Research Community

Edgar Jones is an authority on the psychological effects of modern war and conflict. He has studied both conventional armed forces and terrorism, exploring how individuals cope during periods of intense stress and the impact of traumatic experiences on their wellbeing. In addition, he has researched moral injury, an enduring belief of being wronged or having been compelled to act in ways that feel wrong, in servicemen and women. He has recently completed a study of Gurkha and Fijian veterans to explore the impact of discrimination on mental health in the UK armed forces. Edgar Jones has also published on risk factors for radicalisation and support of political violence. He has written extensively on shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic multi-symptom illness suffered as a result of military service. The author of a number of reports for government and military or mental health charities, his work seeks to shape policy and practice.

Edgar Jones originally studied history, researching a doctorate at Nuffield College, Oxford. He subsequently joined the department of psychiatry at Guy's Hospital where he completed a doctorate in clinical psychopathology and trained as a psychodynamic psychotherapist. Having previously taught at University College London and been a senior research fellow at the LSE, Edgar Jones joined the Institute of Psychiatry in January 1998. He was awarded the Gideon de Laune Gold Medal by the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine, Society of Apothecaries in 2007, and received a President’s Medal for a significant contribution to improving the lives of people with mental illness from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2015.

Professor Gavin Oxburgh is Professor of Police Science and Assistant Director of The Northern Hub for Veteran and Military Familes Research with a focus on the Criminal Justice research agenda. Gavin is a 22 year Veteran of HM Royal Air Force Police where he was a senior detective specialising in child protection and sexual offences. He is an HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, a Chartered Psychologist and Scientist, and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Royal Society of the Arts and the UK Higher Education Academy. Gavin's research draws upon, and contributes to, the broad area of military Veterans' research, together with legal and criminological psychology including: international human rights, the prevention of torture, ethical and non-coercive interviewing, false and recovered memories, and (cyber) crime in the cloud.

Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith is a Professor within the Edinburgh Napier Business School and is the founder and Director of the Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement, also at Edinburgh Napier university. Gerri is also the lead for the new Scottish Armed Forces Evidence and Research (SAFE&R) Hub and the University Research Lead for Military Research. Gerri’s research work rests within three key disciplines: human and organisational development, management, and wellbeing.

Professor Glyn Howatson is an Army Veteran and is currently a Professor in Human and Applied Physiology. His research interests predominantly lie in optimising human performance (from clinical populations to elite athletes). He focuses on understanding the stress-recovery-adaptation continuum using training and nutritional interventions to manipulate human physiology. His work has encompassed the interaction of bio-psych-social factors influencing the human condition and the sex differences affecting human performance.

Professor John Brewer is a Professor of Post Conflict Studies and Senior Fellow at The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast. Professor Brewer has extensive research experience into Veteran transition and most recently worked on two FiMT-funded projects examining the impact of counter-insurgency warfare on the post-conflict reintegration of UK Armed Forces personnel. He recently researched the negative transitioning experiences of British Armed forces ex-personnel including those who have been in prison, homeless or received mental health support. Current research interests includes analysis of online extremism, including the susceptibility of some Veterans to become involved in extreme networks, and methods to prevent this.

Professor Jonathan Bisson served in the British Army and is now a practising Psychiatrist and Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at Cardiff University. He is the Director of Traumatic Stress Wales and Health for Health Professionals, and Deputy Director of the National Centre for Mental Health. Jonathan was co-chair of the UK’s first PTSD NICE Guideline Development Group and chair of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’ Treatment Guidelines Committee. He developed and continues to lead Cardiff University’s Traumatic Stress Research Group. He also developed and was the first director of NHS Veterans Wales and Health and Care Research Wales. Jonathan is particularly passionate about developing and evaluating effective new treatments to treat PTSD and/or following traumatic events that can be implemented into clinical practice.

Professor Lisa Scullion is Professor of Social Policy and Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Inclusive Society at the University of Salford. Lisa has delivered over 60 research projects, with a commitment to the importance of qualitative inquiry for shaping policy and practice. Lisa’s work focuses specifically on understanding the impact of UK welfare reforms. This includes leading a ground-breaking five-year FiMT funded study called Sanctions, Support & Service Leavers. This is the first in depth UK research to explore Veterans’ experiences of the social security system and has been supporting the Department for Work and Pensions in developing their work related to the Armed Forces community. Lisa is a member of the Ministry of Defence Recovery Expert Advisory Board and the Office for Veterans Affairs Academic Advisory Board, and the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community Advisory Board. 

Professor Matt Kiernan is the Director of The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families' Research at Northumbria University. Prior to this, he was the Head of Mental Health Nursing in the Royal Navy, the Specialist Nurse Advisor for Mental Health (Royal Navy) and the Defence Specialist Nurse Advisor (Mental Health). In his current role, he leads a range of research projects involving Veterans, Service personnel and their families, exploring health and social care, public health, psychology, social policy, human geography and nursing.

Professor Neil Greenberg is a clinical and academic Psychiatrist based at King’s College London, specialising in adult, occupational and forensic psychiatry. Neil served in the United Kingdom Armed Forces for more than 23 years deploying as a Psychiatrist and Researcher. At King’s College London, Neil is a senior member of the military mental health research team and a Principal Investigator within a nationally funded Health Protection Research Unit which investigates the psychological impacts of trauma on organisations. Neil also runs March on Stress and chairs the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) Special Interest Group in Occupational Psychiatry, as well as leading on the World Psychiatric Association’s Position Statement on Mental Health in the Workplace. 

Professor Nicola Fear holds a Chair in Epidemiology at the Academic Department of Military Mental Health and is Director of the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) at King’s College London and one of the Directors of the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. Nicola has worked in the field of occupational health throughout her career, including within the UK Ministry of Defence as their Consultant Epidemiologist. She trained in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford, from where she obtained her doctorate. Professor Fear is one of the Principal Investigators on the KCMHR military cohort study and leads several studies looking at the impact of military service on families. 

Professor Paul Farrand is Professor of Evidence Based Psychological Practice and Research, and Director of the Low-Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LICBT) portfolio within Clinical Education, Development and Research (CEDAR), Psychology University of Exeter. He holds several Expert Advisor positions and at an international level acts as a Scientific Advisor regarding worldwide developments in Low-Intensity CBT. He is an internationally renowned expert in LICBT (CBT self-help) and has substantial expertise CBT self-help interventions, especially in a written and mobile phone app format and adapting the interventions for specific groups, such as Armed Forces Veterans, Muslims, Informal Carers and several physical health populations. Paul is currently working on an OVA-funded research project adapting an AI-driven mobile phone app (Iona) to ensure acceptability and effectiveness for ex-servicewomen. 

Professor Sir Simon Wessely FRS is a Psychiatrist and Epidemiologist. He started his psychiatry training at the Maudsley in 1984, and has been at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King’s College London, ever since. He established the King’s Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) in 1996 and remains the Co-director alongside Professor Nicola Fear. His main areas of research have been in unexplained symptoms/syndromes, military health, epidemiology, clinical trials and how populations and people react to adversity.