Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

I first came to Oxford Brookes to study for a MSc in Primate Conservation. I was told about the course by a fellow zookeeper and immediately thought “I really want to do that!” I am a mature student so it was wonderful to be part of such a modern university environment. When I was an undergraduate in the 1980s we did not have computers, so research is much easier nowadays.

I was primarily attracted to Oxford Brookes by the calibre of the Primate Conservation staff. They are all leaders in their particular fields and continue to be an inspiration to me. After completing my Masters I did not want to leave. Although I had not originally planned to do a PhD, I was keen to become involved in lemur conservation, and my project grew from discussions with my two amazing supervisors.      

I returned to education after a 25-year career in urban planning. My first step was a diploma in Animal Management at Northumberland College. My course was based at an old country estate called Kirkley Hall, which has a wonderful little zoo attached to it. I worked there as a Zoo Presenter alongside my studies. The job included giving educational talks to visitors about the animals, and that is where I first became fascinated with lemurs. I also learned about the threats that they face in the wild and was determined to do something to support their survival.

I was delighted to be accepted as a research student, but at the beginning I felt as though I did not really belong on a PhD programme. Everybody knew so much more than I did! Working in a shared office with other researchers at various stages of their programme has been a big help in taking the step from MSc to PhD. Having the belief and support of my supervisors and other primatology staff has given me great confidence to take my research forward. I have already done a myriad of training sessions to boost my skills, and meeting fellow researchers at courses and social events helps me feel part of a wider university research community.

I am investigating the impact of hunting by humans on the behaviour and demography of cathemeral (day and night-active) lemurs in south-eastern Madagascar. Although hunting by humans is recognised as one of the main threats to the survival of lemurs across Madagascar, the impact of hunting on their behavioural ecology and population structure is currently poorly understood.

By studying lemur hunting from the dual perspectives of lemurs and people sharing the same forest, I aim to understand the nature of lemur hunting in rural Madagascar and how lemurs respond to hunting pressures. My results will further scientific knowledge of lemurids’ capability to adapt and survive in anthropogenic habitats and enable me to develop indirect predictors of hunting pressures on lemur populations that can be used in conservation management. Madagascar is among the poorest countries in the world and rural people have a high dependence on forest resources. Understanding the importance of lemur hunting to people living close to forests is crucial for developing effective strategies to reduce hunting pressures, and is integral to my project. 

I conduct my field research at two sites in Tsitongambarika Protected Area, a humid forest in south-eastern Madagascar. My research focuses on the red-collared brown lemur Eulemur collaris and southern bamboo lemur Hapalemur meridionalis - the two lemur species most frequently targeted by human hunters in south-east Madagascar. Using these species as a model, my project objectives are to:

• Investigate the drivers and importance of lemur hunting to people living close to tropical forests in south-eastern Madagascar; 
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• Determine how hunting by humans affects the abundance, distribution, group size and group composition of lemurs; 
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• Identify the behavioural responses exhibited by lemurs towards humans and explore whether lemurs adjust their behaviour in areas of high hunting pressure;
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• Model the behavioural and/or demographic characteristics of lemurs that can be used as indirect predictors for hunting pressure;
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• Develop evidence based strategies for lemur conservation in Tsitongambarika that meet human needs as well as addressing conservation priorities.  

Ethnoprimatology provides an integrated approach to studying the interface between non-human primates and people. I use a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to conduct anthropological and ecological data collection and analyses. 

 So far I have spent 10 months in Tsitongambarika. It is extremely rewarding getting to know Malagasy people and discovering how they live. An added benefit is that I am learning to speak Malagasy, essential to communicate with the teams of local people that I work with and the people I meet day to day.  

The opportunity to become really obsessed with one project for three years. There are not many other chances in life to do that. Last year I was lucky to attend an international lemur conference in Madagascar where my supervisor introduced me to some of the world’s most eminent lemur conservationists. My research involves    fieldwork in a remote part of Madagascar, where I am privileged to get to know local people living in rural subsistence communities. I also get to watch lemurs living wild in the forest, which is truly magical.  

The biggest challenge that I face is being self-funded. I have to work part-time to support myself and seek grants for my fieldwork. Balancing these demands with my PhD work can sometimes feel overwhelming. Fortunately I have a great job as a shelver in Headington Campus Library. It is very therapeutic and being    familiar with all the library’s resources is a bonus for my research. My colleagues think that going to live in a tent in Madagascar for months on end is crazy, but they are all supportive of my project. 

I have participated in a wide variety of training opportunities that Oxford Brookes offers, including statistics courses, skills and competency training, and HSS Faculty seminars about anthropological methods and primate conservation. Whilst I still have a lot to learn, these events are helping me develop the knowledge and practical skills that I need to do my project. They also stimulate me with ways to be more proactive about raising my professional profile and promoting my research.  

I am aiming to complete my thesis in summer 2021. It is difficult to think of life after the PhD, but I would like to continue working for lemur conservation in Madagascar, initially to help implement recommendations arising from my research. The lemur species that I study are under huge pressure from human activities in the forest. At the same time, people living in the nearby communities traditionally depend on the forest for many of the resources they need. Where I do my field research, there is so much work needed to protect lemurs’ and people’s needs, and I would like to be part of that.

I first learned about Oxford Brookes University from my undergraduate professors in the US. Finishing my degree in Anthropology, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the subfield of primatology with a conservation focus, and so, my professors directed me towards the Primate Conservation MSc programme. While enrolled in the MSc programme, I got to know the department and staff quite well, only further encouraging my interests in pursuing a PhD with Oxford Brookes University.

I was attracted to Brookes by the staff and students involved with the Primate Conservation MSc, as well as the Nocturnal Primate Research Group. The researchers involved in these groups inspired me in their expertise and accomplishments, and how they regularly applied their research to conservation efforts for endangered primate species and their natural habitats.

Before coming to Oxford Brookes University, I was working as a Field Research Assistant for the Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, recording daily social behaviours of white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica. From there, I hopped across the pond to undertake the MSc programme in Primate Conservation. During this time, I expressed my interests in continuing in academia, and the professors and staff encouraged and supported me in applying for a studentship to remain with the department for my PhD research.

I found the transition into my PhD to be almost seamless. The entire staff and department were more than supportive from the beginning - I always felt comfortable asking anyone for assistance, even those not involved in my project!

The synthetic goal of my research is to bridge the gaps in knowledge and understanding of wild animal ecophysiology using least invasive bio logging methods. This research predominantly focused on ecophysiology of a wild animal population, and how environmental changes influence their behavioural and physiological responses. While research in animal physiology has progressed over the past few decades, these have predominantly been conducted in controlled laboratory environments. While laboratory conditions allow us to control and test the physiological parameters and responses of an animal to specific variable changes, it does not    allow us to observe and measure physiological responses to the many environmental changes that may occur in the wild, at varying times and degrees.  In order to understand fully the complexity of an organism’s overall physiology, field experiments are essential to compare    previous research conducted in laboratories.   Using biologging equipment, I monitored physiological parameters of a population of Javan slow lorises (Nycticebus javanicus) in West Java, Indonesia in collaboration with the Little Fireface Project. I focused on thermal ecology, sleep-wake patterns and pollination-ecology and foraging behaviour to test theories of primate evolution and energetics.   

My doctoral research at Oxford Brookes University reflects interdisciplinary approaches, using least-invasive biologging methods in field biology, primatology, and conservation physiology.   

Specific characteristics of sleep reflect its numerous functions for the brain and overall physiology, overweighing the risks and disadvantages associated with time spent in sleep. Numerous laboratory studies suggest that sleep is homeostatically regulated. From the evolutionary ecology viewpoint, sleep evolved not only to cope with immediate intrinsic homeostatic needs, but also as a response to predictable and unpredictable environmental conditions. Therefore, it is natural to assume that the well-known phenotypic variability and flexibility in sleep patterns between and across species reflects the fact that it evolved in conjunction with species adapting to their habitat.   

My research is based on multi-day monitoring of slow lorises (Nycticebus javanicus) in their natural habitat, using biologging methodology. It has thus far provided a detailed account on sleep architecture in this species, highlighting the crucial importance of the environment in shaping of sleep in a natural setting. Slow lorises represent basal phylogeny (an early-branching clade where baseline expression of traits derived) in the Order Primates. Thus, understanding the sleep patterns of slow lorises provide a window into the evolutionary path (through phylogenetic inertia) of sleep in humans.      

Another aspect of my research focuses on the interplay between ecophysiology and feeding/foraging behaviour of non-human primates. I have been examining slow lorises as a model to understand feeding ecology in the contexts of primate origins, energetics and ethnoprimatology. This field research is conducted as part of a long-term study with the Little Fireface Project and Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) in Java, Indonesia. 

This research was the first study to measure sleep in a wild nocturnal primate, as well as the first to show daily torpor use in a wild Asian primate, the Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus). My dissertation work emphasised the importance of studying physiology in the wild, suggesting an intriguing  possibility that some of our basic notions about sleep and basic physiological responses obtained in the lab may not hold in the natural habitat where environmental conditions are not stable.   

Being a research student allows me to ask my own questions, and then find the answers using detailed data. To me, there is nothing more rewarding or stimulating than that. Being in an academic environment, I feel supported by like-minded peers and staff, who help me to grow and develop my skills and scientific integrity towards effective research. Whenever I feel I have hit a speed-bump or side-tangent with my work, I can always go to these people (with a diverse array of expertise!) for help or advice, to keep me focused on the big picture of my specific research.

Since beginning my PhD, I have regularly taken advantage of the various research training sessions and workshops offered to postgraduate researchers at Oxford Brookes University. In particular, I feel I most valued the teaching courses made available to me throughout my degree. These courses have not only supported me through my research development and completion, but have prepared me for my future career options, should I pursue teaching in higher education.

I am currently finishing my thesis and will soon be defending in the coming months. After this, I aim to submit my various chapters of research for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals while pursuing research and teaching. I hope to continue with my research in understanding the physiological of wild animals in response to changing environments, and applying my research to evidence-based conservation management and policy planning. As my PhD research took place in a human-populated agricultural landscape, it also taught me the importance of human involvement and the impact    that appreciation of nature and its wildlife can play in conservation management. Due to this, I hope to use my skills for teaching children and adults about wildlife, or possibly get involved in the outdoor industry.

When I was conducting research for my undergraduate dissertation with the University of Leicester, Dr Simon Underdown allowed me access to the hominin fossil casts at Oxford Brookes. I was impressed by the palaeoanthropological aspects of the Social Sciences department and so I visited the postgraduate fair and consequently decided to apply for a doctoral studentship here.  

The laboratory and osteological collections are what attracted me to research at Oxford Brookes. Also, as a PhD student I was welcomed into the HOPE research group (Human Origins and Palaeo Environments). The potential learning benefits and opportunity to work alongside prominent researchers in the same field was a significant advantage of applying to study at Brookes.

Before I started my PhD here, I had just completed my BA (Hons) in Archaeology at the University of Leicester. I was also archiving archaeological material at a local museum in Buckinghamshire.

Coming from undergraduate life straight into a PhD project was quite daunting but I have had wonderful support from my supervisors and the Research Degrees Team in particular, and I soon felt very comfortable researching here. However, I still get lost in the Gibbs building.

The hominoids of the late Miocene and early Pliocene have been studied in relatively little detail in relation to the tumultuous climate change within which they inhabited. A more thorough account of how shifting paleo-environments affected the evolution of contemporary hominoids can be achieved by studying the shape    variation of the craniomandibular morphology of relevant fossil specimens. 

My interdisciplinary research examines extant hominoid morphology and how they relate to their contemporary habitats with the aim of elucidating the impact environment has on the selective pressures that shape evolutionary trajectories. Data regarding how extant clades react and adapt to varying selective pressures have been extrapolated through a geometric morphometric study of extant hominid morphological variation and ecological contexts. The aim of my research is to use this data to explore the patterning of extinct Great Ape and Hominin responses to environmental variation across difference biomes through a comparative study. Analysis and modelling should provide data to address the following questions:

- In which habitat does encephalisation seem to occur most rapidly?

- Did the Great Apes of these periods undergo similar adaptations in similar environments? 

- Why, if found in similar biomes did early Great Apes and Hominins diverge along very different evolutionary pathways?

Using a desktop 3D laser scanner, I have collected numerous 3D images of crania and mandibles belonging to 5 extant primate species. Subsequently, I uploaded, cleaned and formatted these scans in the program RStudio, which uses programming language as a way to statistically retrieve and manipulate quantified shape data from the 3D images. Landmarks were placed on biologically homologous areas of the skulls and carefully chosen algorithms were used to estimate missing landmarks on any incomplete skull specimens that exist in the sample. A General Procrustes analysis was then preformed on these landmarked specimens. This method rotates, scales and translates the landmark data in order to retrieve pure, quantified shape data. The morphological data is then compared and displayed graphically so that we can visually see the variation in skull shape, thus demonstrating a quantification of morphological evolution. 

The advantage of using extant species in this study is their known habitats. We can use this environmental data coupled with geometric morphometric analyses of skull morphology in living primates and compare this knowledge to extinct hominins living in similar biomes. Ultimately, this research will provide a better foundation for understanding the evolution of the hominid skull. Understanding the extent to which variation in cranial morphology occurs between species is a vital component for understanding how environmental factors contributed to manipulating our evolutionary pathways. The visual aesthetics of the data is a huge advantage of this study as the complex statistical information can easily be disseminated to a wider general audience.

When I first started my PhD, public speaking was such a frightening thought to me. Now that I am in my final year, I can tentatively say that I have overcome this and all it took was lots of practice. I really enjoy preparing posters and giving presentations at conferences now, as this is what really gave me the arena to practice public speaking and engagement. Also, researching at Oxford Brookes afforded me the opportunity to become an Associate Lecturer and teach the undergraduate module, Deep History. If presenting an hour long lecture on a stage in front of 100+ undergraduates doesn’t cure your performance anxiety, I don’t know what will.

There are always workshops and training days going on at Brookes that are specifically aimed at postgraduates; from time management and viva preparation to writing an academic CV and nailing a job interview. Attending these events is always encouraging and reassures you that you are on the right track with your studies and that you will continue to do so in a positive manner.

I hope to be awarded my PhD in 2018 and then possibly become a Postdoctoral Fellow continuing to research in the field of Palaeoanthopology.

When I moved to Oxford a few years ago I was looking for somewhere to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in English and Psychology. Both departments on the Oxford Brookes website looked very welcoming and after talking to the heads of each, I was convinced that Brookes was the right place for me. My first    impressions of Oxford Brookes, online, on the phone, and then in person, were of a straightforward, warm, and welcoming atmosphere.

It was the excellent and inspiring academic staff at Brookes that encouraged me to further pursue research. Once, I had decided to apply for a PhD in English, naturally, I wanted to stay at Brookes because of the excellent research environment, brilliant supervisors, and because of the unique access to resources both at the Brookes library as well as the Bodleian.

Before I came to Oxford Brookes I was studying English Linguistics and Literature (with minors Psychology and Management & Economics) at the University of Zurich, and was also working in human resources for an international airline and a cyber security company. Also, I tutored English as a foreign language to Swiss students.

The academic and administrative teams at Oxford Brookes made it very easy to settle into the research environment. Departmental seminars provided a great insight into staff and student’s current research. Faculty and Graduate College training days covered relevant topics and widened my understanding of research    going on at the University as a whole. Furthermore, the Graduate College organises social events for research students, so that you get to know other PhD students beyond your own department. Also, the library support team, and other support structures, both academic and administrative made the transition from a taught course to a research degree easy. Not least, the research students’ social society, of which I am now a committee member, encouraged me to get to know other PhD students across all faculties and disciplines and offered the opportunity to exchange ideas, talk about shared PhD student worries, and simply have fun with intelligent and interesting people.

My thesis presents evidence of female participation in the nineteenth-century discourses on (trans)national identity in the context of European international politics using the case study of the under-researched writer Baroness Marie Pauline Rose Blaze de Bury  (1813-1894). The aim is to provide a counter-narrative of women’s political engagement in the nineteenth century based on a female recuperative analysis of both Blaze de Bury’s life and works. Her negotiations with the dominant hegemonic gender ideology of the time are examined through both textual and exploratory archival approaches. Blaze de Bury wrote about European politics in a variety of genres. However, the line between her fiction (novels and short stories) and non-fiction (travel writing, memoirs, and newspapers and journal articles) is sometimes blurred. Therefore, the dissemination of her political agenda in these sometimes hybrid literary genres is inspected. These fiction and non-fiction texts are framed by historical literary and non-literary contexts that describe the European political atmosphere. Her textual negotiations with the gender ideology of the time are examined comparatively with that of other political, predominantly women writers. The Victorian era was a time of distinct gender spheres as well as a Europe-wide continuous rise in ideologies of nationalism. For these reasons, particular focus lies on evaluating perceived sex and nationality of authorship based on pseudonymous publication and its potential for transgender and transnational alteration. This political agency as a writer is then linked to her first-hand political agency through archival work. Blaze is an important figure to study, not only as a writer written out of the canon but also as a female writer of ‘unfeminine’ international politics.

The best thing about being a research student is having the freedom to pursue my interests. I cannot imagine anything better than spending my time reading and writing about something I am passionate about. Besides my own research, I greatly enjoy the exchange with my supervisors and fellow PhD students. It is amazing to feel part of a vibrant research community within and across the faculty.

Research training, whether offered by the department, the library staff, the faculty, careers team, or the Graduate College is very useful. The variety of seminars, workshops, and training days on offer is fantastic. Not only do they provide invaluable information but also enable one to think beyond one’s own current research. They offer a nice space in which to meet and exchange with other researchers at the University.

To be honest, I am enjoying this PhD so much right now that all I want to do in the future is to continue researching. I would love to stay at university in a researcher’s and/or lecturer’s capacity. There is so much more to learn, research, and disseminate.

I was already a student at Oxford Brookes, having completed my Undergraduate degree (in History and French Studies) and my Masters (in the History of Medicine) here.

Whilst studying for my Masters, I became very interested in the history of psychiatry and mental illness. I wanted to continue working with my MA supervisor, Professor Waltraud Ernst who is a specialist in the history of psychiatry, at PhD level.  I was very fortunate to receive a studentship from the Wellcome Trust to conduct my PhD research.

Prior to joining Brookes as an Undergraduate I was working in Event Management, Marketing and Fundraising.

I was still in “study mode” when I began my PhD, having only had one week between submitting my MA dissertation and enrolling for the PhD, so I found  it quite natural to carry on with my studies. That said, I found it very different becoming a PhD student – it all feels much more serious and you are treated differently somehow. It came as a pleasant surprise that there was so much support for research students in terms of regular supervision meetings and offers of activities such as teaching, training and conferences to be involved in.

Although belief in the therapeutic properties of work and pastimes for mentally ill people has a long history - Galen proclaimed as early as c. ACE170 that work was “nature’s physician” - patient work is rarely the subject of systematic historical analysis. This can largely be accounted for by the enduring emphasis in the history of psychiatry on medical ideas and treatments, rather than interventions that do not appear to require medical expertise. Research that focuses on patients’ activities is limited to the work of Jennifer Laws (2011) and Vicky Long (2006) and a recently published edited volume by Waltraud Ernst (2016). However, there remains a dearth of material on patient work in France and Britain during the early twentieth century.                          

My research project contests the view that the early twentieth century was a "dead period" in the history of psychiatry. The turbulence of the period – World War I followed by economic depression and political instability - contributed to a dynamic environment in which attitudes towards work, non-work and care of the mentally ill were fundamentally challenged. Aude Fauvel (2013) highlights the advent of shock treatments, rest cures and psychoanalysis, as well as the establishment of outpatient clinics, as evidence of therapeutic innovation. However, patient work and related activities also formed a crucial aspect of this therapeutic mix, though this has yet to receive the attention it deserves. This project will rectify this significant historiographical omission.

The project is relevant to contemporary debates regarding employment and mental health, notably those concerning the number of workdays lost due to mental ill-health (11.3m in England in 2013, according to the UK Labour Force Survey). In England, in particular, reductions in disability allowances are forcing the mentally ill to be financially independent, despite unemployment standing at nearly 6% (Guardian, 18/2/2015). Equipping those suffering from mental ill-health with workplace skills remains just as pressing today as in the 1920s and 1930s.

My thesis will address how attitudinal changes (which were far-reaching during the early twentieth century) were incorporated into asylum practice, thus highlighting the way in which society and psychiatry are intrinsically linked and how work and activity in mental institutions have evolved over time in response to wider social, institutional and medical contexts. Crucially, the comparative approach will offer a valuable means of identifying different trajectories of development, as well as alerting the historian to the potential uniqueness or commonality of events. France and England have been chosen because of their shared history in regard to "moral therapy" and their long-standing exchange of ideas on medical theory and practice. The project investigates the continuities and ruptures that characterised the situation a century after the heyday of moral therapy, examining the impact of different social and political circumstances, legal frameworks and new theories about labour efficiency on the configuration of patient work and leisure activities as part of, or apart from, medical regimes.

I really enjoy being a “detective” and I like tracking down articles, books that are out of print and obscure archive material!  If something is difficult to get hold of that makes me want to locate it even more! And then I find it very satisfying to piece together the pieces of the jigsaw to try and make an argument that hangs together.  I suppose you could say that I enjoy the craftsmanship involved in research and writing.  I like feeling part of the academic community of Brookes and I am looking forward to doing some teaching.

There are a lot of excellent training opportunities at Brookes – from Time Management (very helpful for me!) to computer skills, as well as sessions specifically geared to navigating one’s way through the various milestones associated with a PhD, such as Registration, Transfer and the Viva. These are really useful and make those particular hurdles less daunting.  I am taking a lunchtime French course at the moment to help me maintain my French language skills, which will be vital when I go to Paris to conduct some of my research.

It’s difficult to think beyond the next milestone, as there is always so much to do, but I would very much like to remain in academia in some form or another – it really depends what opportunities there are when the time comes.

My project has deep roots here at Oxford Brookes. I first pursued an interest in the history of modern sexology as an undergraduate research project whilst studying for my BA here between 2006 and 2010 (two years part-time, two years full-time). My dissertation, on the medical and scientific sources of the pioneering gay rights activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895), was published in the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences in 2012. It made the case that modern medico-scientific appraisals of sex differences and sexuality steadily emerged from enlightenment natural philosophy and medicine and did not materialise quite so abruptly in the later decades of the nineteenth century as historians (following Michel Foucault) had previously maintained. The premise has been influential and continues to reshape the field.

I always wanted to continue studying but was not able to work it out financially so spent four years working at Sainsbury’s (in the Westgate Centre). I carried on researching my subject, pretty much as a hobby but with further publication successes.

In 2016, I was delighted to return to Brookes with the help of a scholarship from the University to study the MA in History, following the History of Medicine pathway. This has been a life-changing experience and I remain extremely grateful to the University’s donors for making such a scheme possible. Quite apart from my course, returning to Brookes has opened up a world of opportunities. For example, in September 2017 it was a great pleasure to share a platform with the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes, Dame Katherine Grainger, talking to the University’s Honorary Graduates about the scholarship scheme.  

With the help of historians within the Centre for Medical Humanities, I successfully secured funding from the Wellcome Trust to continue studying at Brookes at doctoral level. I am now pursuing this supported by a team of world-class historians of science and medicine within the Centre whose work sets a high bar for me to reach.   

My research project explores approaches to homosexuality, with some reference to non-heteronormative bodies and sexualities more generally, which were developed within the biological sciences in Britain in the wake of Charles Darwin’s momentous The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871) through to the so-called ‘sexual revolution’ of the 1960s and 70s. This timeframe covers the period when ‘any act of gross indecency’ between males was illegal in Britain, outlawed by the infamous Labouchère Amendment to the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 which remained in force until the Sexual Offences Act 1967.   

Whilst socio-political, legal, and medical aspects of criminalisation, and the protracted process of decriminalisation, have previously been explored by historians, the diverse ways in which biologists and biology shaped attitudes towards the law and the wider cultural milieu relating to homosexuality in Britain through the period has received barely any attention. My thesis will rectify this. It will demonstrate that leading British biologists, and various essentialist models of sexuality, were integral to situating homosexuality as an important subject of intellectual and popular discourse in Britain through the decades following Descent and progressively so through the twentieth century. Whilst the major sexologists such as Havelock Ellis, Richard von Krafft-Ebing, and Magnus Hirschfeld had only marginal impact on elite and    popular attitudes towards variations of sex development and sexuality in Britain, British scientists from a variety of biological sciences concerned themselves with developing new knowledge about sex variations and succeeded in impacting on prevailing attitudes through academic and popular publications, including Britain’s newspapers. Approaches were diverse and often contradictory and were invariably infused with fashionable eugenic ideologies and agendas. New discoveries in genetics and endocrinology generated some profoundly homophobic medico-scientific responses - including calls for negative eugenic programmes, hormone treatments, suggestions of prenatal interventions - which pathologised homosexuality, but such responses were largely marginal, undeveloped, and short-lived in Britain. For much of the twentieth century, biology was viewed by certain scientists and physicians from diverse backgrounds as potentially liberating, an alternative to homophobic psychiatric theories of sexuality and a gateway to assimilating same-sex relationships within metanarratives of evolution and nature and thereby justifying legalisation of homosexual acts. Delineating the various threads within this complex matrix of discourses is therefore important, not just for understanding changing concepts of homosexuality in Britain but for more fully appreciating the dynamics of socio-political and legal changes associated with the ‘sexual    revolution.’  

2021 will mark the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s Descent. The occasion presents an opportune moment for historians to reassess the ways in which modern understandings of sex differences and sexuality have both shaped, and been shaped by, evolutionary biology and allied sciences. My project will therefore make a timely contribution to diverse historiographical fields, such as the history of science and medicine, sexuality, gender history, and modern cultural history, and help to provide greater historical context for today’s socio-political debates pertaining to designer babies, sexed brains, ‘gay genes,’ marriage equality, and same-sex parenting.     

As part of my project, I will be flying to Houston, Texas to consult an archive at Rice University. This is an amazing opportunity but will involve a period of very intensive archival research. I am currently ‘in training’ by spending my days in the Bodleian Library, working hard to take my research skills up a level – a real workout for the mind!  

Nothing quite prepares you for the experience of being a research student. I particularly enjoy being part of a thriving research community, learning from the historians and other research students within the School of History, Philosophy and Culture not just about their respective projects but about their experiences of learning, teaching, and academia more generally.  

The training programme is both fun and challenging. I recently started teaching training and had my first experience of convening a class. This was nerve-wracking, but it went well and the students I taught were so enthusiastic and really engaged with the material.     

The main challenge I find myself facing on a day-to-day basis is fitting everything in. Opportunities - training courses, conferences, workshops, networking events - crop up all the time and I hate missing anything. Still, my project requires a great deal of archival research which is time consuming and I must prioritise   that above everything else.  

Looking forward, I intend to become a fully-fledged academic historian. My project provides me with a broad base of subjects that I will be able to continue researching and which students increasingly want to learn about. Hopefully, I will be able to do this at Brookes, but even if this does not happen it is my intention to maintain a close association with the University which has become such an integral part of my life.

I heard about Oxford Brookes through school. I was impressed by the amount of resources available to students, including the extensive philosophy section in the library and study areas.

I studied for my BA in Philosophy at Brookes and I loved the department. In particular, the lecturers are very approachable and incredibly supportive, making philosophy fun and accessible and there a number of great philosophy conferences and talks in Oxford. I went to UCL for my MA in Philosophy; I knew I really wanted to come back, additionally, a particular supervisor was an expert in my field of research and I was looking forward to working in such an environment.

There are fantastic resources available at Brookes, not only are there 3 campuses, all with substantial, discipline specific libraries, but as a research student, we are able to use the Bodleian Library. The research degrees department can be contacted through email; also you can go to the office which is easily accessible. The lecturers are always available and happy to help with any questions or concerns.

What constitutes my personal identity? There are two opposing theoretical approaches which attempt to answer this question; the physical and psychological criterion. The first view likens a person’s identity to that of an object, because for a person to be the same at point A and point B, they must be materially similar. The form and body is the key to identity. The latter view takes the body out of the equation, if a person were to switch bodies but still had the same mental capacities, i.e. thoughts, memories then they would be the same person before the switch. The key to identity lies within the psychological capacities of an individual, this suggests that if the body were to be taken out of the equation then the person can still be the same because their mental capacities remain intact and continuous with the person that existed before the body was taken away. 

The Lockean memory criterion suggests that we are a trajectory of memories. An individual is the same at point A and point B if at point B one is conscious of/ remembers the thoughts and emotions of the person at point A. [Locke J 1689] David Hume takes a ‘sceptical’ stance to personal identity and states that there is no individual entity that we can call the self when we look inside ourselves. We exist as a bundle of impressions and ideas; the first comes through our senses, emotions and other mental capacities. The latter are thoughts, beliefs and memories which are connected to our impressions. [Hume D 2007] Derek Parfit further subdivides the psychological criterion and presents two distinct ways of understanding it. First psychological connectedness is the holding of direct psychological connections and psychological continuity is the holding of overlapping chains of strong connectedness [Parfit.D 1984 P.206] He believes that what matters in survival is psychological continuity and not identity. 

In my approach, I will acknowledge that psychological and mental capacities of an individual can extend far beyond memory alone. Leading to the statement that there is a lack of focus on the emotions, therefore I will narrow my focus to them. The foundation of my proposal mirrors the Humean approach because I also do not think that the we can have an entity which is called the ‘self’ rather it is a bundle of emotions that are continuously moving as we move through our experiences. Additionally, exploring Parfit’s sub-divisions of the psychological approach, I will suggest that personal identity just is emotional continuity, we are an overlapping chain of connecting emotions which shape our perception of the self. I will reference theories of emotion to clarify the way in which I will define it. In particular, the relationship between the physical and psychological criterion evident in William James’ view. He states that one’s bodily expression precedes the emotion. 

Additionally, the intertwining of philosophy and psychology is important for my project. This is because I aim to question the methodology commonly used when discussing personal identity; this being thought experiments. These are defined as imaginary cases which often place a theory in an experimental scenario. These sometimes involve bizarre science fiction situations. John Locke asks the reader to suppose that two beings swapped souls causing a switch of physical and psychological characteristics. Furthermore, in Bernard Williams’ paper The Self and the Future, he encourages the reader to imagine a scenario whereby brain and body switching would be possible through a special machine [Williams. B, 1970] and Derek Parfit describes people splitting like an amoeba. The presentation of such cases begs the question: How can we possibly gain a deeper understanding of reality through unrealistic thoughts? In her book, Real People: Personal Identity without thought experiments, Kathleen Wilkes has a sceptical stance toward thought experiments because they violate the laws of nature and are consequently misleading and do not add to our knowledge on the subject area. Like Kathleen, I also find issue with thought experiments because I think a made-up scenario does not help us to gain a better understanding of a theory. Moreover, it isolates philosophy as purely theoretical and incapable of being practised in logical terms, thus we lose the connection between philosophy and reality. To present my idea that personal identity just is emotional continuity, I will need to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological mechanisms underlying the stability of that individual. For example, a person may commit an immoral act which they may later describe as something completely out of character or they lost control. I would state that this is an example of disrupt in emotional continuity and the individual in that instance is not necessarily the same person as they were before, their sense of personal identity has broken down and become disconnected. 

An influential work in the field of philosophy of psychology is Jonathan Glover’s book Alien Landscapes, he questions whether an individual’s mental illness can be separated from their identity. Glover also states that awareness of one’s own agency is vital to having a sense of self. [Glover. J,2014.]  In my thesis, I would use real-life examples to explain the breakdown of personal identity and psychology plays a key role in this explanation. Glover presents numerous case studies and interview scripts of patients in Broadmoor hospital and I will be using these (alongside others) to analyse the prisoner/ patient responses and determine which key points seem to mould their personal identity. For example, to what extent do childhood experiences shape the individual, what repressed trauma finds itself motivating them and what character traits define that being. The question of what makes an individual the same person at point A and point B is one of the key questions when discussing personal identity, so it is necessary that I discuss instances of a breakdown in this timeline. 

In conclusion, I will argue that personal identity is shaped by psychological continuity; a series of overlapping chains of connections. I will use real- life cases (I will not be collecting primary data, I will use existing cases) not thought experiments to explore the breakdown of self.  My novel contribution lies in the idea that the term ‘psychological continuity’ may be too vague and we should narrow the focus to the emotions. I will postulate that our emotional responses to experiences shape our sense of self, so personal identity just is emotional continuity, an overlapping chain of connecting emotions.

I enjoy the fact that I can do my own research in a discipline that I am passionate about in an educationally stimulating environment. A challenge would perhaps be issues with finding certain papers but this was easily overcome when the library staff showed me how to access journal articles online through Brookes. Students are able to access a wide range of papers which is very useful.

The research training days are a great opportunity to see what other research is being carried out in the department. Additionally when presenting, it is so nice to hear opinions about my research and any recommended changes. Also there are numerous sessions available about writing techniques, which have prepared me for the write up section of my research degree because I struggle to write academically.

I would love to stay in Academia, particularly in higher education as a lecturer or a researcher.

I first heard about Oxford Brookes in 2014 after moving to Oxford to study for a Masters. The University kept popping up whilst I was working and studying elsewhere.

I knew that I loved Oxford and wanted to move back. Upon reaching out to the University about my idea for a research project, I had an extremely supportive and positive reception by my then proposed supervisor (this was particularly pleasing having studied the works of the proposed supervisor on an earlier course). With this collaboration, I gained a sense of being cared about and empowered rather than being a mere cog in the workings of a large institution.

I was particularly reassured by having an open and honest conversation during the interview. The interviewer was transparent from all angles and realistic about studying at Oxford Brookes University; this was very refreshing!

Immediately prior to commencing my PhD I was geography teacher in inner-city London, a challenging environment perfect for honing time management. I have also worked in construction for a safeguarding organisation within local government and remain a director of a performing arts organisation and an awarding body. 

When I have time, I like to volunteer with the world’s largest youth movement, which has led me to represent their interests in the European Parliament. I have created training modules, led regional growth, and made lots of friends. I have also had the privilege to volunteer in the Cabinet Office via the Queen’s Young Leaders Programme run by the Royal Commonwealth Society and University of Cambridge. This involved finding inspirational volunteers and mentoring people around the world in leadership, non-formal education, and youth empowerment.             

As the only new student to be reading for a PhD in Education, it at first seemed a little lonely due to a lack of companionship. Nonetheless, my supervisory team have been fantastic, and while both supervisors have significant roles within the University, they always find time for me. Indeed, the staff and other research students at the University have always been friendly and willing to offer their help, be it administrative or academic.

It has been a nice experience settling into being a research student. I would advise other students to make sure that there are interactions with other research students and to make the effort to find a routine that works.

I am researching the extent to which universities’ interactions with their students reflect or embody the ‘soft power’ of the state as distinct from their own wholly autonomous actions as education providers. To that end, my research explores how student behaviours and practices are influenced by universities.

My PhD explores how the ‘traditional’ three-year full-time undergraduate student (FTUG) experience is influenced and shaped in response to contemporary state restructuring, and the impact upon student behaviours and practices in higher education (HE) in England (Morrissey, 2013; Sanchez et al., 2015). The research will examine how HE, and the role of those working and studying within it, is changing in the light of the reorganisation of funding, fees, and student number allocations in England. It explores how this context creates a fundamental ambivalence whereby students are increasingly positioned as consumers whilst simultaneously being subject to a growing number of influences and ‘nudges’ which aim to shape and ‘script’ student behaviours

My PhD highlights how the context of ambivalence is experienced and understood by FTUG students, with additional insights drawn from other stakeholders in the HE ‘network of power’. Drawing upon qualitative data from empirical research, the project will utilise a Foucauldian post-structuralist biopolitical framework to map ‘where’ and ‘how’ interactions occur within and across the ‘networks of power’ in modern HE (Foucault, 2010).
I will offer new empirical knowledge on the reorganisation of HE at a time of state restructuring, and intensified concerns about (in)security and sustainability of the HE sector. It will also develop a theoretical understanding of how, in times of change, individuals understand their ‘role’ in HE at a moment in time; in particular, how one ‘becomes and knows what it is to be a student’.

My PhD is thus a response to calls for better understanding of what it means to ‘become’ and be a FTUG in the contemporary HE sector in England; and how students and staff roles are governed, particularly with the reorganisation of funding and fee structures (Gorman, 2012; Ball, 2013). This will provide greater awareness of the ethical implications of HE biopolitics, and uncover the ‘networks of power’ involved in the relationship between the state, universities, and students. I seek to offer an impactful contribution to the debate about the operation, reorganisation, and governance of HE amid state restructuring driven by austerity measures.

I love the stimulation and debate that can be had when critically engaging with the literature, formulating the project that I truly have ownership of. Speaking with supervisors and being guided rather than directed provides a more horizontal experience within the University, one that is exciting, stimulating, and more enriching. It has been great to meet research students and learn about their projects, and to hear just how passionate they are about it. The research student community is a friendly and welcoming one!

One particular challenge can be the lack of structure to a PhD. As there are no modules or regular lectures attached to it, there is sometimes a risk of losing motivation. To overcome this, I have engaged in a range of sessions to develop my skills, which has provided a loose structure. 

Another challenge has been readjusting to student life; the transition from teacher to student has been an interesting thing to do. Giving up a job (even a pressured one) can sometimes make you question the decision, but, for me, these things are all about good planning and staying true to the bigger picture; about the dream and desire to do my own research and contribute to the knowledge economy.

The research training at Oxford Brookes is a good starting point for research students and certainly provides a link between Masters and the MPhil level. There are a raft of options to explore and to introduce you to methods from other disciplines, which provides a useful insight and new avenues to explore. One of the most useful things about this training is to have a space for discussion about the methods with other students.

There is also a good deal of other training to help with career development and personal development. For example, the Associate Teachers course, which helps students prepare for lecturing at the University, was a very positive experience and helped to provide me with another avenue for enrichment both social and academic.

After completion, I would like to put my new skills and knowledge to work in the world of business (in particular, taking up a more active role in the education organisations of which I am a Director). In addition, I would like to further work with the charity supporting people with a rare brain disease while also maintaining a part-time engagement in and with the University contributing to the academic community.

My daughter came to Oxford Brookes for her first degree so I was aware of it before starting my PhD.

I had recently worked with Professor Deb McGregor on a project related to science inquiry and was keen to have her as my supervisor. Previously our paths had crossed through our mutual membership with the Association for Science Education (ASE) and I also followed her to Keele University many years ago, where I did my master’s degree about the management of effective education and learning.    

I am currently supported by a studentship that is jointly funded by both Oxford Brookes and the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) which is financed by Astra Zeneca.  

Directly prior to starting my PhD at Oxford Brookes I was a Research Associate at Kings College London working as part of the UK team on a large European funded project SAILS (http://www.sails-project.eu/).  My role included helping to prepare secondary teachers to teach science through an inquiry approach and be more confident and competent in the assessment of their students’ learning through inquiry and formative assessment pedagogies. 

As a mature student, I have had the opportunity to be part of many interesting experiences and roles including being a nurse and midwife prior to becoming a primary teacher. Interestingly these two careers overlap a lot in terms of transferable skills and knowledge, although I have not had to deliver a baby in school yet!  

My research is stimulated by a desire to understand how science inquiry is described and practiced by teachers following the current English National Curriculum for Science. It hopes to identify pedagogical approaches used at the top end of primary (Year 6) and the start of secondary schooling (Year 7) which might identify common principles and practice that might support more effective transition from primary science education to secondary science education.

I love learning about new things, and find reading the literature, attending conferences and seminars very absorbing, sometimes too much and I forget to write anything down. I find Twitter very useful in terms of learning about useful ‘people’ to follow and resources and strategies to keep my PhD writing on track.

I find people very friendly and supportive. Once I understand what I don’t understand I know who I can contact and receive specific direction or support. My two supervisors are always on hand to shine a light when I find myself in a dark corner.

I would love to be part of a research team and work on projects around science, education, inquiry, creativity and assessment, which involves being in the classroom and working with teachers and their pupils.