Research Community

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.

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 Keeling is Research Leader at RAND Europe, where her primary role is Research Manager of the Centre for Evidence for the Armed Forces Community. Prior to joining RAND, she worked in academia. Mary is a Chartered Psychologist who has worked in the field of military psychology since 2010, both in the UK and the US. Using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, her research has aimed to understand the psychosocial impact of military service on military personnel, Veterans, and Service-connected families. To date, Mary's research has focused on four broad areas: military to civilian transition; romantic relationships and military families; mental health stigma and help-seeking; and the psychosocial impact of Service-connected physical injuries. 

Dr Moira Bailey is a part time Lecturer, freelance Consultant and Researcher at the Robert Gordon University. Her interest in Veteran research came about as a result of her being a member of the Veteran family - her late husband was a Royal Navy Veteran who had mental helath issues arising from his service. Her son also is a Navy Veteran. She was recently a member of the team which produced an independent report commissioned in 2022 by the Office of Veterans’ Affairs to explore the potential of improving female Veterans' access to support services. She is currently working on two projects for different Veteran charities to produce in depth evaluation reports. Moira is also interested in pursing further research in the female Veteran space as well as exploring the experiences of Veterans' carers. 

Dr Sally-Anne Barnes is an Associate Professor in Human Resource Management at the University of Leicester School of Business. With over two decades of experience, she has led and contributed to a range of international research projects in the field of career development, shaping both policy and practice. Her research examines the evolving nature of careers and the labour market, with a particular focus on how individuals engage with career development, lifelong guidance and learning across the life course.  A significant strand of her work focuses on ex-Service personnel and the wider armed forces community, exploring their transitions to the civilian labour market, engagement with transition support, civilian careers,  and employment transitions, particularly over the longer term.  Her work is widely recognised for its contribution to understanding labour market transitions and supporting inclusive, evidence-based approaches to career development.