Our research projects & expertise

Our research projects span applied health, mental health, social care and community settings, united by a commitment to rigorous qualitative inquiry. We work across the research lifecycle, from intervention development and feasibility studies to process evaluation, implementation and policy translation. Our methodological expertise includes grounded theory, realist approaches, participatory and co-produced research, ethnography and in-depth interpretative analysis.

Our work attends carefully to context, power and systems, ensuring that qualitative research generates robust insights that inform health service decision-making and practice.

You can explore the full range of our projects below, or find a particular area of interest from the menu on the right.

Qualitative Design

Qualitative Research in Trials

Participatory and Creative Research

Implementation Research and Improvement Science

Exploring Illness, Wellbeing and Recovery Experiences

Evaluating Services and Interventions

Developing and Adapting Interventions

Systematic Reviews and Evidence Syntheses

Consensus Building Methods

Methodological Research

Longitudinal Research Evidence

Survivor Research

Projects

Addressing the Challenges Associated with Menstruation in South Africa (The Siyahluma Project)

A community-engaged research project to understand and address menstruation‑related challenges faced by school‑going girls and women

ADEPT

Optimising Psychological Treatment for Anxiety Disorders in Pregnancy — A Feasibility Study of Time-Intensive Versus Weekly Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

A woman on the sofa looking at her phone with a TCDS device on her head

BDEP

Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Bipolar Depression

BOPPP

Beta-blockers or Placebo for Primary Prophylaxis of Oesophageal Varices

COMMEND

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Improving Psychological Health in People with Motor Neurone Disease

CommonGround

Co-produced Online Peer Support and Psychoeducation for People Living with Long-Term Physical Health Conditions

DAISIES

Stepping into Day Treatment versus Inpatient Treatment for Adults with Severe Anorexia Nervosa

Black woman standing at a window holding a small dog

Developing a culturally tailored digital mental wellbeing intervention for people from Black communities

Wellcome-funded PhD using participatory qualitative approaches

Developing a mental health support package for women survivors of domestic violence and modern slavery in South Asia

Creating a contextually adaptable, trauma‑informed mental health support package for women survivors of domestic violence and modern slavery in South Asia

EDEN

Ketamine for the Treatment of Depression in Severe and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa

Exploring multilingual voice-hearers’ experiences

A reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with ten multilingual voice-hearers

FACTOID

Development and Feasibility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Older People with Treatment-Resistant Generalised Anxiety Disorder

HOME

Home-based Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Major Depressive Disorder

Two pairs of legs of people walking, the picture is cut off at the top so all you can see is legs and shoes on a concrete pavement.

How should researchers work with migrants, migrant communities and migrant organisations?

ESRC-funded PhD using participatory action research and ethnography

An abstract closeup of a pattern of hexagons

OPEN

Olanzapine for young PEople with aNorexia nervosa: An open-label feasibility study to test recruitment, treatment acceptance, adherence, safety, outcome measures and patients’ experience to prepare for a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Participatory research approaches to involving family carers in Recovery Colleges

ESRC-funded PhD project including systematic review and participatory action research

PATHFINDER

Problem Adaptation Therapy for Individuals with Mild to Moderate Dementia and Depression

Personalised cancer care and support

Identifying what good looks and feels like and co-designing improvements

PETALS

An exploration of treatment and recovery experiences in eating disorders and evaluation of the utility of qualitative diary methods in eating disorders research

REACH

Young People’s Experiences of Education, Inequality and Mental Health During COVID-19 Lockdowns

An abstract image of circles, half circles and squares

RECOLLECT

Recovery Colleges Characterisation and Testing

Picture of a silhouette of a head with a colourful atoms design inside

SHAPED

Study of Visual Hallucinations in Parkinson’s Disease, Eye Disease and Dementia

The Modern Slavery Core Outcome Set (MSCOS)

A survivor‑driven, consensus‑based framework defining a minimum set of outcomes that should be reported in research, policy, and interventions supporting adult survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking

Understanding and supporting the mental wellbeing of survivors of coercive control

Understand how survivors of coercive control define and experience mental wellbeing over time, and identifying the factors and resources that support it

WHELD

Well-being and Health for People with Dementia in Care Homes