People

Chris Griffin is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Bath. Much of her recent work explores the relationship between identities and consumption for young people, with a long-standing interest in young women's lives. Recent projects include a study of young people's experiences of 'branded' leisure at music festivals and free parties with Andrew Bengry-Howell; a project on clubbing and dance cultures as forms of social and political participation with Sarah Riley; and a major study on the role of branding and marketing of drinks in relation to young adults' everyday drinking practices as part of the Economic and Social Research Council's Programme on 'Identities and Social Action'.

Jeff Gavin is a lecturer in psychology at University of Bath, where he teaches cyberpsychology and communication theory. His recent research focuses on identity construction and maintenance in various online settings including online dating, self-help forums, and social networking sites. He also investigates cross-cultural differences in online relationship formation, as well as perceptions of stalking, both on- and offline. He has published widely in journals including: Cyberpsychology and Behavior; Computers in Human Behavior; Qualitative Health Research; Culture, Health and Sexuality; and International Journal of Critical Psychology. He has also published several articles and book chapters on research ethics, co-authored with Karen Rodham.

Alison Mackiewicz is a PhD student at the University of Bath.  Her research interests are predominantly focused on identity practices, alcohol consumption and youth culture. She graduated in 2006 with a BA (Hons) degree in Psychology, and gained a Masters degree in Research Methods in Psychology in 2007.  Alongside her PhD, she volunteers as a youth worker with her local authority in Hampshire.e

John Fellenor is a part-time PhD student with the Psychology Department at the University of Bath. His research is focussed on the role played by material objects and the physical environment in the intersubjective experience of sufferers of ME/CFS. He is also interested in developing different ways of theorising and talking about the unconscious; utilising ideas on metaphor, affect and psychosocially informed perspectives. In his spare time John enjoys motor biking, writing fiction, and playing tenor saxophone. He also teaches chemistry and psychology on a part-time basis.

James Doodson is a PhD student at the University of Bath. James' research and personal interests revolve around Web 2.0 internet technology in mediating social relationships and social behaviours, and the ramifications of Web 2.0 on theories of identity and self. In particular, James has a keen interest in online Virtual Worlds (e.g. Second Life, World of Warcraft) and Social Networking Sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter). James' PhD focuses on the use of social networking sites in undergraduate transition to university. James graduated with a BSc (Hons) Psychology and MRes in Psychology from the University of Bath in 2009 and 2010 respectively. James has spent time at IBM UK where he conducted a research study on the relationship between offline- and online-personality in the virtual world Second Life. For more information see: http://people.bath.ac.uk/jd25454

Craig Owen is a part-time PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. His current ethnographic research explores the performance of embodied masculinities in capoeira and Latin and ballroom dance classes. Craig teaches 'Multi-media Methods' on the MRes qualitative methods module. Craig organised a two day postgraduate workshop Using Theatre in Qualitative Research. Craig graduated from Loughborough University with a BSc (hons) degree in Sport and Social Science and a MSc degree in Sociology of Sport.

Karen Rodham combines a practice role in the NHS with an academic role at the University of Bath, where she is a Senior Lecturer. In her practise role at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, she runs a health psychology clinic for patients who have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and focuses on developing patient support and coping skills. In her academic role she teaches and conducts research specialising in exploring the coping strategies employed by people when they are facing difficult situations. Karen has expertise in the conduct of qualitative research. More recently her focus has been on exploring how the Internet might be a means of obtaining support for groups who are marginalised, perhaps because they have a taboo health issue (e.g. self-harm) or because they have mobility issues. In her “other” life, she is a qualified mountain leader and takes groups of young people into the hills to help them develop expedition experience, navigation and camp craft skills.

James Thompson is a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. His current research project uses qualitative methods to explore the different ways people make meaning of their experiences with magic (psilocybin) mushrooms. His research interests include psychedelic drug experiences, spiritual practices, anomalous experiences, understandings of reality, and philosophical approaches to transcending the symbolic and material divide. James graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BSc (Hons) in Psychology in 2007 and from the University of Bath with a Master of Research in Psychology (MRes) in 2009.

Past Members

Sarah Riley is a senior lecturer in Psychology at Aberystwyth University. Her research interests lie in contemporary social identity and the use of qualitative research methods. My identity work has employed a psycho-social perspective to address issues in the areas of youth culture, embodiment, gender and consumption. In the process I have used a range of qualitative research methods including discourse analysis, co-operative inquiry and visual methods. Recent grants include Riley & Griffin 'Reverberating Rhythms: Social and Political Participation in Club Culture', ESRC 2005-2007 and Riley & Gill 'Exploring dilemmas of femininity with co-operative inquiry', 2006-2009 British Academy. I am a co-editor for the book Critical Bodies: Representations, Identities and Practices of Weight and Body Management

Andrew Bengry-Howell is currently a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Research Methods, University of Southampton where he is researching methodological innovation in the Social Sciences. He is also a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, at the University of Bath. He is interested in qualitative methodology and research ethics, and has conducted research on youth and identity, with a particular focus on music festivals, the meaning of drinking and car modification. He has published in
the Journal of Youth Studies, Sociology, European Journal of Marketing, and, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, and co-authored chapters in The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Methods in Psychology, and Identity in the 21st Century: New Trends in Changing Times.

Yvette Morey is a researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. Her current research investigates the ways in which young people negotiate differing levels of commercial involvement at music festivals and free party events in the UK. Her previous research has explored political and social participation in two electronic dance music culture scenes, and the performative construction of clothed subjectivity.  She is the co-editor of a special issue on the social and cultural uses of ketamine in the journal Addiction, Research and Theory (2008) 16(3).

Helen Gregory is a Psychology Lecturer at the University of Gloucestershire. She is interested in the social scientific study of the arts and popular culture, identity and social interaction. She is currently pursuing two research projects: one exploring the educational and developmental implications of youth poetry slam; and one evaluating the impact of a reminiscence-based poetry intervention of the quality of life and care of people with dementia. Helen is also a performance poet and organizes the Poetry&Words stage at Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. For more information see: www.hgregory.co.uk