Research Community

Catherine is a Senior Research Data Scientist at RAND Europe whose work primarily focuses on applying statistical modelling to data on the Armed Forces community, such as forecasting the size and demographics of the Armed Forces community out to 2040, estimating the cost and prevalence of poor transitions from the Armed Forces and understanding the interactions of Armed Forces children with the social care system. Catherine’s research has focused on understanding and supporting the Armed Forces Community across a wide range of issues since 2022, with projects for the Ministry of Defence, Royal British Legion, RAF Benevolent Fund, Greenwich Hospital, the OVA and FiMT.

The Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community is an independent centre funded by Forces in Mind Trust and run by a consortium of RAND Europe and King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) at King’s College London. The centre provides an accessible and authoritative evidence base exploring the transition from military to civilian life, to inform policy and practice affecting ex-Service personnel and their families in the UK. It also functions as a community hub for the UK Armed Forces research community, connecting researchers, policy makers, and service providers, to support the forging of joined up working and collaboration, and build pathways to impact. This is achieved through various outputs, including but not limited to, a accessible online research repository, informative themed research and policy summaries and primary research exploring key themes impacting the UK ex-Service community. 

The Centre for Military Women’s Research (CMWR)’s core mission is to inform and improve the well-being of women in the military and Veteran community through world-leading collaborative research and evaluation. Their work highlights women’s experiences, issues, and support needs and the centre is dedicated to fostering co-production with members of the military community and collaboration with partners and stakeholders.

Dr Charlotte Herriott is a member of the Centre for Military Women’s Research as well as Senior Lecturer in Criminology and Policing and Course Leader for MA Criminology at Anglia Ruskin University. Charlotte’s research centres around sexual violence, both in the civilian and military context, particularly looking at criminal justice responses. Her most recent work focuses on victim-survivor experiences and impact of sexual violence in the UK Armed Forces, as well as their experience and perception of the service justice response.

Chris is an Associate Professor in History at the University of South Wales. His recent research, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), has explored the multifaceted role of imperialism across the cycle of nuclear development in Britain, from uranium extraction in the Congo and South Africa to nuclear weapons tests in Australia and the Pacific. Chris is Principal Investigator for the Office for Veterans’ Affairs project: ‘An Oral History of British Nuclear Test Veterans’.

Dr Emma Murray is an Associate Professor in Criminal and Social Justice at the Centre of Excellence for Equities in Uniformed Public Services (CEEUPS) at Anglia Ruskin University, and Criminologist in Residence at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Liverpool. Emma is particularly interested in the lived experiences of Veterans who have been convicted of serious violence or sexual offences. Her research is committed to engaged scholarship that informs justice sector policy and serves as a catalyst for change for the benefit of the Armed Forces as a whole. Emma's work promotes narrative, visual and creative qualitative methodologies that are trauma-informed and inclusive to challenge biases. Emma has acted as a research partner for FACT (2014-ongoing),  The Howard League for Penal Reform (2015-ongoing), The Royal British Legion (2017-2018), and The Probation Institute (2018-ongoing). 

John's academic and professional career is rooted in a commitment to supporting underrepresented groups, particularly veterans and vulnerable learners. This focus is reflected in his PhD, which explored the lived experiences of veterans involved in the criminal justice system. John's wider research interests include social mobility, sport and student attainment, male mental health, and veteran wellbeing—areas shaped by his background in the RAF Police, work in higher education, and research roles centred on veteran health and transition.

John has developed strong quantitative and qualitative research skills through SPSS analysis, CPD development, module evaluation, and research dissemination. Alongside this, he has built a substantial teaching profile across FE and HE, underpinned by inclusive practice, real world application, and recognition through FHEA status.

In his current role with UCLan’s College for Military Veterans and Emergency Services, John works across academic engagement and partnership development, contributing to improved outcomes for veteran communities. He aims to continue producing impactful research, enhancing curriculum and teaching practice, and supporting learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their potential.

Dr O’Malley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Crime at University of York. She has a long-standing interest in military welfare issues generally, and has undertaken research with homeless Veterans and the Veteran charity housing sector. This includes ongoing work on evidence collection for Riverside Group’s development of a housing 'roadmap' for the Armed Forces Community. She is also the Chair of the Expert Advisory Board for the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. 

Martin is a Lecturer in Psychological Trauma and Mental Health in the STARC Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. Broadly Martin’s research interests concern the study of health and well-being among hidden and hard to reach groups who have experienced trauma and adversity, including: military Veterans in Northern Ireland, incarcerated populations, and families experiencing pregnancy and child loss. His previous work has investigated the well-being of Veterans, including experience of complex traumatic stress, psychological comorbidity, and helpseeking.

Dr Moira Bailey is a part time Lecturer, freelance Consultant and Researcher at the Robert Gordon University. Her interest in Veteran research came about as a result of her being a member of the Veteran family - her late husband was a Royal Navy Veteran who had mental helath issues arising from his service. Her son also is a Navy Veteran. She was recently a member of the team which produced an independent report commissioned in 2022 by the Office of Veterans’ Affairs to explore the potential of improving female Veterans' access to support services. She is currently working on two projects for different Veteran charities to produce in depth evaluation reports. Moira is also interested in pursing further research in the female Veteran space as well as exploring the experiences of Veterans' carers. 

Hilary Currin is interested in exploring the lived experiences of criminalised ex-Servicewomen and men who have engaged with the justice sector, with an emphasis on using participatory and creative methods. Her current research focus is qualitative research exploring how ex-Servicewomen interact with the justice sector and how the justice sector understands and reacts to their unique needs. Previous research includes life course work with ex-Servicemen who committed violent and/or sexual offenses, as well as service evaluations focusing on Veteran well-being.

Lucy is a part-time PhD student with Edinburgh Napier University whilst also serving as an officer in the Royal Air Force. She has a background in Human Resource Management having previously studied cross-cultural competence in British Service Personnel serving in multinational NATO units. Her current research focuses on the role of identity loss in career transition for veterans working with the prison services with the ultimate hope of improving the career transition process for all veterans.