Research Community

The work of the Stress, Trauma, and Related Conditions (STARC) Research Centre focuses on the psychological well-being and mental health of those who have experienced stress, adversity, and trauma. The team focus on exploring and understanding predictors, correlates, and impacts of a range of psychological disorders including, but not limited to, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and Dissociation and work with a range of different populations (healthcare workers, emergency services, Armed Forces, children and adolescents, as well as the general adult population). Additionally, recent efforts have focused on exploring the concept of post adversity psychological resilience.

Tara Zammit is a PhD Candidate in the Department of War Studies at King's College London. She has been awarded the SSHRC-CRSH Department of National Defence MINDS Initiative Doctoral Award to undertake her research. Tara’s research is situated within the fields of ontological security, feminist security studies, and war studies. She is developing a framework for better understanding the interconnectedness of these subjects through an ontological security lens and an analysis of diverse service experiences with the aim of influencing policy to better support women and LGBTQ+ individuals pursuing careers in defence and security.

The Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research are a multi-disciplinary team conducting integral translational research in the Armed Forces Community. The Northern Hub’s research profile is both qualitative and quantitative, covering health and social care, public health, psychology, social policy, human geography, and nursing. They consistently work to attract and facilitate collaboration across the Armed Forces sector, working with a variety of organisations across the Government, Local Authorities, NHS and Third Sector.

The Scottish Veterans Health Research Group provides high-quality evidence-based information on the long-term health of military Veterans, acting as an evidence base for policy-makers, planners, and service providers and to counter the potentially damaging myths and misconceptions about Veterans’ health. Their team also carry out research on the health of Serving personnel, especially in areas where there may be an impact on long-term health extending into life as a Veteran, to inform planning for preventive strategies.

Established in 2016, The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice is a flagship for interdisciplinary research in areas of major societal change.  This rings together researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and peace-builders from diverse backgrounds and international locations who share their multiple perspectives and work collaboratively to solve specific problems associated with the GRI’s priority themes of Legacy, The Politics of Security and Institutional Peacebuilding, Rights and Social Justice and Religion, Arts and Peacebuilding. 

Umio is a non-university affiliated body working to transform processing complex experiences and create expansive health, well-being and care impacts via experience ecosystems. Their strategic focus is pursuing novel ways to better see, know and address complex conditions whose real experience lies far beyond a narrow clinical or biomedical model.  They are building the UmioSphere® - experience ecosystems centred on focal problem contexts of real experience. The first of these is for Veterans who have experienced chronic pain.

We are a collection of Social and Organisational Psychologists who are interested in the health and wellbeing impacts of veterancy and the transition to veterancy on ex-servicepeople. Through our research, we aim to benefit veterans' health/wellbeing by improving their experiences of veterancy and the transition to veterancy. We conduct our research using the Social Identity Approach to Health, which highlights the impact of group memberships on health/wellbeing. 

The Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research carries out research, policy development and consultation on the impact of military Service - improving the well-being of Veterans, Service personnel and their families. Their work falls into four key areas of research: Thriving Families, Transition Measurement and Service Improvement, Women and Equalities, and Narrative. They have a growing domestic and international profile and are involved in NATO research on military-to-civilian transition, and sexual violence, as well as collaborative work with international universities.

Victoria is an Army doctor with a strong commitment to women’s health. Her academic work focuses on global health, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health, with her current research concentrating on abortion care in the UK Armed Forces. She is passionate about translating research into meaningful practice, particularly within the armed forces, in her role as Army Lead of the Women’s Health Special Interest Group. Alongside this, she co-founded The FGM Education Project, an educational charity raising awareness of FGM among frontline professionals. Beyond research and clinical work, she founded the Virago Voices podcast to share women’s stories and promote evidence-based health information.

The Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans supports the Armed Forces community by producing innovative and high-quality research and community engagement. The centre’s robust research profile aims to positively impact Veterans' health and healthcare at regional, national, and international levels. They aim to continue to embrace new technologies and creative methodologies to address issues that negatively affect the well-being of the military population. Additionally, the Westminster Centre hosts the informative Armed Forces Community Research International Webinar.