Research Community

As a social scientist within Robert Gordon University, Professor Zoe Morrison worked to further the application of business and management studies to policy driven change programmes. Her work aimed to inform leadership and human resource management theory through understanding individual experiences of change, including changing expectations of work, careers and employment, and adoption and implementation of technological innovation. Her interpretivist research agenda was curiosity inspired and theoretically driven, drawing on the sociology of work and organisations, and military and family sociologies. Zoe worked in three areas: health, defence and carbon emissions mitigation, often referred to as decarbonisation. Zoe has now moved role to be the Lead Specialist in Culture and Experience at NHS Grampian. 

Professor Zubair Ahmed is a Professor of Neuroscience and Lead for the Neuroscience and Ophthalmology Section at the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham. His current focus for research is aligned with University identified priority areas of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation related to trauma and in particular Neurotrauma affecting the eye, brain and spinal cord. Some of his research projects are aimed at identifying the immune/inflammatory, metabolic and repair systems that determine the outcome of neurotrauma. He has an independent programme of research based on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling repair and regeneration in the central nervous system. 

Dr Samantha Brooks is a researcher at the King’s Centre for Military Health Research at King’s College London. She has a PhD in Social Psychology, with a thesis focusing on how accountability is negotiated in talk about body image and disordered eating. She is experienced in qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches as well as evidence synthesis and literature reviews. Her previous research has spanned topics such as non-deployment stressors; stigma and help-seeking in the Armed Forces; secondary traumatic stress in veterans’ significant others; the effectiveness of a mobile app to support veterans’ mental health; the impacts of trauma; the development of trauma-informed interventions; and mental health in the workplace. She currently works on the AFTER study, exploring the psychosocial and sexual experiences of veterans and their partners affected by genital injuries sustained in combat. 

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.