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Senior Lecturer in Social Policy & Social Work, University of York

My particular interests lie in seeking to better understand the (dis)connect between popular and political narratives around poverty, welfare reform and austerity and lived experiences for those directly affected by recent and ongoing changes to the social security system. My particular interests include social citizenship and stigma, and the complex ways in which the shame associated with poverty and benefits receipt interacts with experiences and responses to financial hardship.

I am interested (and excited by) the potential of qualitative longitudinal approaches to enable researchers to ‘walk alongside’ participants, and generate a dynamic, rich picture of lives lived through time. I have used qualitative longitudinal approaches in my own research, and have participated in training doctoral and early career researchers in this methodology. Further, my research prioritises participatory elements, and I am committed to conducting research with rather than on people. To this end, I always seek to include participatory elements within the work that I do, and to ensure that the outputs produced from any research encompass both academic and more accessible (and perhaps engaging) outputs.

I joined the Department of Social Policy & Social Work in August 2018, and before that was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Liverpool. My doctoral research was completed at the University of Leeds, where I explored the lived experiences of welfare reform. I entered university as a mature student, and particularly value the skills and experiences I have gained from outside the academy. I have worked as a practitioner for Shelter and Foundation (supporting offenders with their housing needs both in custody and following release) and also have employment experiences in the think tank sector (Fabian Society / Institute for Public and Policy Research). These experiences greatly inform the work that I do now.

Experience

  • –present
    Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Liverpool