Research project title: Intersectionality of climate and social injustices in girl's educational experiences in Sub-Saharan Africa, case of Benin
Research description: My PhD project is grounded in Development Studies but will draw on Education, and Environmental Studies to address the intersectional social and climate injustices experienced by girls regarding their education in Benin, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study will explore how gender, location, age, socio economic status, disability, religion, and household structure interplay with climate change impacts to create differentiated educational inequities to marginalised and rural girls in Benin.
My research aims to contribute to bridge the gap created by the absence of intersectionality perspective in most research and policies on climate change impact at global level. It will also address the issue of gendered climate change impact on education and provide gender disaggregated data absent in studies on climate change effects in Benin and in Benin's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This project is inspired by insights from the data I collected in Benin for my MA dissertation in Education and Development at the University of East Anglia. Parents openly explain that they withdraw their daughters from school and prioritise their son's education when climate hazards destroy their crops and reduce their economic resources.
My research questions encompass the intersectionality of socio-cultural factors and climate change effects that induce gender differentiated educational injustices for rural girls and how these injustices materialise. They also interrogate the educational expectations of these marginalised girls towards education stakeholders in Benin, the possibility of educational agency on their part, as well as the possible benefit of girl's education to climate adaptation
I will organise interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) involving schoolgirls, their parents and school staffs. I will also use participant observations and art based data collection methods during the fieldwork to triangulate with interviews and FGDs. Two female research assistants will be involved in interviewing girls and women to minimise the risks embedded in researching gendered vulnerabilities within patriarchal communities for female participants. A thematic analysis of the data will help to confront the perspective of the girls and their parents to Benin's NDCs. I will then draw on intersectionality framework and critical climate justice approach to carry out a gendered social and climate vulnerability analysis of the data collected.
In terms of impact, my research aims at informing gender responsive and transformative policies regarding education and climate adaptation by capturing the voices and the lived experiences of schoolgirls, school dropout girls and their parents. Insights from my research will push policy makers to work for the inclusion of the millions of rural girls left behind and denied the right to education in SSA due to intersectional social and climate injustices. It will thus contribute to the achievement of SDG4 (Inclusive and equitable quality education), SDG5 (Gender equality) and SDG13 (Combat Climate change and its impacts) in Benin and in the whole SSA. My PhD research will also call for the necessity to introduce gender disaggregated data in Benin climate strategy in order to take account of the differentiated experiences of women.
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Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Dr. María Herrojo Ruiz
Second supervisor: Dr Carsten Allefeld
Twitter: @andreaeh20
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-erazo-hidalgo-353802264/
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Research project title: Identifying adaptative and maladaptive processes in performance anxiety.
Research description: Performance anxiety (PA), affecting 20-75% of professionals and students in fields like public speaking, sports, and performing arts, can significantly impact health and career development. Individuals with PA exhibit alterations in cardiorespiratory, cognitive and emotional states before and during a performance. These changes do not uniformly lead to negative outcomes, as some individuals excel under anxiety, while others falter. Yet, despite its prevalence, the mechanisms by which PA influences performance ”either impairing or facilitating it” remain largely unexplored. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this PhD project aims to identify the behavioural, cognitive, and neurophysiological processes contributing to facilitatory and detrimental effects of PA on performance. Utilising robust Bayesian statistical techniques and expanding mathematical models of learning to performance settings, the project outcomes will inform strategies for reducing the adverse effects of PA, while bolstering resilience and well-being among those affected.
This proposal investigates the association between PA in skilled performers and the expression of negative learning biases a heightened focus on negative feedback during learning. The project's focus on learning biases in PA is motivated by a significant body of clinical and computational research associating anxiety disorders with altered learning processes. Despite this evidence, the lack of research into how learning biases shaped by PA affect performance is striking, largely resulting from limited interdisciplinary collaboration and method integration.
In this context, the PhD project seeks to address critical unresolved questions regarding the role of cognitive (e.g., worry) and physiological (e.g., increase of heart rate) components of PA in modulating responses to positive and negative feedback and associated performance outcomes. Sensitive cardiovascular measures will be used to identify facilitatory and detrimental effects of PA on performance. In addition, measures of neural activity through electroencephalography (EEG) will be employed to gain insights into the cognitive underpinnings of feedback processing during performance in PA.
Central to this proposal is the novel application and integration of advanced methodologies in PA research. To identify factors modulating performance in PA, the project will employ robust Bayesian regression models for identifying associations between variables while avoiding confounds. I will capture realistic performance data as pianists learn from different forms of feedback, and record EEG and cardiovascular signals. I plan to extend current mathematical models of learning used in psychiatry to explain realistic performance data in pianists. These models will shed light on the computational mechanisms underlying learning and adaptation during performance, such as how individuals infer the elements of performance contributing to success and failure, and how they adapt their beliefs dynamically when processing feedback.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Martin Webb
Second supervisor: Claudia Bernard
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Research project title: Experiences of childhood and family for children involved with children's social care in England
Research description: This research will examine how children in England involved with social care feel about their own identity and how this has been impacted by the involvement of social workers. It will also examine how the political constructions of children and childhood that the state holds inform with whom and how children's social care intervenes in children's lives, including along class and race lines.
In England, children's social care departments are locally administered through local authorities legally responsible for keeping children safe. They employ a range of practices including removing them from their families and placing them in care outside of the home. These practices were established in the UK in the mid-nineteenth century and, though reformed, have been broadly consistent since then. Contemporary practice has been shaped by a renewed focus on child removal even while budgets have faced significant cuts. There are consistent issues with the current system including that children who are taken into care disproportionately come from families in poverty and from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and people with experiences of the care face markedly worse outcomes across a range of criteria including mental health and educational attainment.
This research will involve long-term, ethnographic field work with children and young people with experience of the care system in England. It will be based in community settings, outside of statutory institutions such as social care settings and schools. It will look to understand how children's social carer's involvement in their life affects their identities and identification with their families. It will also examine how the politics of childhood and family, which reproduce dichotomous representations through normative legal models. It will also explore children and young people's experiences in the context of critical sociology which examines social care a punitive institution and social theory which denaturalises the institution of the family.
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Main supervisor: Laura Biggart
Second supervisor: Simon Hammond
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Research project title: The influence of video technologies on conflict faced by amateur football referees and the co-design of a conflict management intervention
Research description: This research will be in collaboration with Norfolk Football Association, the local Football Association (FA) to the University of East Anglia, Norwich. Referees' contribute to the safe running of sporting events, facilitating participation under the governance of The FA. The FA (2024a) report that 11.8 million people play football in England. There are 28,000 football referees in England, most operating within the men's and women's amateur game.
Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology was introduced into professional football in 2019 by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to stop referees 'clear and obvious errors' (FIFA, 2024). To date, VAR benefits are that it provides referees with multiple replays and camera angles; however, it has created ambiguity in responsibility for applying the laws of football. VAR has also raised player and audience expectation of seeing 'objective' decisions in a predominately subjective game (Coombs & Osborne, 2022; Independent, 2023; The Times, 2023).
Since 2015 in the amateur game, VEO has become popular (VEO, 2024). In contrast to VAR, VEO are non-compulsory and purchased by clubs to enhance analysis of technical and commercial performance. VEO's introduction may be causing conflicts such as, extra pressure and decision scrutiny for amateur referees who may never have had their game filmed, with perceived mistakes available for review on a tablet or phone by the club in charge of the camera. This can create an expectation amongst participants and audiences to look at the tablet in a similar way to VAR pitch side monitors which the referee is not allowed to do; the ability for the club to suggest mistakes have been made in the hope for favourable decisions and clip decisions to put on social media for others to provide their opinions (Gray, 2022; Mail Online, 2023).
In addition to new conflicts from technologies, referees already face aggressive behaviour, threats, verbal and physical abuse (Webb, Dicks et al., 2020; Webb, Rayner et al., 2020). The effect of these conflicts could impact the safety and welfare of referees and lead to attrition of amateur referees at the lower levels of the game, meaning less games getting played and opportunity to play recreational sport (BBC News, 2023; Cleland et al., 2018; Dell et al., 2016; Downward et al., 2023; Potrac et al., 2021; Webb, Rayner et al., 2020).
Study one will be a scoping review registered with Open Science Network (Grant et al., 2024). The scoping review aims to map research on conflicts faced by football referees and impact of video technology on referees.
In study two, findings from the scoping review will be explored in more depth via focus groups with stakeholders such as referees, players, team coaches and referee tutors. The second study will highlight how video technology impacts stakeholders alongside existing demands of refereeing.
Study three will be a co-produced intervention to enhance conflict management skills of amateur referees. This will be assessed for feasibility using an implementation science framework with football referees.
Post-doctorate work could evaluate the co-produced intervention to assess whether referees’ ability at managing conflicts, including those raised using video technology are increasing referee confidence and reducing attrition rates. This research could have high utility for county FAs as key drivers of conflicts which sometimes contribute to misconduct charges, will be better understood and therefore mitigated. Finally, new knowledge from this PhD will upskill the FA refereeing workforce, making the game more enjoyable for all participants and sustain participation of recreational sport. Therefore, this research could have wide-ranging impact and fill a gap in research literature on this topic.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(University of East Anglia)
Main supervisor: Professor Yulia Kovas
Second supervisor: Dr Teemu Toivainen
Twitter: EmmaGpsych
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emma-greenwood-a6770b22a
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Research project title: Solving Spatial Puzzles: Exploring why and how spatial ability and skills are linked with educational outcomes
Research description: Spatial ability and skills play an important role in learning and educational achievement, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) subjects. Yet spatial ability is often overlooked in education and easily missed in current curriculums. Several questions about its aetiology, structure, and variability remain unanswered and require further investigation.
This PhD project will address different but interrelated outstanding issues about spatial ability, skills, and performance. The planned research will explore the aetiology of spatial ability, and examine the specificity of links between different facets of spatial ability and different achievement outcomes. Furthermore, the research will investigate self-evaluation of spatial ability, as well as other mediators and moderators that may play a role in spatial ability and its relationship with outcomes, such as personality, anxiety, gender, and culture. The project will take a multi-method approach, and will use both new and existing data. In addition to the project supervisors, the research will be supported by several international advisors and the International Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Investigations into Individual Differences in Learning (InLab).
The project will generate new insights into spatial ability, skills, and performance, contributing towards educational practice and policy, and supporting better educational and STEM outcomes. The results can inform students, teachers, and policy makers as well as future research. The findings can also be used to support the development of interventions to increase spatial skills among students, ensuring students capitalise on their skillset.
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Research project title: Warming the heart: identifying how transforming tropical fire discourses can contribute towards more effective and equitable governance.
Research description: Tropical wildfires are increasing in extent and frequency and are projected to worsen with climate change and anthropogenic drivers. These uncontrolled, 'feral' fires drive enormous burdens to people and nature-yet their governance has proven a significant challenge. This difficulty is partly explained by the perceived benefits (and savings) obtained through some fire-based activities (e.g. pasture maintenance, land clearance), and the increase in factors fuelling fires (e.g. forest fragmentation and degradation). Notably, another factor potentially slowing progress towards equitable fire management is the way in which tropical fires have tended to be understood, studied and the discourses used to report them. Scientific understanding and associated discourses of tropical fire largely focus on the carbon emissions, biodiversity impacts or to a lesser extent-the economic costs incurred. Yet, despite being under-researched and under-communicated, the actual place-based, lived experience of fire and flammability is acute for forest-based communities. These groups suffer irreparable damages across all dimensions of human well-being when their territories are threatened by flammability, and degraded through fire. Crucially, empirical evidence suggests that this lived experience discourse would be more powerful across diverse sets of stakeholders to garner support towards the necessary transformation in fire governance.
This project addresses this issue by:
i) evaluating the media discourses and framings of tropical fire,
ii) collecting field data to understand the lived experience of fire and flammability for forest-based communities, and
iii) using behavioural science techniques to identify what discursive framings resonate most strongly with stakeholder groups in order to support better governance.
The focus will be on two increasingly fire-prone hotspots and centres of biocultural diversity-the Brazilian Amazon and Indonesian peatlands. The student will benefit from the support of the Collaborative Partner (CEMADEM based in Brazil) including through two hosted visits to support field work. The project will involve an exciting combination of behavioural sciences (quantitative survey and lab-in-the-field experiments), media discourse analysis and qualitative field-based methods (interviews and photo story). Beyond the achievement of the PhD, the project is also expected to contribute meaningfully to mitigating the tropical fire crisis. Because of the alignment with the needs of the collaborative partner (CEMADEM), and many other institutions that are seeking to support improved fire governance, this project has great potential for impact. It is anticipated that through the direct link with CEMADEM, and the greater network beyond within which Carmenta is heavily connected “e.g. particularly through FIRE-ADAPT and the UNEP Global Peatland Initiative (GPI)“ uptake of the findings in to communication campaigns around fire governance will be secured. Ultimately it is hoped that this shift in the discursive framing of fires will enable and enhance support for more equitable and effective fire governance. Thus reducing the incidence of mega-fire events and the injustices that accompany them.
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Main supervisor: Dr Julia Foecker
Second supervisor: Dr Timothy Hodgson
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/leyu-huang-letitia98
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Research project title: Developing an Auditory-Spatial Working memory task with visually impaired, blind and sighted children to investigate neural and behavioural developmental trajectories of auditory attentional control functions
Research description: The ability to resist distraction and focus on task-relevant information is essential for successful learning. School-aged children need to develop such executive functions and attentional control skills to perform well in school (Diamond, 2013). There is currently a great push toward using more educational games and digital technologies for teaching and learning. Yet, current technologies for visually impaired and blind (VIB) children are limited and less accessible (Senjam et al., 2023). However, educational technologies can be particularly valuable in supporting the developmental progress of VIB children, as braille readers must retain each successive Braille symbol in their working memory to build a representation of words (Mukamal, 2021). Moreover, training studies targeting executive control functions focus mainly on sighted children, and the scope of transfer is still under debate (Gathercole et al., 2019). Consequently, it is essential to employ more robust training methodologies that identify the factors that facilitate transfer (Green et al., 2019). Co-designing training with VIB and sighted children will contribute to the development of innovative educational technologies and increase their accessibility.
This Ph.D. project aims to investigate the developmental trajectories of auditory serial recall with and without distractor sounds in 6-12-year-old VIB and sighted children. Based on our previous work with blind adults (Foecker, Leyu, et al., submitted), we will identify behavioral and neural mechanisms of auditory distractor suppression in 6- to 12-year-old VIB and sighted children while memorizing sounds. Therefore, we will use an auditory serial recall task, in which participants are asked to recall the serial order of environmental sounds while they are asked to suppress auditory distractors. We will also use electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine the neural dynamics of distractor suppression during serial recall. Specifically, event-related potentials (ERPs, 100-300 ms) and brain oscillation synchronization (Gamma and Theta band) will be investigated to investigate the auditory encoding process and serial recall with attention allocation. Also, we will implement spatial memory tasks (Corsi Block test, near transfer) as well as educational tasks (far transfer) to understand the extent of skill transfer.
To track individual differences, metacognitive skills will be investigated by asking children to estimate how many items they correctly remembered and the confidence level of their responses. The training task will be co-designed with children by asking them for their feedback on the serial recall task. Both VIB and sighted children will then be randomly assigned either to the training group or an active control group. Outcomes will be assessed through behavioural before, during, and after the training, while neural measures will be implemented during the training. This project fits into the interdisciplinary intersection of Digital Social Science, consisting of developmental neuropsychology, cognitive training, and digital devices, which will impact the implementation of educational technologies in improving the cognitive functions of VIB children. Essential contacts to schools and charities, such as St. Vincent's School in Liverpool and InFocus Charity in Exeter, have already been created. Furthermore, EEG equipment to run studies with children are in place.
This project will not only fill the gaps in underlying mechanisms of cognitive development in VIB children, but also address potential disadvantages in learning opportunities for VIB children.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
(City St George’s, University of London)
Main supervisor: Kirsten Barnicot
Second supervisor: Jacqueline Sin
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valeria-khudiakova-01b03a193/
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Research project title: Intersectionality and identity: Gender identity and ethnicity in autism and personality disorder
Research description: My PhD explores intersectional inequities in access to diagnosis for autistic people and people with personality disorder (PD) in addition to identity formation in autistic people and people with PD who are ethnic or gender minorities.
Autism and PD have several factors in common, such as emotional dysregulation and differences in forming social relationships, which makes accurate diagnosis challenging. Being initially (mis)diagnosed with PD is a frequent occurrence for autistic people assigned female at birth. While it is possible to both be autistic and have PD, receiving an accurate diagnosis is vital not only for accessing appropriate support services but also for making sense of one's experiences and identity. However, misdiagnosis may be a more common occurrence in autistic people who are ethnic or gender minorities, which represents a social justice issue. Black or ethnic minority people especially often experience biases in diagnosis, in addition to accessing appropriate and culturally sensitive pre- and post-diagnosis supports.
While many autistic people derive a positive sense of identity and a sense of community from being autistic, the scarce research that exists on identity formation in PD suggests that narratives of label rejection and recovery are very common, which is in contrast to how some autistic people construct their identity. The lack of research on individual and collective identity in PD also represents a form of epistemic injustice, as identity disturbance is assumed to be a key characteristic symptom of PD and those with that label are frequently said to be unreliable narrators.
This PhD will take a mixed-methods approach to address the dearth of research into the diagnostic trajectories of people with PD who receive an autism diagnosis as well as intersectional identity construction in autistic people and people with PD. I will be using a combination of computational, qualitative, ethnographic, and co-production methods to address the issues of diagnostic inequities experienced by autistic people and people with PD who are also gender or ethnic minorities.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Dr Sara Farris
Second supervisor: Dr Marta Minetti
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nlightbourne
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Research project title: Navigating Economic Precarity: Female Asylum Seekers in London and The Pursuit for Employment Rights
Research description: In the contemporary global landscape, seeking asylum is a quest for refuge and navigating complex socio-economic challenges. In the past 12 months, the UK received 78,768 asylum applications, accounting for 97,390 individuals (Council, 2023). Women constituted about 45% of those receiving asylum-related status or refugee family reunion between 2011 and 2021 (Walsh, 2022). This highlights the evolving asylum landscape in the UK and the need for policies addressing female-specific challenges. This research explores female asylum seekers' experiences within London's socio-political and economic context.
The economic landscape for asylum seekers in the UK is filled with legal constraints. Notably, the government mandates that asylum seekers cannot engage in employment while their claims are under consideration. An exception exists where if a decision remains pending for over 12 months through no fault of their own, individuals may seek employment. However, this is limited to roles identified in the Shortage Occupation List (M., 2016). Research done by Krone highlights the economic disparities faced by asylum migrants who earn 55% lower weekly earnings compared to UK-born individuals. They also face restricted access to professional or managerial positions (Kone, 2019).
In the context of structural injustices, the pursuit of economic survival in London's costly environment becomes an urgent sociological query. Legal stipulations impose severe restrictions on the working rights of asylum seekers, significantly diminishing their capacity to secure sustainable living conditions. This vulnerability is further pronounced for female asylum seekers, who often face gender-specific barriers that exacerbate their economic instability. These challenges encompass gender-based violence (Tastsoglou, 2021), disparities in life opportunities (Galtung, 1967), and dependency ratio (Hanmer, 2020), to name a few.
This research is anchored in the critical analysis of how female asylum seekers, against the odds, strive to achieve economic stability in a system designed around restrictive employment legislation and minimal access to public funds (NRPF, 1980). Moreover, the Refugee Convention upholds the fundamental human right for refugees to seek employment in their host countries. However, the bureaucratic structure within the UK's asylum process contradicts this principle, often subjecting asylum seekers to years of uncertainty before their cases reach resolution, with a 75% rejection rate further complicating this scenario (Council, 2023). It is important to note that, during the application process for refugee status, asylum seekers are not entitled to the protections afforded by this convention, adding to the complexities of their situation.
This PhD research, therefore, sets out to unravel the sociological implications of these policies and circumstances, particularly focusing on female asylum seekers in London. It seeks to examine how female asylum seekers navigate between their legal rights, societal barriers, and the pursuit of economic security in a city where the cost of living is at a premium. By illuminating these experiences and challenges, this research aspires to contribute nuanced understandings to the social sciences, advocating for systemic shifts towards inclusive economic structures and fundamental human rights for this marginalized community.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
Main supervisor: Professor Anna Tarrant
Second supervisor: Professor Suzanne Clisby
Research project: Instigating compassionate and father-inclusive support for young men who are fathers: capturing and evaluating the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lomas-6885ba15b/
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Research description title: Globally, across child and family services, father-inclusive practice is increasingly recognised for it's potential to better support fathers to be positively involved in the lives of their children and co-parents (Bateson et al., 2017; Pfitzner et al., 2017). Yet there is a lack of consensus amongst researchers and practitioners related to the concept of father-inclusion (Tarrant, 2023) and varying interpretations and perspectives are restricting the uptake of father-inclusive practice across services.
Family Hubs and Start for Life, a programme jointly led by the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care, has been set up across 75 UK local authorities that were chosen due to high levels of deprivation in the communities that they serve. The aim of the programme is to enhance and join up services to ensure children and young people aged 0 to 19 and their families get the support that they require at the earliest opportunity. As part of the programme, each of the Family Hubs is expected to consider father-inclusivity in the support offers developed. Yet, due to varying interpretations and perspectives about what father-inclusion means, Family Hubs are commonly implementing support without adequate frameworks for father-inclusive practice and limited access to education and training to support them with this endeavour. This has led to a situation in which specialist organisations that work with young men and fathers, are being commissioned on an ad hoc basis for advice and guidance. Two of these specialist organisations, North East Young Dads and Lads, and FutureMen, are collaborative partners on this PhD project.
My PhD aims to identify how the Family Hubs and Start for Life Programmes are responding to a policy nudge to increase and improve support and engagement with fathers. Ethnographic, qualitative longitudinal and participatory research methods will be utilised to investigate how father-inclusion is understood by young fathers and mobilised by child and family practitioners and service commissioners. Through these methods, my PhD also seeks to identify barriers and facilitators of the instigation of father-inclusive services and policies. The findings have the potential to affect broad systemic change at policy and organisational levels, helping to inform published frameworks for children and family services on effective father-inclusive practice. Such changes have implications for fathers who may have more positive experiences when services work with them, which in turn could impact their children, co-parents, and wider family systems.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Fiona Gabbert
Second supervisor: Adrian Scott
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabela-merla-b486a6281/?originalSubdomain=uk
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Research project title: Addressing implicit bias in the legal system: A practical intervention for fair and impartial juror decision-making
Research description: Implicit biases (IBs) are subconscious associations made about individuals based on social identities. These biases can exacerbate disparities in verdicts and sentencing, particularly for marginalised groups, and thus pose a significant challenge in the criminal justice system (CJS). Despite interventions showing promise in mitigating IBs in real-world contexts, a comprehensive approach to mitigating IBs in juror decision-making remains unclear, leaving the UK CJS without a standardised method for addressing IB among jurors. The growing recognition of IB by judges and their calls for solutions, underscore the urgent need for evidence-based approaches to reduce IB in legal settings.
This research aims to fill the gap by developing and testing an evidence-based intervention to counter IBs in juror decision-making. The guiding question that has not yet been addressed by researchers is 'What and when can interventions effectively counter IBs in juror decision-making?', aiming to identify effective intervention types and the optimal time of delivery for maximum effectiveness. The research's importance cannot be overstated in terms of its theoretical and real-world impact as it holds significant potential for advancing our understanding of IBs and contributing to the development of standardised procedures for addressing IBs in juror decision-making, ultimately promoting fairness and equity within the CJS.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
Main supervisor: Professor Sally Priest
Second supervisor: Dr Christophe Viavattene
Twitter: @emmamonkman
LinkedIn: Emma Monkman
Facebook: Emma Monkman
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Research project title: The Implementing flood performance certification: Facilitating societal resilience through the use of property flood resilience
Research description: Flooding causes substantial social and economic losses and poses a significant threat to the current and future sustainability of communities and livelihoods. Currently, one in six UK residential and commercial properties (c. £5.2 million properties) are estimated to be at risk of flooding from river, coastal and/or surface water (Environment Agency, 2020). These risks are forecast to increase because of climate and socio-demographic changes and improving societal resilience to flood risk is critical to reducing impacts. It is well recognised that social, economic and environmentally sustainable flood risk management and requires the adoption of a portfolio of measures including large-scale hard structural barriers as well as non-structural behavioural and local options to best manage the impacts of flooding. Aligned to this is the greater need to encourage individual property owners to take action to reduce risk which is the focus of this research.
Through working in collaboration with Flood Re and the internationally renowned Flood Hazard Research Centre at Middlesex University, this studentship provides an exciting opportunity to address the critical issue of managing flood risk and its societal impacts. Flood Re is a not-for profit organisation financed and run by UK insurers whose aim is to maintain the availability and affordability of flood insurance. Part of this involves encouraging property owners to understand and reduce their flood risk recognising that insurance has the potential to encourage action through the uptake of Property-level Flood Resilience (PFR). PFR includes measures which homeowners can adopt at the property level to reduce risk and the impacts of flooding, but critically they can also empower them to make individual decisions. Flood Re, in collaboration with, government and other organisations, has undertaken a range of actions to promote the uptake of resilience measures. This included in 2022 Flood Re launching BuildBackBetter which facilitates resilient reinstatement of properties following flooding. The scheme offers eligible policyholders up to an additional £10,000 to implement PFR as part of their insurance claim. However, whilst the potential for PFR to positively reduce flood risk nationally is high, uptake remains low.
Many barriers to implementing risk reduction measures at the household level exist but include homeowner's lack of knowledge of the risk and which measures to implement and how any measures will reduce the impacts of flooding. Coupled with this is the absence of a mechanism which allows any PFR measures implemented to be identified by insurers and/or mortgage lenders and therefore allow the risk reduction (and any associated premium reduction) to be recognised. Indeed, The Property Flood Resilience Action Plan delivered to government Bonfield (2016; 5) recognised the gap and highlighted the need to understand how householders and insurers can be supported and incentivised to manage the risk of flooding and reduce the cost of insurance claims through resilience.
To fill this gap Flood Re (in collaboration with FHRC) are in the process of developing a Flood Performance Certificate, akin to an Energy Performance Certificate, which provides household level detail about the risk of flooding and any PFR actions a homeowner has, or can take, to reduce potential impacts. The connection between this proposed certificate on household-level behaviour is the key focus of the research project. Importantly, this research will inform the development and implementation of the certificate and contribute to Flood Re's efforts to improving societal flood resilience. This research complements other work already being undertaken in parallel research strands which are examining related policy and implementation questions (e.g. Who produces and owns a Flood Performance Certificate? How do Flood Performance Certificate link to current building standards? How frequently should they be produced? etc.). You will therefore work alongside, and have access to, industry and government experts and work on issues with local and national significance. Under the guidance of your supervisors at Middlesex University and Flood Re you will build upon the existing research already underway/planned and focus on the critical user question concerning how Flood Performance Certificates are understood by homeowners and how they might motivate resilient behaviour and increase the uptake of resilience. The outcomes will have direct impact as they can be fully integrated into Flood Re's workstreams moving towards the implementation of Flood Performance Certification.
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(City St George’s, University of London)
Main supervisor: Dan Mercea
Second supervisor: Andreas Kappes
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/constanza-musso-zapico/
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Research project title: AI Advice in Financial Decision-Making: Which Factors Drive the Seeking and Integration of AI Advice?
Research description: Financial decisions have significant implications for both individuals and society, but most humans make suboptimal financial choices. This creates an immense potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance financial decision-making by providing high-quality, affordable advice, especially for those who lack access to other forms of advice. AI has the capability to deliver such high-quality advice, matching or surpassing human decision-making capabilities. However, the extent to which people seek and integrate AI advice faces novel challenges, notably algorithm aversion, the phenomenon that people prefer humans over AI advisors, which has been reported in various contexts. Algorithm aversion suggests that individuals might be less inclined to integrate advice from AI advisors. Nevertheless, the evidence regarding the actual integration of AI advice is mixed. Findings from other areas of psychology suggest that preferences such as algorithm aversion may not play a significant role in integrating information. Furthermore, the advice-taking process often requires people to actively seek advice, an aspect largely overlooked in prior studies. How people seek financial advice from AI and the impact of preferences on this behaviour remains unclear. People often fail to seek advice from other humans, particularly when social costs are involved. Moreover, preferences for others do not reliably predict social behaviour. As preferences may not be crucial to explaining advice integration and seeking, I aim to develop a framework identifying the psychological factors that drive these behaviours.
My research programme employs a comprehensive experimental approach across three streams to examine the integration and seeking of financial AI advice. This exploration is facilitated by a novel paradigm, where participants engage in investment decisions while receiving either AI or human advice. This setup is designed to mirror real-world decision-making scenarios, with monetary incentives to enhance the relevance of findings to actual financial behaviours. In three studies, I investigate AI advice integration, examining how it compares to human advice integration and the impact of advisor preferences on the integration of AI advice. Preliminary findings suggest that although preferences slightly favour human advisors, they do not significantly deter the integration of AI advice. I also examine the impact of additional psychological factors “competence, trustworthiness, experience, social norms, and behavioural control“ to examine what matters the most for advice integration. In four subsequent studies, I will investigate the dynamics of advice-seeking, exploring the impact of preferences and other psychological factors on this behaviour, and if actively sought AI advice is integrated more than advice that is not. Finally, I investigate individual differences, which may generate obstacles for certain groups from benefiting from AI advice.
Theoretically, this research challenges prevailing notions of algorithm aversion and identifies key factors influencing advice integration and seeking. Practically, the findings aim to inform the development of more effective, responsible AI advisory systems.
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Main supervisor: Jordan Harold
Second supervisor: Kenny Coventry and Irene Lorenzoni
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eve-norris
Instagram: eve_nozza
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Research project title: Improving flood risk communication to promote informed decision making by at-risk communities in the context of climate change
Research description: Effective communication of flood risk is a key aspect of climate adaptation, especially considering the current costly challenges created by severe floods. Flood risk is expected to worsen with climate change, increasing the already significant impacts on households, communities and businesses [1]. Flood risk maps play a vital role in understanding, managing and mitigating the impact of floods contributing to the resilience and safety of communities. Typical uses of national flood mapping services include preparing for flooding, protecting properties and informing decisions regarding insurance and home purchases [2]. However, current tools used to communicate flood risk, such as those used by the UK Government's long-term flood risk service, do not always convey the likely impact of climate change on future flood risk and present challenges in accessibility and interpretation for non-specialists. This results in misunderstanding of flood information, and a piecemeal and sometimes ineffective approach to taking action to address long-term flood risk. This research project aims to address these limitations and improve the effectiveness of flood risk communication by establishing how to present geospatial flood risk data to the public that incorporates the impact of climate change in comprehensible ways. The project fits into multiple SENSS themes including Sustainability and Climate Emergency, Digital Social Sciences, Resolving Uncertainty and Addressing Crises, and Advanced Methods.
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Justice, Institutions and Social Change
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Natacha Kennedy
Second supervisor: Anna Traianou
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Research project title: Have we never been postmodern? The anti-gender movement, transphobia and the pervasiveness of biological determinism beyond the post-modern turn
Research description: My research project aims to explore how the recent rise in 'gender-critical' trans-exclusionary discourse in Western democracies, as part of a wider transnational anti-gender movement relies on arguments based on biological determinism. It will assess the epistemology behind biological determinism and how it has persisted beyond the postmodern turn, how it impacts the lives of trans people today and what strategies there might be to resist it and thereby undermine a core strategy of the anti-gender movement.
I investigate the notion that the anti-gender movement is a reactionary response to the postmodern paradigm shift and how its transphobic practices serve to support this argument through revealing the movement's insistence on modern bio-determinism.
In addition to examining existing literature, the study has a component that analyses transphobic UK media content as well as anti-trans political programmes and legislation in the UK, the US and Germany. The choice of these countries is made to show the transnational character of the problem and respond in kind in my analysis. The UK and the US are current hotspots of anti-trans politics while Germany is at risk of a far-right party that propagates anti-gender standpoints getting into local and national governments.
By effectively critiquing biologically determinist logics, my study hopes to contribute to a weakening of gender-critical transphobia and anti-gender movements in general and to provide a resource to academics, activists and politicians seeking to discredit transphobic rhetoric and protect trans rights. The ultimate intended beneficiaries of the study are trans people themselves.
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Research project title: Efficacy and mechanisms of nature-based interventions (NBI)
Research description: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition that disproportionately affects military and emergency service personnel who are underserved by existing treatments. My research investigates the efficacy and mechanisms of a nature-based intervention (NBI). NBIs have the potential to promote wellbeing and reduce social costs, but despite the enthusiasm for NBIs, there is a lack of robust experimental work that establishes their efficacy. My PhD research will be conducted independenlty of, but nested within a NIHR funded randomised controlled trial (RCT). The RCT aims to test the efficacy of a 30 hour long nature-based angling intervention (over a total of 22 trips) to improve the mental health of veterans and emergency service personnel with PTSD. My work will explore how the active elements of the NBI are associated with within-intervention changes in mood and phyisological responses.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Main supervisor: Professor Amanda Holt
Second supervisor: Dr Caitlin Knight
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Research project title: Understanding the role of attachment and family dynamics in child and adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse
Research description: The issue of child and adolescent-to-parent violence and abuse (CAPVA) has become a pressing global concern over the past decade (Baker and Bonnick, 2021) and the UK Government is currently engaging in a wide-ranging public consultation on the problem to develop an effective national response (UK Home Office, 2023). A recent research review has found that, the occurrence of CAPVA varies between 5 and 21 percent worldwide, depending on the method by which it is recorded (Simmons et al., 2018). Furthermore, the prevalence of CAPVA has been identified as a significant public health and social issue with profound impacts on those affected (Brennan et al., 2022).
The proposed research aims to improve our understanding of CAPVA by examining the family dynamics that underpin it. This study aims to investigate the relationship between CAPVA and i) the quality of the caregiver-child relationship and ii) the broader family environment. It will achieve this by focusing on attachment and the relational dynamics between all members of the family, including siblings.
By drawing across a range of disciplines, including criminology, sociology, human rights, psychology and social work, this study is primarily interdisciplinary. In particular, it aims to expand our knowledge in the fields of child and adolescent development, parental and family relationships, and domestic abuse.
Research background
Existing research has examined several aspects of CAPVA, including its prevalence and risk factors (Bates et al., 2023; Brennan et al., 2022). Most studies have concentrated on the socio-demographic features of the parent and child/adolescent involved (Cuervo, 2023) with comparatively; few studies examining CAPVA from the perspective of attachment processes and broader family dynamics. Those studies that have examined attachment in such relationships have tended to do so from large-scale surveys (e.g., Navas-Martínez and Cano-Lozano, 2023; Nowakowski-Sims and Rowe, 2017). While 'insecure attachment' has been identified as a correlative factor with CAPVA, such as surveys fail to explain how such attachment processes operate within the broader family dynamic, including siblings who are frequently neglected in CAPVA research.
CAPVA is an urgent global problem that impacts the health and wellbeing of all family members, including those who may not necessarily be directly targeted (such as siblings). The harms identified include poor physical health (e.g., injury, chronic health problems), poor mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression), as well as harms to familial and social relationships (Holt, 2016). Furthermore, CAPVA is also linked to children's past experiences of victimisation at home and future experiences of dating violence (Izaguirre and Calvete, 2016). Furthermore, sibling relationships in adulthood can be adversely affected by childhood exposure to family violence (Kong and Goldberg, 2022). The wide range of harms caused by living with violence and abuse, which includes broader economic and societal harms, is why the United Nations makes reducing all forms of violence a target within its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #16. This goal contributes significantly to the broader human rights framework supporting families thrive. SDG 16 focuses on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development where every individual has the opportunity to live a peaceful life free from violence and achieve their full potential.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
(Goldsmiths, University of London)
Main supervisor: Henrike Donner
Twitter: ER_Roberts_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-river-roberts-0703b3202/
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Research project title: Class and the Climate Emergency: Exploring Community Dynamics in Sussex, England
Research description: My research will explore how the climate crisis is impacting the community of a semi-rural town in Sussex, England. More specifically, it will focus on the role that social class plays in shaping people's experiences of climate change. My decision to look at this from a class perspective is in response to the chronic disinterest that mainstream environmentalism and academia has in class; until recently, it has rarely been mentioned in environmental reports and studies, despite it being a significant determinant in how someone experiences the climate crisis.
Because of this, our knowledge about how working-class people are impacted by climate change and what their specific needs are is severely lacking. The effects of this are compounded by their exclusion from decision-making processes: academia, politics and policymaking remain dominated by the middle and upper classes. So this research is very much geared around seeking out and highlighting under-represented voices and needs. At a broader level, this research will help us to understand how to galvanise communities into mobilising for progressive change.
To gather a complete picture about how people are impacted, I will look at how people interpret climate-related information such as scientific data, news reports and environmental policies. I will also look at how they perceive weather changes perceived to be related to climate change. Additionally, I will look at how climate change is shaping everyday practices of the community; how people's daily lives are changing in response to the climate crisis.
There has and continues to be an overemphasis on people's consumption habits in social science research (and mainstream society more broadly). For as important as understanding the impacts of our habits are, this overfocus has driven much-needed attention away from other areas such as understanding shifts in community engagement. So while I am sure that I will come across it through my research, it will not be a central focus.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
Main supervisor: Dr Elisabeth Shrimpton
Second supervisor: Professor Nazmiye Ozkan
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Research project title: Determining the Potential of Hydrogen Towns (DePHT)
Research description: This project provides an interdisciplinary bridge between engineering, society, academia, and industry aiming to facilitate achieving a just, sustainable, and informed energy transition in UK towns. This is done through determining the potential of Hydrogen Towns, identifying the opportunities it could bring to the UK, and the challenges facing its adoption.
The overarching aim of the research is to devise a bottom-up policy and engagement framework for the introduction of sustainable hydrogen infrastructure in UK towns.
The engagement framework methodology relies on surveys, interviews, and novel participatory approaches.
The policies designed will inform policy-makers of a methodology to support UK hydrogen infrastructure design that is socially acceptable, mitigating risks and maximising opportunities as identified by the communities and those working on infrastructure projects.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Main supervisor: Helge Gillmeister
Second supervisor: Sophia Carbonero
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Research project title: The Effect of PTSD, Dissociation and Interoception on Responses to Touch
Research description: Traumatic events are a frequent occurrence, with 50% to 70% of individuals experiencing a traumatic event during their lifetime. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed in 4 in 100 individuals, with 14.4% of PTSD patients suffering from dissociative symptoms, which causes one to feel detached from their body and the world around them.
Previous research has identified disrupted levels of interoception in those who experience PTSD and dissociative symptoms. Interoception is crucial in daily life, by enabling one to recognise feelings of hunger, as well as pleasant sensations such as affective touch. In PTSD, interoception is often heighted due to hypervigilance, but reduced in those with dissociative symptoms, due to feelings of detachment and disengagement from one's body.
Research has also found that neural responses to touch are abnormal in those with PTSD and dissociative symptoms. Although research looking at neural activity in PTSD has been inconsistent, it can be hypothesised that PTSD patients will display abnormal levels of neural activation in response to touch, especially in frontal regions which relate to body awareness and interoception. Alternatively, neural deactivation can be expected in regions such as the temporal lobe, which relates to memory. In contrast, those with dissociative symptoms are expected to display reduced neural activity in response to touch, particularly in relation to the P45 event-related potential (ERP).
My project will examine how touch responses differ between individuals with high and low levels of PTSD symptoms, dissociative symptoms and interoception. Study 1 will utilise questionnaire measures to identify correlations and differences between PTSD and dissociation, in relation to levels of interoception, touch attitudes and feelings of shame. This study will also include short videos of affective and neutral touch, where participants will rate the pleasantness, intensity and familiarity of these videos. Additionally, a virtual outline of a body will be presented, where participants will be instructed to virtually shade the regions where they would feel comfortable and uncomfortable, when receiving touch from a stranger versus a partner.
Study 2 will establish any differences in touch responses between high and low levels of PTSD, dissociation and interoception. Touch responses will be measured using electroencephalography (EEG), specifically using ERPs and heart-beat evoked potentials (HEP), to assess neural responses to touch. Two types of touch will be utilised: tactile stimulation on the hand from a computer-controlled tapper, and vicarious touch videos of touch on the hand and abdomen.
Study 3 will add expected and unexpected touch to the paradigm used in Study 2, to determine whether the presumed discomfort of unexpected touch will create abnormal neural responses in those with high levels of PTSD and dissociative symptoms.
This research will be impactful by identifying important diagnostic biomarkers for both PTSD and dissociation. The link to touch and interoception could potentially suggest that exposure to touch through touch therapy, or treatments to improve interoception, will improve symptoms of PTSD and dissociation.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
Main supervisor: Dr Aldina Franco
Second supervisor: Dr Johanna Forster
Twitter:https://x.com/bibekrshrestha
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bibek-raj-shrestha-39213758/
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Research project title: Park, People, and Pressures: Evaluating Protected Areas and Community Forest's Governance Models Effectiveness for Conservation & Wellbeing in Nepal
Research description: In the face of the dual challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change, the effective conservation of nature and species in Nepal hinges on the governance structures of Protected Areas (PAs) and Community Forests (CFs), and their impact on both biodiversity conservation and human well-being. This study adopts multidisciplinary social and ecological approaches to examine the interplay between governance, biodiversity conservation, and human well-being within Nepal's PAs and CFs. By evaluating the governance mechanisms, including the transition towards community-based initiatives, the research seeks to uncover their influence on conservation outcomes and the socio-economic welfare of local communities. Furthermore, the study addresses climate vulnerabilities faced by PAs, forecasts shifts in climate space, and evaluates the vulnerability of threatened species contributing to enhancing community support and promoting the well-being of both ecosystems and human populations in Nepal.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Main supervisor: Jeanette Cossar
Second supervisor: Birgit Larsson
Twitter: @rachaelstemp
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Research project title: Supported Lodgings: the experiences, relationships and needs of young people and hosts.
Research description: Supported lodgings are a form of semi-independent accommodation in which a family or individual hosts a care-experienced young person or unaccompanied asylum-seeking child. The potential for hosts to support the development and well-being of young people has led to the increased use of supported lodgings in England. However, there is currently no academic research evidence into their appropriateness, or the experiences of those living in supported lodgings houses, as lodgers or hosts.
This research will explore the lived experiences young people and hosts in supported lodgings. Through a mixed-methods approach, including using photo-elicited interviews, it will look at what is like for young people and hosts to live in supported lodgings arrangements, and how this is different from other placements. In particular, it will explore the nature and quality of relationships between young people and hosts, applying the Secure Base model as a well-recognised theoretical framework within foster and parenting relationships.
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Main supervisor: Dr Harry Dyer
Second supervisor: Dr James Craske
LinkedIn: Holly Summers
Instagram: holly.osully
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Research project title: An exploration of the disconnects between relationships and sex education policy and young people's experiences of post-digital relationships and sex education in England
Research description:
The purpose of this research is to explore young people's experiences of relationships and sex education in England in a post-digital world and, how their experiences align or misalign with the curricular policies and guidance. This research will take a multi methods approach utilising policy analysis, creative praxis in focus groups with young people and expert interviews with a range of critical stakeholders. This approach places young people's voices at the centre of the research whilst providing extensive critical exploration of wider narratives and discourses present in post-digital sex education policy and practice.Relationships and sex education (RSE) policy and practice attracts much attention in both public and academic communities, with research continually highlighting the poor quality of relationships and sex education for pupils in England. For young people today, being online and navigating digital social spaces and technologies are integral to their lives.
Understanding post-digital sex educational experiences provides an opportunity to engage in research-informed interventions focused on the curriculum, pedagogical guidance and policy. The interdisciplinary nature of this post-digital research provides grounds for innovative and integrated policy recommendations which support educators as well as those involved in the wider digital community to navigate the deeply embedded nature of 'the digital' in young people's lives and learning. Such recommendations support the Sustainable Development Goal of quality education. Furthermore, it aims to have various impacts across fields including; education, digital sociology, policy and cultural studies, adding to a body of developing interdisciplinary research committed to providing quality education through innovative policy recommendations.
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Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research
Main supervisor: Ran Gu
Second supervisor: Michel Serafinelli
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Research project title: A Study on the Impact of Data Protection and Privacy Policy
Research description: This project aims to investigate the impact of data protection and privacy regulations on consumer's welfare in the UK and develop a new methodological tool for estimating this impact. The modern digital economy has promoted the collection and processing of personal data, enabling the development of new products and personalized services. However, in this economy, consumers have become more concerned about the protection of their personal data, and this has led to the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR) in the UK and EU, which establishes a legal framework emphasizing transparency in data collection/processing practice by firms and organizations.
For this goal, I will tackle the following three tasks: Firstly, before constructing an economic model, I will investigate how British people's privacy concerns have changed before and after the GDPR. Specifically, I will analyse how their allowable range of data and information disclosure has changed over time, using the UK Household Longitudinal Study, which includes questionnaire entries that allow us to analyse consumers' preferences for not revealing their personal information.
Secondly, based on the first analysis, I will construct an economic model that enables me to isolate the effects of the GDPR on UK consumers. The GDPR has affected all people in the UK, and there is no 'control' group (i.e. a group of people who had not been affected by the GDPR and thus could be compared with those who had been affected). Due to this nature, the problem here cannot be fitted into a standard causal inference framework, and I will rely on the so-called structural approach, while partly utilising a quasi-experimental estimate method. That is, with the aid of economic theory, I will develop a structural model of consumer's behaviour and at the same time estimate a part of the model parameters through comparing the UK and US, where the GDPR has been implemented and not, respectively. I here intend to incorporate the differences-in-difference type comparison into the structural model.
Lastly, based on the developed model, I will empirically assess how the GDPR has affected consumers' welfare using UK data. This will be done by comparing consumers' utilities estimated from their choice pattern of online retailers before and after the GDPR.
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Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
(City St Georges, University of London)
Main supervisor: Dr Christina Malamateniou
Second supervisor: Professor Amanda Goodall
Twitter: @GemWalsh
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-walsh-9a618a247/
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Research project title: Digital Radiographer Leaders: Exploring leadership roles and competencies for radiographers to lead safe and effective AI digital transformation
Research description: Diagnostic radiographers use cutting edge technology to produce medical diagnostic images such as x-rays or scans. Therapeutic radiographers use complex equipment to treat cancer or skin deformities with radiation. Both radiographer roles have a unique healthcare skillset that encompasses the use of technology alongside a strong patient centred care ethos.
Radiographers hold a bridging role, being the interface between technology and patients. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used by radiographers to image and plan treatment for people in the UK. Robust leadership has been highlighted as a vital component of safe and effective AI adoption, and while there has been huge investment in health technology and AI, there has been little investment in preparing digital leaders to manage and implement such technologies. Within healthcare, and radiology in particular, there are leadership gaps when it comes to implementing AI. Most healthcare workers state they lack the knowledge, skills, or confidence to work with AI, let alone lead in its implementation. Radiographers are ideally positioned to lead AI changes and enable safe and effective AI implementation. Currently there are no established AI leadership roles for radiographers, and the workforce requires managerial support, guidance, and specific AI educational resources to establish these roles.
The aim of this project is to explore leadership tasks, competencies, and roles for radiographers, so they can lead the safe and effective implementation of AI in healthcare. This study will provide the basis for education, policy and practice to aid establishment of AI radiographer leaders in the UK.
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Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research
Main supervisor: Dr Marcus Harrington
Second supervisor: Dr Teodora Gliga
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Research project title: Sound asleep: Understanding the real-world applications of auditory sleep stimulation
Research description: How are new learning experiences transformed into enduring memories? During slow-wave sleep (SWS), the deepest stage of sleep, the brain generates slow oscillations (low-frequency fluctuations in brain activity) and sleep spindles (brief bursts of faster brain activity), which are widely believed to play a causal role in helping us to retain newly learned information.
In a major recent breakthrough, it was discovered that slow oscillations and sleep spindles can be enhanced using an advanced method called closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS), which involves delivering precisely timed auditory 'clicks' to sleeping participants in synchrony with their endogenous slow oscillations. Consistent with the view that SWS oscillations facilitate memory, CLAS has repeatedly been shown to boost the memory benefits of sleep.
To date, CLAS has primarily been used as a neuroscientific technique to study the neural mechanisms of sleep-associated memory strengthening. However, CLAS has enormous unexplored potential as a tool for facilitating learning in educational and clinical settings. For example, CLAS could support the learning of individuals with sleep and memory deficits, such as children with autism; or molded into a therapeutic strategy to support the relearning of skills in stroke recovery.
My PhD project will take an interdisciplinary, mixed methods approach to improving our understanding of when and how CLAS could be applied in the real world. Specifically, I will investigate 1) which types of memories profit from CLAS, 2) whether the memory benefits of CLAS can be sustained across multiple nights, and 3) the feasibility and effectiveness of using CLAS to support learning in autistic children.
To address my novel research questions, I will use a state-of-the-art in-lab electroencephalography (EEG) system and emerging portable EEG devices that permit at-home sleep recording, both of which are available at the University of East Anglia. I will benefit from a multidisciplinary team of supervisors and collaborators who will help to provide expert training in cutting-edge advanced methodologies and ultimately allow me to build a comprehensive skillset ideal for future work in cognitive neuroscience.
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Sustainability and Climate Emergency
Main supervisor: Professor Corrado Di Maria
Second supervisor: Dr Gaetano Grilli
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Research project title: Sustainability and Resilience of the UK Fishing Fleet
Research description: The UK Government's 25-Year Environment Plan sets 'using resources from nature more sustainably and efficiently' as one of its high-priority objectives, yet in 2022 the majority of the fish stocks in the UK were either overfished or in critical conditions. Fishery management in the UK needs to go beyond the traditional stock management concerns, to also include the economic and social sustainability of the whole fishery system. Answering this challenge requires a multidisciplinary approach that identifies the optimal size of the fishing fleet and the fishing effort, as well as the level of the catch that is consistent with the long-run viability of the fish stocks.
This PhD project aims to contribute to this emerging approach by developing novel analytical tools geared towards the assessment of the biological, economic and social sustainability of the fishing industry. Building on the long-standing collaboration between the UEA and CEFAS, this project brings together economics, productivity analysis, fishery management, business insights, and data science to develop advanced models of the UK fishing fleet, and feeds directly into topical policy discussions.
Working with experts in economics, data science, fisheries management and biology, the PhD researcher will combine the biological information on fish stock assessment over time held by CEFAS, the rich data on input costs, vessel characteristics and performance from the Seafish's Annual Fleet Survey and the most recent methods in productivity analysis to estimate production frontiers for a range of fisheries around the United Kingdom. In the second part of your work, the researcher will demonstrate the broad applicability of these analytical tools by estimating the impact of offshore wind farms development on fishing fleets or by identifying the fisheries most at risk from the environmental changes brought about by global heating.
This research has the potential to directly feed into policy discussions, for example, by providing clear guidance to policymakers to target specific fisheries or fleet segments with selective interventions aimed at improving their overall performance or to support specific goals.
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Advanced Methods for Social and Economic Research
Main supervisor: Dr Nadja Althaus
Second supervisor: Dr Teodora Gliga
Twitter: @BarbaraZapior
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Research project title: Infant categorisation in naturalistic conditions: The role of language in real-world concept formation
Research description: Concept formation is a fundamental part of early cognitive development, allowing generalisation of knowledge. Yet, we know little about how this process works in real life, as previous studies have relied on rigid screen-based paradigms that involve rapid sequential presentation of a few category exemplars.
How do infants group similar objects into abstract categories when encounters with exemplars are separated in space and time? How do caregivers actively shape learning in naturalistic situations through social cues and verbal labelling?
While recent advances in head-mounted eye-tracking technology have allowed more naturalistic studies, this has yet to be extended to categorisation, as new analytical tools are required to deal with the complexities of interactions between caregiver, child and objects that share similarities.
My PhD aims to examine infant categorisation in naturalistic scenarios in an interdisciplinary project, focused on computational and Advanced Quantitative Methods (AQM), that involves innovative experimental approaches: taking a learner's perspective by using head-mounted eye-tracking, embracing big data through parent-contributed recordings of natural interactions at home, and leveraging deep learning for analysis.
The project's findings will have important theoretical implications for developmental science, and applied value to parents and early years practitioners. The outcomes will make a significant contribution to methodological advancement in psychological research by enabling automatic preprocessing of complex dyadic interactions, which allow wider application.