Research Community

Dr Gill McGill is Co-director of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research at Northumbria University, supporting its development since 2015. Gill has a growing portfolio of expertise and publications in the field of Veterans and military families research including leading research projects exploring access to health and social care for alcohol-related issues, bereavement, maintaining independence following limb loss and social isolation and loneliness among the LGBT+ Veteran population.  Gill also has significant experience in participant recruitment from ‘hard or reach’/seldom heard populations as well as in the design of peer-informed research projects.  Gill is also employed as an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Social Care in the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at Northumbria University. Gill has a background in Public Health, working as a commissioner and service provider, and she has extensive experience in project management and strategy development in the NHS, Local Authority and Third Sector settings.

Dr Glen Dighton is a Research Officer at the Centre for Military Gambling Research based at Swansea University, Wales. Dr Dighton completed his PhD in 2020 which was the first UK based study to look at gambling behaviour in ex-Armed Forces veterans. This, and follow-on work, has been used to inform policy, has been cited in debate in the House of Lords, and has been used in the development of the Armed Forces Gambling Support Network. Dr Dighton’s research interests focus on behavioural addictions, specifically gambling and the gambling/gaming mergence.

Dr Hannah West is the Communications and Engagement Officer for the Female Veterans Transformation Programme (COBSEO Female Veterans Cluster). She works freelance as a researcher affiliated to Newcastle University and is currently working for the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security in Canada, Bodmin Keep military museum and as a Women’s History Network Early Career Fellow. She is also the Founder and Co-Chair of the Defence Research Network and Social Media Editor for the Journal of War and Cultures Studies. Through her research she is committed to uncovering women’s stories of conflict, contemporary and historical,  in order to question gendered understandings of how we know war and what this means for contemporary military cultures and behaviours.

Hannah's research specialises in experimenting with different approaches to war and violence in texts. She works primarily with Roman history and Latin literature, but draws from modern war and security studies, and critical theory, to gain a deeper understanding of how we write, think and talk about the bodies embroiled in conflict. Hannah is currently working on a collaborative project exploring military health, ancient and modern. Outputs will include a public engagement workshop series, articles and chapters. 

Hilary is an Associate Professor in the Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research (VFI) at Anglia Ruskin University. There she leads research exploring how Veterans and their significant others live in their comunities with changing health needs and co-morbidities. Hilary's research interests cover health and well-being needs in relation to limb loss, loss of use of limb, long term health needs, chronic pain and how people live adaptively accordingly. 

Howard received his PhD in epidemiology for research on mental health and socioeconomic status of UK Armed Forces personnel transitioning to civilian life. Veterans and transition remain his primary areas of interest, including mental health, social, and economic outcomes. His experience is in mixed-methods research, including cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies, randomised controlled trials, meta-analysis, and data linkage. He has published on the long-term mental health and socioeconomic outcomes of Veterans, as well as other areas of Armed Forces well-being and return from deployment. His current main study is ADVANCE-INVEST, on the consequences of battlefield injury to the transition outcomes of Veterans.

Dr Jacqueline (Jack) Rappoport is a non-clinical lecturer at the Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, at Queen Mary University of London, teaching MSc programmes in Trauma Sciences, Emergency and Resuscitation Medicine, and Paediatric Trauma Sciences. With over 20 years of experience in forensic mental health and child protection, Jack specialises in trauma recovery, particularly C-PTSD and PTSD. Her clinical background is in Counselling Psychology, where she practices pluralistic counselling using Person-Centered, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy approaches. Jack holds a PhD in Qualitative Research, focusing on trauma, military service, and offending among incarcerated UK veterans. She possesses multiple postgraduate qualifications, including a PGCap in Academic Practice, and a PGDip and PGCert in Counselling Psychology, an MSc in Criminal Justice (MSCJ), and a Master's in Public Administration (MPA) with additional qualifications in Group Facilitation and Training. Jack has also taught Research Methods, Stress Management, Forensic Psychology, Sociology, and Social Change.

Dr Jamie Barker is a researcher from Loughborough University, working in partnership with Dr Craig White on the Veterans' Resilience Programme. This programme aims to optimise Veterans' resilience and mental health and well-being and strengthen peer support networks for those Veterans that suffer from mental health and well-being issues. Their work uses a holistic approach to enhancing resilience, mental health, and well-being in Veterans by promoting a more active and healthier lifestyle and enhanced feelings of a positive social identity for those who participate. Dr Barker and Dr White are also currently producing an academic paper and policy documentation for the Office of Veterans’ Affairs. This will emphasise the potential positive impact of non-clinical interventions on Veterans suffering from mental health and well-being issues. Additionally, they are applying for additional funds to expand the Veterans' Resilience Programme nationwide.

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.

Fernando is a Lecturer in the Department of Computer at Swansea University. While in the United States, he was a President's Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Minnesota, and obtained a PhD degree in Informatics from the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University. His research investigates the use of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research methods with vulnerable populations to design technologies with them rather than for them in both in-person and online/remote settings. His research uses surveys, interviews, observation, as well as co-design methods under the lenses of value-sensitive and speculative design to involve stakeholders in the design and development of a more ethical, inclusive, and equitable technology from the very beginning and throughout all the stages of the design process. Ultimately, he strives for amplifying the voice of those who are impacted by technology and allowing researchers and practitioners to be aware of potential negative impacts that such technologies may have on end users and stakeholders.

Dr Karishma Jivraj is a chartered psychologist who has worked in the field of mental heath research since 2012 across various academic institutions, the National Institute for Health Research and the NHS. Her doctoral work demonstrated ways to improve service delivery in community mental health services and recent projects she has led have drawn on positive psychology approaches to enhance the mental health and wellbeing of clinical and non-clinical populations. She led on the OUTCOMES study, exploring the psychosocial benefits of Military Service and impact on post-Service life. 

Dr Goodwin is an epidemiologist with expertise in the co-occurrence of Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and Common Mental Disorders (CMD) and military health research. She has been awarded grants from the Medical Research Council (MRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Alcohol Change UK, with two previous projects funded by Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT).