Research Community

Dr Patricia Irizar is a Post-doctoral Research Associate with experience in applying epidemiological and qualitative methods to study co-occurring Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in police officers and military personnel. 

Dr Paul Watson is an Assistant Director of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research (Military connected Children and Young People) and Assistant Professor in Nursing (Children and Young People) & Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. Paul is an expert in narrative methodologies and has a growing portfolio of research on the emotional health and well-being of military connected children and young people and young carers, PTSD and social isolation and loneliness in the Veteran population, and military connected suicide.

Dr Rachael Gribble is a Lecturer in War & Psychiatry, King's College London. Using mixed methods approaches, her research focuses on how occupation impacts and influences the well-being of military families. She has conducted research on the health and well-being of military families, including mental health among military spouses/partners, experiences of weekending, intimate partner violence within the military community, Veteran family health and well-being, Veteran transition, Veteran mental health, and public attitudes to the military. 

Dr Becky Randles is a Lecturer in Psychology at Arden University. Previously she held the post of Senior Researcher at the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans. She previously led research projects including “Where Are All the Veterans” and “Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings” and has extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Her prior research career has followed themes such as domestic homicide, touch perception and research ethics and governance. She has produced numerous publications within Veterans' research, with themes surrounding mental health, help-seeking, and well-being and has contributed to the writing of grants and ethical applications.

Dr Robert Allen is an Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Neurodiversity. 
He came to academia in 2013 after 24 years working in the UK Ministry of Defence. Dr Allen has a PhD in the field of Organisational Behaviour and an MSc in Procurement. He also holds a qualification in anxiety and phobia counselling, a PG Diploma in Neurophysiology, and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is academic lead for neurodiversity at Cranfield University and chairs the neurodiversity community. He is Director for the Cranfield University Defence and Security Leadership MSc programme. His research interests centre on OB and neurodiversity, the nature of expertise and mental health/welfare.

Dr Sharon Stevelink is a Reader in Epidemiology at the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), King's College London. She (co-) leads on a range of studies exploring the health and well-being of the Armed Forces community. She has a keen interest in using novel data sources and techniques to advance research into the health and well-being of military personnel and Veterans. 

Dr Tamlyn Watermeyer is a neuropsychology Researcher, interested in brain and behaviour relationships, who seeks to understand biological and psycho-social determinants of brain health in later life, such as why some people develop cognitive decline and why others do not, and what we can do to prevent this. Her work in female Veteran health aims to understand possible biological, social and psychological factors that might contribute to their poorer brain health outcomes.   

Dr Victoria Williamson is a Researcher at King's College London and the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the psychological impact of trauma exposure, including exposure to moral injury. She has led the first UK feasibility study to develop and pilot a treatment for moral injury related mental health difficulties with Combat Stress, which will be trialed in an RCT in 2023. 

Dr Walter Busuttil is a Consultant Psychiatrist (Lifetime Member of the Association of Psychiatry Malta) and Director of Research and Clinical Training at Combat Stress (previously Director of Medical Services). He was an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry at Kent Institute for Medical Studies and is now Visiting Professor at King’s College London, KCMHR. Walter is a founder of the Combat Stress research department collaboration with KCMHR and a founder member of the UK Psychological Trauma Society and Five Eyes Mental Health Research Collaborative. He is past Chair of the UK Trauma Group and sits on the mental health subcommittee and Armed Forces Clinical Reference Group for NHS England. He served as a General Duties Medical in the RAF and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Soldiering.

Emily is a PhD researcher, undertaking research with the Veterans & Families Institute at Anglia Ruskin University. Emily has a background in Forensic Psychology, and is a qualified Independent Mental Health Advocate, having previously worked in male forensic psychiatric services prior to joining ARU. Currently, she is working on research examining servicemen's experiences of sexualised behaviour whilst serving in the UK Armed Forces, focusing on male Veteran narratives and support service provision. Having previously conducted research on sexual harassment and deviant sexual preferences within civilian populations, Emily is excited to expand her interests with different populations and hopes to better understanding of sexualised behaviour in the UK Armed Forces and of how servicemen can be better supported with formal reporting and help-seeking.  

Ffion Hildred is a PhD Candidate in the Centre for Multidisciplinary and Intercultural Inquiry (CMII) at University College London; her research is funded by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP). Ffion's research spans critical military, gender, and feminist studies. Her PhD project investigates how personnel in the British Army feel and experience belonging through their bodies. She is developing embodied corporeality as an analytical framework through which to examine the relationship between bodies, space, and belonging within institutions. As a framework it seeks to highlight the importance of centring bodily experiences in our analyses of institutions to address gender and race inequalities and inequities.

Gavin Campbell is a Research Co-Ordinator at the Combat Stress Centre for Applied Military Health Research.  His recent research focus is on women veterans and military sexual trauma, and the translation of research into evidence-based applied practice and impact.  More widely his research interests are in individual responses to trauma, recovery, and comparative experiences of surviving and thriving in extremis.  He is a board member of the UK Psychological Trauma Society (UKPTS).  Gavin previously worked in the media, deploying to remote, hostile and austere environments across the world.