Research activities

We have recently presented the work of our members and service users as part of the Brunel Research Festival. At a Covid-19 and social justice: exploring a research agenda for the pandemic and beyond session we held a reflective discussion on the inequalities that have been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic:

• Dr Wendy Martin (Health Sciences) explored the ways in which older people have been affected by the pandemic and what this tells us about how we understand ageing.
• Dr Mike Thomas (Social Work) considered the impact of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ people, including the risks of isolation and loneliness.
• Pauline Cooper, a member of the Brunel Experts by Experience Committee, reflected on her lived experience during the pandemic, and the impact of Covid-19 on people with disabilities.
• Dr Pauldy Otermans (Psychology) discussed her work with Dev Aditya on the Together book project, an anthology bringing together perspectives on the Covid pandemic from four continents. The e-book is available on Amazon , and proceeds from sales are being donated to frontline services and health charities.

Our research group is agile enough to respond to the post-Covid-19 research landscape as well as emerging developments in the environment, technology, the economy, government and wider society. We regilarily organise:

• Thematic conferences
• Research group meetings: at least once each term, to identify priorities and action points for the group;
• Writing groups: geared towards building a group culture geared towards scholarship and publications;
• Grant development:  identifying and supporting cross-disciplinary publications and grant proposals.