Research Community

Professor Dominic Muprhy is a Clinical Psychologist and Head of Research at Combat Stress. Dominic gained his first degree, an MA in psychology from Glasgow University in 2003.  He then joined King’s College London as part of the team that established the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR). Dominic is President of the UK Psychological Trauma Society (UKPTS) and Executive Board member of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS). He is also part of the Five Eyes Veterans Mental Health Consortium and works on NATO research task groups. Dominic has specialised clinically and academically within the field of PTSD and military mental health.

Edgar Jones is an authority on the psychological effects of modern war and conflict. He has studied both conventional armed forces and terrorism, exploring how individuals cope during periods of intense stress and the impact of traumatic experiences on their wellbeing. In addition, he has researched moral injury, an enduring belief of being wronged or having been compelled to act in ways that feel wrong, in servicemen and women. He has recently completed a study of Gurkha and Fijian veterans to explore the impact of discrimination on mental health in the UK armed forces. Edgar Jones has also published on risk factors for radicalisation and support of political violence. He has written extensively on shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic multi-symptom illness suffered as a result of military service. The author of a number of reports for government and military or mental health charities, his work seeks to shape policy and practice.

Edgar Jones originally studied history, researching a doctorate at Nuffield College, Oxford. He subsequently joined the department of psychiatry at Guy's Hospital where he completed a doctorate in clinical psychopathology and trained as a psychodynamic psychotherapist. Having previously taught at University College London and been a senior research fellow at the LSE, Edgar Jones joined the Institute of Psychiatry in January 1998. He was awarded the Gideon de Laune Gold Medal by the Faculty of the History and Philosophy of Medicine, Society of Apothecaries in 2007, and received a President’s Medal for a significant contribution to improving the lives of people with mental illness from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2015.

Professor Gavin Oxburgh is Professor of Police Science and Assistant Director of The Northern Hub for Veteran and Military Familes Research with a focus on the Criminal Justice research agenda. Gavin is a 22 year Veteran of HM Royal Air Force Police where he was a senior detective specialising in child protection and sexual offences. He is an HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, a Chartered Psychologist and Scientist, and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Royal Society of the Arts and the UK Higher Education Academy. Gavin's research draws upon, and contributes to, the broad area of military Veterans' research, together with legal and criminological psychology including: international human rights, the prevention of torture, ethical and non-coercive interviewing, false and recovered memories, and (cyber) crime in the cloud.

Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith is a Professor within the Edinburgh Napier Business School and is the founder and Director of the Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement, also at Edinburgh Napier university. Gerri is also the lead for the new Scottish Armed Forces Evidence and Research (SAFE&R) Hub and the University Research Lead for Military Research. Gerri’s research work rests within three key disciplines: human and organisational development, management, and wellbeing.

Professor Glyn Howatson is an Army Veteran and is currently a Professor in Human and Applied Physiology. His research interests predominantly lie in optimising human performance (from clinical populations to elite athletes). He focuses on understanding the stress-recovery-adaptation continuum using training and nutritional interventions to manipulate human physiology. His work has encompassed the interaction of bio-psych-social factors influencing the human condition and the sex differences affecting human performance.

Professor John Brewer is a Professor of Post Conflict Studies and Senior Fellow at The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast. Professor Brewer has extensive research experience into Veteran transition and most recently worked on two FiMT-funded projects examining the impact of counter-insurgency warfare on the post-conflict reintegration of UK Armed Forces personnel. He recently researched the negative transitioning experiences of British Armed forces ex-personnel including those who have been in prison, homeless or received mental health support. Current research interests includes analysis of online extremism, including the susceptibility of some Veterans to become involved in extreme networks, and methods to prevent this.