Institute for Social Justice
PhD researchers
The Institute for Social Justice has a vibrant community of post-graduate researchers, who are engaged in interdisciplinary research across all five schools in the University.
Ruth Lambley
Co-production, Arts and Mental Health
Working in collaboration with Converge, Ruth’s PhD research explores co-production, mental health and the arts, particularly focusing on co-creative processes with people with mental health difficulties who might find it difficult to engage in traditional research methodologies.
Nicola McAteer
Community Music, Covid-19 and the Digital Environment
Nicola is undertaking a PhD in partnership between ISJ and the International Centre for Community Music with supervision by Professor Lee Higgins exploring community music’s journey through a global pandemic, specifically within the realm of mental health and wellbeing.
Natalie Quatermass
Theatre, Young People and Environmental Justice
Supervised by Professor Matthew Reason and Dr Catherine Heinemeyer, Natalie’s PhD considers how theatre can be used as a tool to amplify the voices of young and marginalised communities within the Environmental Justice movement.
Matthew Green
A duty of care for young people: Differentiating banter from bullying in Physical Education
Working across sport and education, Matthew’s PhD will focus on the affiliation between physical education, hegemonic masculinity and heteronormative behaviour in United Kingdom secondary schools. In doing so, his work will address ambiguities in existing literature with regards to young adolescents (re)construction of gender through physical education.
Alice Little
The impact and efficacy of participatory research methods with children and young people.
Drawing on her background of working with children, Alice’s research seeks to understand what it means to collaborate with children and young people as co-researchers. She will be exploring what the young people get out of the process and how can engage them effectively in participatory research.
Román Baca
The Military Human: Dance, Embodied Experience and Future Thinking amongst Veterans
Working in collaboration with veteran and arts organizations in the US and the UK, Román’s PhD research explores embodied experience focusing on military experiences and impact on well-being, resilience and future thinking.
Georgia Dearden
Healing Subjects: Living Well with the Aftershocks of Sexual Violence
Situated between the Fine Art and Counselling departments, this research asks how an analysis of the way liquidity features in artworks dealing with assault, injury, and illness can help survivors of abuse to live with bodily trauma.
Amanda Faber
Exploring the efficacy of long term engagement with theatre by military personnel as a potential route to narrative change
Amanda founded the Soldiers’ Arts Academy which has created a model of applied therapeutic theatre where members of the Armed Forces Community can interact with the arts. Drawing on her work in theatre, film, dance and TV Amanda’s PhD research will explore the impact of theatre on narrative change for participants and audiences.
Hannah Cutting
Communication through spoken word: focusing on students with mental ill health within mainstream secondary schools
Working across education and the arts, Hannah’s research explores the advantages of spoken word and the potential benefits it could have for young people who suffer with mental health issues within mainstream secondary school.