Research Community

Dr Natalie Hammond is a sociologist and Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care. Her research interests include the intersection between gender, health and violence; sexual and reproductive health; and climate change and health. She is currently co-investigator on the AFTER study which aims to understand the long-term psychosocial and sexual experiences of ex-service personnel and their partners affected by conflict-related genital injuries.

Dr Nick Cooper's interests and expertise lie in developing and assessing novel interventions for the treatment of PTSD. There is a particular focus on nature-based interventions, including the use of building resilience skills using angling in tranquil, rural yet social environments. He also has more than 20 years of experience using psychophysiological tools such as EEG to gauge the long-terms effects of stress on the brain.

Dr Patricia Irizar is a Post-doctoral Research Associate with experience in applying epidemiological and qualitative methods to study co-occurring Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in police officers and military personnel. 

Dr Paul Watson is an Assistant Director of the Northern Hub for Veterans and Military Families Research (Military connected Children and Young People) and Assistant Professor in Nursing (Children and Young People) & Specialist Community Public Health Nursing. Paul is an expert in narrative methodologies and has a growing portfolio of research on the emotional health and well-being of military connected children and young people and young carers, PTSD and social isolation and loneliness in the Veteran population, and military connected suicide.

Dr Rachael Gribble is a Lecturer in War & Psychiatry, King's College London. Using mixed methods approaches, her research focuses on how occupation impacts and influences the well-being of military families. She has conducted research on the health and well-being of military families, including mental health among military spouses/partners, experiences of weekending, intimate partner violence within the military community, Veteran family health and well-being, Veteran transition, Veteran mental health, and public attitudes to the military. 

Dr Becky Randles is a Lecturer in Psychology at Arden University. Previously she held the post of Senior Researcher at the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans. She previously led research projects including “Where Are All the Veterans” and “Supporting Armed Forces in Acute Hospital Settings” and has extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Her prior research career has followed themes such as domestic homicide, touch perception and research ethics and governance. She has produced numerous publications within Veterans' research, with themes surrounding mental health, help-seeking, and well-being and has contributed to the writing of grants and ethical applications.