university of brighton phd thesis

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The University of Brighton offers an active, supportive and stimulating environment for English literature PhD study in a range of literary fields.

Successful applicants to the research programme will join a thriving postgraduate community in both literature and the wider School of Humanities and Social Science, with cohorts in specialisms that include modern and contemporary poetry, prose and drama; gender and sexuality; and drama of the Elizabethan age. Current and recent doctoral research includes projects on creative practice, queer performance, contemporary representations of technology, international Bohemia, the lesbian gaze in seventeenth-century Britain, independent black publishers and British travel writing on Montenegro.

As one of our English Literature PhD doctoral students, you will work with dedicated supervisors who will help you through the planning and delivery of your research thesis and will offer guidance on all areas of professional development, including conference delivery, publication and job application.

The University of Brighton has opportunities for doctoral funding through the Doctoral College Award and the AHRC-funded techné studentships. The Techne scheme is a doctoral training programme that offers successful students a fee waiver or a fee waiver and stipend and typically has a January deadline.

Apply to 'humanities' in the applicant portal

Apply with us for funding through the AHRC Techne Doctoral Training Partnership

Key information

As a Literature PhD student at Brighton, you will benefit from:

• a supervisory team comprising two or three members of academic staff. A doctoral researcher may choose to work with members of staff in the Literature team (whose specialisms range from Early Modern literature to twentieth- and twenty-first-century literature) or else work on an interdisciplinary project with supervisors drawn from both literature and one of the cognate disciplines in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences or wider university (including creative writing, autoethnography, linguistics, history, philosophy, psychology, design, art and screen studies).
• desk space and access to a computer in a space specifically designed for research students. There are a range of facilities on the Falmer site include various catering options.
• access to a range of electronic resources via the university’s online library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections in the Falmer Library and other campus libraries in Moulsecoomb and in central Brighton.

Academic environment

Our literature research has a home in the School of Humanities and Social Science, where scholars engage across many disciplines and interests. Students may be aligned with or find colleagues in the university's Centres of Research and Enterprise Excellence (COREs), including: 

• Centre for Applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics
• Centre for Transforming Sexuality and Gender .

These centres offer postgraduate students a chance to hear talks by staff and guest lecturers, to network and to present their own work-in-progress. 

The Brighton Doctoral College offers a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research methods and transferable (including employability) skills, including conference delivery, writing for publication and job application. Literature staff can also advise students on conference organisation, research trips and teaching work (with many of our current doctoral researchers being involved in teaching on our undergraduate courses).

We welcome approaches for English Literature PhD study at the University of Brighton. Current strengths for which our provision is particularly suited include: 

• Early Modern literature (Elizabethan/Jacobean)
• twentieth-century literature
• twenty-first-century / contemporary literature
• women’s writing and feminist theory 
• postcolonial literature 
• British, American and European literatures
• creative writing and autoethnography

Students are able to work on a range of interdisciplinary subjects, combining literary study with one or more of the university's wide range of disciplines, including: creative practice,  graphics design and illustration, education, cultural studies, philosophy, sustainability, sociology, history, film, language, linguistics, media and screen studies.

Some of our supervisors

Dr liam connell.

I currently supervise PhDs on twentieth and twenty-first century literature. I would be happy to talk to students about PhD projects in literary and cultural studies on contemporary fiction or visual culture. I have specific interests in the economic humanities around work, especially precarious and reproductive labour, and on the concept of politics, specifically the political nature and potential of literature.

Specific areas within literary and cultural studies might include:

• the cultures of work
• social reproduction
• globalization and culture
• border studies
• representations of migration
• contemporary fiction
• postcolonialism
• contemporary visual culture

My current supervision includes the following PhD projects:

Nigel Foxcroft

Nigel supervises PhD students in three main fields: modernist/postmodernist, postcolonial and contemporary fiction; Russian literature and film; and the history of Anglo-Hungarian cultural contacts. He is very happy to be contacted by prospective students, especially those who can see themselves contributing to the Centre for Memory, Narrative and Histories.

Specific areas of literary analysis might include:

Modernist, Postmodern, Postcolonial, and Contemporary Fiction

• The influence of cultural, anthropological, and shamanic forces on human psychology: the psychogeographic impact of Aztec and Zapotec civilizations on Malcolm Lowry
• The Mexican Day of the Dead: anthropological, cosmic, and shamanic perspectives
• Alienation, survival, and regeneration in Toni Morrison
• Verbal and non-verbal identity in J. M. Coetzee
• The representation of cultural identities and memory

The Golden Age of Russian Literature and Culture

• The influence of socio-political alienation on human psychology in the works of A. P. Chekhov, M. Yu. Lermontov, and A. S. Pushkin

History of Anglo-Hungarian Cultural Contacts

• British visitors to Hungary and Hungarian travellers to the British Isles in the early modern period onwards
• British attitudes and perceptions of Hungary (and vice-versa) and their reflection in the genre of travel writing

PhD Students Supervised: 

Ahsan, Nabila, The Representation of Young Adult Women in Angela Carter’s Work

Getz, Sierra, Censorship of Satirical Fiction and War Perceptions in American Society, 1950-1970: Bradbury, Heller, and Vonnegut

Gray, Elisa, Decadence and the Grotesque Body: The Effects of Decadent Literature on Female Identity in the Late 1800's

Ide, Gilliam, How to be a Woamn in the Modern World: An Exploration of Female Bildungsromane by Neglected Women Novelists, 1920-1960

Konow, Piammaria von, A Study of the Shamanically-Inspired Imaginary: A Cross-Cultural Study of Shamanic/Shamanistic Imagery

Saha, Mayukh, The Representation of Transnationalism and Diasporic Cognition in Selected Literature of West Bengal and Bangladesh

Stevens, Lucy, How September 11th 2001 redefined definitions of masculinity and identity for New Yorkers in Manhattan Novels

Tum, Omercan, The Representation of Muslim Masculinities in Contemporary British and American Diaspora Novels

Xin, Yue (Joy), Observing the City via Mrs Dalloway and Rickshaw Boy: The Novel as a Methodological Tool for Urban Analysis

Zivkovic, Ana, Constructions of Montenegro in the Works of British Authors from the Nineteenth Century to the Present

Dr Vicky Margree

She is particularly interested in supervising research projects in the following areas:

• Women's writing
• Feminist philosophy
• Reproductive politics
• Gothic and supernatural fiction
• Science fiction, utopianism/dystopianism and Afrofuturism
• Victorian and Edwardian fiction
• The short story

Dr Jessica Moriarty

One of my key passions is working with PhD students on creative practice, autoethnography and creative writing pedagogy. I have supported doctoral students working on transdisciplinary projects and work that seeks to challenge conventional academic discourse. At the moment, I am honoured to be working with students who are looking at queering the colonial, creativity and Bronte, Santiago de Cuba as moving archive, diverse narratives from Brexit, feminist romance, autoethnographic arts-based work, stories from care, autoethno-drag, identity and hybridity in fiction, and queer bodies in performance.

Dr Aris Mousoutzanis

My supervisory interests include the study of popular media genres (science fiction, horror); the relations between media, memory and trauma; and media and politics (specifically imperialism, (post)colonialism and globalisation. Interdisciplinary projects on media, literature and culture are most welcome.

A more detailed indicative list of supervisory interests includes the following areas:

• the study of popular media genres (science fiction, horror/Gothic, utopia/dystopia, (post-)apocalyptic fiction).
• the relations between screen media, trauma theory and memory studies - with a more recent interest in nostalgia studies.
• the historical and discursive relations between screen media and imperialism, globalisation and (post)colonialism.

Students with an interest in an interdisciplinary approach that extends across English studies and Film and Television studies are most welcome. I have also researched, taught and published on the late Victorian period ('fin de siecle') and postmodern theory, literature and culture.

Dr Vedrana Velickovic

I would be happy to talk to students about PhD projects in contemporary literature, cultural and queer studies.

Specific areas might include:

• Black British Literature and Culture
• European Literature
• Postcolonialism
• Postcommunism
• Literary and media representations of migration and specifically 'Eastern European' migration
• LGBTQIA+ Literature

(COMPLETED) Kadija George, Raising the voice and visibility of independent Black publishers (TECHNE-funded) http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/techne/for-students/techne-students/techne-students/techne-students-2016/george

Najma Yusufi, "Leave To Remain” (novel) and Hybridity in British Asian writing post-Brexit, https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/najma-yusufi

Amanda Holiday, 'Poetry, Race and Art' (TECHNE-funded), https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/persons/amanda-holiday

Veneta Neale, 'This is our History: Diasporic Feminist Black British History'.

Hanna Komar (TECHNE-funded), 'Supporting Belarusian women to share experiences of gender-based violence and patriarchy using poetry: an autoethnographic approach' 

Dr Aakanksha Virkar

Aakanksha is happy to supervise postgraduate work on late Victorian and modern literature. She has specific interests in literary modernism and would particularly welcome projects exploring literature and the arts (music and visual culture).

Specific areas within literary studies (1850-1950) might include

• Victorian/modern transitions
• philosophy, aesthetics and politics in modern literature
• poetry and poetics
• literature, music and visual culture
• aestheticism, decadence and desire

 For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit  research staff on our research website.  

Making an  application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Sign in to our online application portal to begin.

Fees and funding

 Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2023–24

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page .

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.

Read student blogs about student life and the Brighton university experience

Preparing my dissertation – from home!

Dissertation is a word that most prospective and current students dread. It’s undertaken in the final year of your course and is worth a ton of marks towards your degree. Personally, this was something I wasn’t looking forward to, but also I didn’t really know what a dissertation entailed. I am now in my final year and have just started this year-long process, so I’m going to shed some light on what a dissertation is and what you can do to prepare.

What is a dissertation?

A dissertation is essentially a long research project. In Media Studies (and many other courses), you have a choice to do either a 10,000 written word, creative media project (photography/video), or a community media dissertation. Which one you do is choice, but also depends on the modules you’ve taken in previous years. For example, you may not be able to complete a creative media project if you don’t have any experience in photography or video production. My choice was to do a written dissertation (brave, I know!), so I’m going to be breaking down this option.

It’s broken into two parts; the first a 2,000-word Critical Research Plan, and then an 8,000-word dissertation. This sounds like a lot but by your final year, you’ll be more than prepared to write this much, and honestly, you’ll probably end up writing way too much.

Written dissertation components

Your dissertation is then broken down into different parts again, which will be explained before you begin. They may differ depending on the type of dissertation you choose and the course you are on, but for Media Studies, the sections are as follows:

• Introduction
• Concepts and Theories
• Research Methods
• Research Results/Findings and Discussion
• Bibliography
• Prologue and Appendices

This might seem daunting but as I said before, your entire university career is preparing you for this moment!

My advice – Boss it before it begins

The best piece of advice I can give you is to use your time at university to figure out what you enjoy and what interests you. Your dissertation is YOUR work, so the topic you choose should be something you enjoy.

You can also build a great range of literature to fall back on by looking at previous assignments – pop them in a mind map and you’ll be shocked at the quantity you have before even beginning research. Also, look at the layout of journal articles and you’ll notice you’ve already read many pieces that look like the structure of a dissertation.

Before you begin the first term to your final year, try to use part of the summer to think about what you’d be interested in researching. This may be one topic or a few, either way, try to engage with some readings to see what exists on this topic and to figure out whether you’ll enjoy spending time on the topic.

Finally, remember if you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed during this time to speak to your supervisor and personal tutor – their job is to help, support and guide you during this time.

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Kaoru Mitoma and how Brighton benefit from his university thesis on dribbling

Strapping cameras to the heads of your team-mates might feel an unusual way to master the art of dribbling.

Yet that eagerness to think outside the box has played a part in making Brighton and Hove Albion’s Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma such a unique and exciting addition to the Premier League .

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool — and their England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold — become the latest opponents to try to find a way of checking the weaving forward’s glorious blend of speed, balance and elusive running at the Amex Stadium today.

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That particular style is born of the blistering pace he possessed as a child, and developed as a football-obsessed student in his late teens back in his homeland.

Mitoma had been in the academy for eight years at Kawasaki Frontale, the four-time champions of Japan’s top-flight J1 League, when, as he approached the age of 19, he turned down a professional contract to study physical education at the University of Tsukuba.

That is a well-trodden route for Japanese players, given the standard of college football is much higher than in Europe.

“I just felt I wasn’t ready physically and that I wouldn’t be in the first team immediately,” Mitoma says. “I thought the best step was to get more playing time and get better.”

As part of his studies, he wrote a thesis on dribbling. “It was the easiest subject for me to choose because I love football and dribbling is what I love to do,” he explains. “There were no rules on how much to write, but I progressed with it by analysing my team-mates that were good and not-so-good dribblers and trying to find out why that was.

“I put cameras on the heads of my team-mates to study where and what they were looking at and how their opponents were looking at them.

“I learned that the good players weren’t looking at the ball. They would look ahead, trap the ball without looking down at their feet. That was the difference.

“I was one of the better dribblers at that time, but not exceptional.”

Even now, Mitoma, who is modest by nature, still regards himself as anything but a dribbling genius. Indeed, he is reluctant to attach too much significance to his university studies when explaining the positive impact he has made in the Premier League with Brighton .

Something stuck, though.

A glance at his goal in the 4-1 win at Liverpool’s neighbours Everton earlier this month, a strike that showcased his dribbling talent and directness, reveals that he kept his head up throughout. The 25-year-old seized his chance after Everton full-back Nathan Patterson failed to cut out a cross-field pass from Moises Caicedo .

Mitoma deliberately pushes the ball ahead of him with his left foot and into space behind the stranded Patterson inside the penalty area, instead of opting for close control.

A body swerve, which sends defender Conor Coady the wrong way, opens up more room as he transfers the ball onto his right foot.

He finishes calmly, placing the ball beyond Jordan Pickford ’s attempt to smother and through the legs of the covering James Tarkowski .

The whole movement is conducted with electric speed, balance and poise. Just four seconds elapse between the Brighton forward receiving possession and the ball finding the back of the Everton net.

Mitoma, speaking via a translator as he learns to cope with the nuances of the English language, says: “I could see the space, so I wanted to kick the ball further to create the space behind with my first touch. Then, (on) the second touch, I was just going right to attack with the shot.

“It was instinct, rather than a thought process.”

Enjoy EVERY angle of Kaoru's third #PL goal… 🤤 @Kaoru_Mitoma ✨ pic.twitter.com/IsMk9ZAcu1 — Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 5, 2023

Mitoma’s performances owe much to preparation and self-analysis.

On top of all the detailed information the club provides to players, his representatives supply feedback before and after games in the form of touch maps and videos. Armed with that dossier of data, Mitoma can see his own movements and assess the strengths and weaknesses of upcoming opponents.

He is reaping the rewards.

Mitoma scored a very different type of goal when Brighton won 3-1 at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup in November. The forward began in the same area of the pitch (see below), advancing towards the left-hand edge of the penalty area, as Jeremy Sarmiento ran with the ball through the centre, attracting the attention of the Arsenal defenders.

This time, when he received possession from Sarmiento inside the box, Mitoma went for close control, cutting back by shifting the ball inside from his left foot to his right in one fluid movement.

That created just enough room to squeeze a shot between Cedric Soares and William Saliba and swing the tie in Brighton’s favour, giving them a 2-1 lead early in the second half.

Mitoma has been blessed with rapid pace since he was a child. He’s made a point of exploiting that attribute, tailoring his training to strengthen his legs and make his movements even more explosive.

He had been used as an impact substitute this season by Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi until breaking into the Italian’s team with a full Premier League debut in the 4-1 trouncing of Potter’s Chelsea at the Amex Stadium at the end of October.

“Chelsea was big for me,” says Mitoma. “I didn’t want to let my place go.”

Mitoma has maximised his opportunities at club level ever since. He has scored three goals and provided two assists in six starts for Brighton either side of an eventful World Cup with Japan .

He was involved in one of the most controversial moments of the tournament in Qatar. The ball appeared to be out of play when his cut-back was converted by Ao Tanaka in the 2-1 win over Spain — a result which served to knock Germany out at the group stage. The goal stood after a lengthy VAR check.

The technology worked against Mitoma when he had a second goal disallowed for a tight offside decision in the 4-2 home defeat by Arsenal on New Year’s Eve. Had his effort stood, then Brighton would have reduced the arrears to 4-3 and ensured a nervy finish for the Premier League leaders.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the scientific edge to his university studies, he has no issue with leaning on technology when it comes to critical on-field decision-making.

“It’s fair, it’s technology, it’s hard to argue with it,” he says. “Obviously, there are emotions when decisions go for or against you, but I’m fine with it.”

Some Japanese observers felt Mitoma was under-used by head coach Hajime Moriyasu at the World Cup. All four of his appearances were from the bench, including in the group victory against Germany and the last-16 exit to Croatia on penalties.

His spot kick in the shoot-out was saved by Dominik Livakovic and he was not among Brighton’s seven penalty-takers when they lost at League One side Charlton last month in a shoot-out which extended to sudden death.

“There are some feelings from that World Cup experience, the confidence level isn’t 100 per cent there,” Mitoma concedes. “But also, it’s the manager’s call as well. He felt there were other guys more confident at that time. I’ll keep practising and working on penalties until I’m more comfortable.”

Mitoma aims to be “one of the leaders for Japan” at the next World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

His impact at Brighton is reflected by rising interest in his exploits back home. Two Japanese reporters now cover Brighton matches regularly, home and away.

Hideo Tamaru, of Japan’s main news agency Kyodo News, tells The Athletic : “The popularity of football in Japan, in general, had been declining recently compared to the peak years (around 2010-2016) when there were quite a few Japanese players in big European clubs, so the success of Mitoma feels like a breath of fresh air.

“Needless to say, the recent success in the World Cup was a massive boost as well. Another thing that Japanese fans like to see is how the players in Europe are being rated in the media in their respective countries. That in itself creates another headline.”

There have been plenty of headline performances in the Premier League for Brighton so far from Mitoma, who has now been joined in England by his wife after she secured a work permit.

There are no limits to what he might achieve under the guidance of De Zerbi.

“Continuing to produce results is what it will take to stay in the starting XI,” adds Mitoma. “The manager has the plans, the strategy, and I am doing all I can to stick with that.

“I love playing under him. There’s a lot of build-up for the ball to come to the wing (and) a lot of actions, which is fun. I want to continue to learn, playing in that style.

“The two main things are to help Brighton into the top rankings and to get more goals and assists.”

(Top photo: Robin Jones/Getty Images)

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Andy Naylor worked for 32.5 years on the sports desk of The Argus, Brighton’s daily newspaper. For the last 25 of those years he was chief sports reporter, primarily responsible for coverage of Brighton and Hove Albion FC. Follow Andy on Twitter @ AndyNaylorBHAFC

David Haines

• Principal Lecturer , School of Sport and Health Sciences

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests.

Dr David Haines’s research interests focus on occupational therapy with people with intellectual disabilities (learning disabilities) and in particular those with complex needs, including profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. He is interested in how we can support and enable people with intellectual disabilities to engage in occupations/ activities and how occupational justice can be promoted, in particular through improving the quality of support provided to individuals.

David is currently leading a series of action research projects in collaboration with occupational therapists in Kent Community Health Foundation NHS Trust.  They are developing a clinical reasoning/ thinking tool to be used by occupational therapists to think through how best to work with the support networks of people with intellectual disabilities when seeking to get recommendations adopted to improve the quality of support provided. Future projects will validate and evaluate the initial version of this tool.

With a strong grounding in qualitative research, Dr Haines is particularly interested in action research, ethnographic and case study methodologies, narrative research and in finding ethical means of involving those who may not have capacity as research participants in order that their needs may be researched and their support improved.

Supervisory Interests

David’s PhD supervisory interests include occupational therapy and occupational science, particularly (though not exclusively) in relation to people with intellectual (learning) disabilities.  He is also interested in research related to ensuring high quality support and care of people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities and others with complex and high support needs. 

His primary expertise is in qualitative research with particular interests in action research and case study and ethnographic methodologies.  If relevant to his research interests and expertise, he would be very interested in supporting those wishing to undertake a PhD at Brighton with development of their research proposal.

David is exploring the potential of a PhD Studentship to take forward the evaluation of the clinical reasoning tool currently being developed (see Research Interests above).

David is currently supervising the following PhD students:

Esther Dark : More than calories? Exploring the meaning of food and eating for individuals with lived experience of anorexia. 

Elspeth Clark : Belonging and people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities

Denise Harris: Supervision practices in an English NHS organisation: Complexity and Paradox

He is also supporting Audrey Yong 's PhD by publication related to home environment design for people with autism and intellectual disabilities.

Scholarly biography

In 1992, David began working with adults with learning disabilities in North London, supporting people with moderate, severe and profound learning disabilities to make the transition from long-stay institutions to living in 'ordinary houses in ordinary streets'. This was an exciting time to begin a career in this field, being part of a then still relatively new idea of 'care in the community' and working for an organisation that actively sought staff without a history of working in former institutions and who might support people in different and more empowering ways.

The experiences he had enabling people to engage in activity and to build relationships at home and in their local community led to a chance meeting with a Brighton student that made him aware of the existence of occupational therapy and its potential close connection with the work he had been doing as a support worker.  He immediately applied for the University of Brighton PgDip Occupational Therapy course in Eastbourne.

David worked as an occupational therapist with people with learning disabilities for nine years, based in community teams in Sussex, Surrey and the London Borough of Wandsworth and then in the therapy team at St John's College in Brighton. 

He joined the University of Brighton School of Sport and Health Sciences (then School of Health Professions) as a Senior Lecturer in 2006 and became the Course Leader of the part-time BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy in 2011, leading this course and the Occupational Therapy Degree Apprenticeship until 2021. He teaches across the Occupational Therapy courses, became Principal Lecturer in 2017 and from 2017-19 took on the role of joint Apprenticeships Lead for the School.  He is now joint Subject Lead for Health and Rehabilitation.

For four years, David was on the National Executive Committee of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section – People with Learning Disabilities, including a period as Research and Development and Education Lead.  During this time, he completed a research study commissioned by the Royal College with Alison Lillywhite, which explored occupational therapy and people with learning disabilities.  This reawakened his interest in research and how this might improve the support provided to people with learning disabilities. 

In 2015, he completed a PhD at University of Brighton in which he explored the ways an occupational therapist supported people with profound and multiple learning disabilities to engage in their occupations at home. 

Lillywhite A and Haines D (2010) Occupational therapy and people with learning disabilities: findings from a research study . London: College of Occupational therapists

Lillywhite, A and Haines, D (2010) Occupational therapy and people with learning disabilities , London: College of Occupational Therapists.

Bashton D, Mandy A, Haines D , and Cameron J (2012) Comparison of activities of daily living in two different one arm drive wheelchairs: a controlled trial . Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology , 7 (1) 75-81

Boyle P, Haines D , Lovelock L, Innes K (2014) Home safety for children with autistic spectrum disorder: local authority occupational therapy intervention. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 77(5) 243-50

Haines, D (2015) Occupational therapy supporting people with profound intellectual disabilities to engage in occupation at home . Thesis, University of Brighton.

Haines D , Brown A, (2017) Health Professionals working effectively with support workers to enhance the quality of support for adults with intellectual disabilities: A meta-ethnography.  Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities 31(2) 200-212.

Haines, D (2017) Ethical considerations in qualitative case study research recruiting participants with profound intellectual disabilities. Research Ethics Review 13 (3-4) 219-322

Harland A, Swarbrick C, Haines D (2017) The impact of sensory integration groups on the participation of children and young people with learning disabilities: perceptions of therapists and teaching staff. Brighton Journal of Research in Health Sciences , 3 (1)

Haines, D , Wright, J & Comerasamy, H (2018) Occupational Therapy Empowering Support Workers to Change How They Support People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities to Engage in Activity. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities 15(4) 295-306

Morrison, S, Barrett, L &  Haines, D (2019) Foot‐care needs for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. B ritish Journal of Learning Disabilities 48(1) 4-9

Justice, H, Haines, D , Wright, J (2021) Occupational therapy for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges: Exploring practice within acute assessment and treatment units. Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy. 

Haines, D , Wright, J (2021) Thinking in stories: Narrative reasoning of an occupational therapist supporting people with profound intellectual disabilities' engagement in occupation.  Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 1-20

Approach to teaching

Problem-based learning is the approach to learning and teaching that is embedded across the occupational therapy programmes and some other courses at University of Brighton and this is underpinned by a clear pedagogy, including the work of former colleague Professor Gaynor Sadlo.

Teaching on our courses in this way is a perfect fit with the philosophy of the occupational therapy profession itself and gives David much the same satisfaction that he gained from working as an occupational therapist in practice. He really enjoys the highly interactive and very student-centred problem-based method and the way it allows him to work alongside students in small groups, exploring problems together and learning from each other. It is heartening to see students not only increasing subject knowledge, but also developing their critical reasoning, team working and independent learning skills.

Knowledge exchange

In June 2018 David began a project with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists Specialist Section - People with Learning Disabilities (RCOT-SSPLD).  An Evaluation Survey was used to explore occupational therapists’ work with adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities and in particular, their use of "sensory activity”.  The findings informed two subsequent MSc Occupational Therapy student research projects and dissemination of the findings from the survey has highlighted occupational therapists’ keenness to develop and share resources related to this aspect of their work.  David is now working with colleagues from the RCOT-SSPLD PMLD Forum to set up a project placement in 2022-23 academic year in which two occupational therapy students will be supported to develop a resource-sharing website to be used by occupational therapists nationally.

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, Occupational therapy supporting people with profound intellectual disabilities to engage in occupation at home, University of Brighton

9 Sept 2009 → 12 Oct 2015

Award Date: 12 Oct 2015

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• 1 Similar Profiles
• Intellectual Disability Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
• intellectual disability Social Sciences 91%
• Occupational Therapists Medicine & Life Sciences 88%
• occupational therapy Social Sciences 86%
• Occupational Therapy Medicine & Life Sciences 76%
• occupational therapist Social Sciences 61%
• multiple disabilities Social Sciences 40%
• Occupational Groups Medicine & Life Sciences 38%

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Dive into details.

Select a country/territory to view shared publications and projects

Projects per year

SEAKARP: Developing an occupational therapy tool that can enable support workers to meaningfully engage people with intellectual disabilities* in activity.

Haines, D. & Galvin, K.

UK Occupational Therapy Research Foundation

1/09/19 → 31/07/23

Project : Charities

• occupational therapist 100%
• learning disability 62%
• action research 39%
• occupational therapy 23%

Research output

• 1 Commissioned report
• 1 Conference contribution with ISSN or ISBN
• 1 Editorial
• 1 Doctoral Thesis

Research output per year

Home environment design theories and models related to the occupational performance, participation and well-being of people with intellectual disabilities: A scoping review

Research output : Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

• intellectual disability 100%
• well-being 67%
• participation 52%
• occupation 48%
• performance 46%

Occupational therapy’s role in the exploration of meaning in anorexia

Research output : Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review

Occupational therapy for adults with intellectual disabilities and sensory processing challenges: a Delphi study exploring practice within acute assessment and treatment units

• Delphi Technique 100%
• Occupational Therapists 91%
• Occupational Therapy 87%
• occupational therapy 79%
• intellectual disability 73%

Thinking in Stories: Narrative Reasoning of an Occupational Therapist supporting People with profound intellectual disabilities’ engagement in occupation

• Occupational Therapists 100%
• Occupations 80%
• Intellectual Disability 76%
• Occupational Therapy 31%
• Research Design 21%

Foot‐care needs for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

• Developmental Disabilities 100%
• Disabled Persons 89%
• Intellectual Disability 75%
• 2 Oral presentation
• 1 Research degree
• 1 Membership of professional body

Activities per year

Sensory activity and people with profound and multiple learning disabilities

David Haines (Presenter)

Activity : External talk or presentation › Oral presentation

Meaningful Engagement: The Participatory Arts Practices of Adults with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties

David Haines (Examiner)

Activity : External examination and supervision › Research degree

Royal College of Occupational Therapists (External organisation)

David Haines (Member)

Activity : External boards and professional/academic bodies › Membership of professional body

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Each student must write a dissertation that presents the results of a research project carried out by the student.

An appropriate research project involves a substantive piece of original and independent research grounded in an appropriate body of literature. It is relevant to an identifiable field as it is currently practiced. It presents a hypothesis tested by data and analysis and provides a significant contribution or advancement in that field. It is the responsibility of the student's doctoral committee to evaluate the dissertation in these terms and to recommend the awarding of the doctoral degree only if the dissertation is judged to demonstrate these qualities.

Characteristics that a dissertation should demonstrate are:

• Establishment of an historical context for the presentation of an innovative and creative approach to the problem analysis and solution
• Clear understanding of the problem area as revealed by analysis and synthesis of a broad literature base
• Well-defined research design
• Clarity in composition and careful documentation
• Results of sufficient merit to be published in refereed journals or to form the basis of a book or monograph
• Sufficient detail so that other scholars can build on it in subsequent work
• Preparation of the author to assume a position within the academic nursing profession

The date and title of the defense must be submitted to the PhD Program Director one month prior to the final defense so that this event can be announced to the University community; see Policy 227 for more information.

Dissertation Committee

The student selects a qualified nursing faculty member with expertise in the area of research focus to guide the research and chair the dissertation committee.

In consultation with the committee chair, the student selects a minimum of three faculty members in addition to the committee chair to serve as dissertation committee members.

• The majority of the committee, including the major advisor, must be full or adjunct members of the Graduate Faculty of the University of Pittsburgh.
• Three committee members, including the chair, must have a faculty appointment in the School of Nursing.
• One member must be from a school or department outside of the School of Nursing.

The dissertation committee must be approved by the PhD Program Director and the Dean

This dissertation committee has the responsibility to advise the student during the progress of the candidate's research and has the authority to require high-quality research and/or the rewriting of any portion or all of the dissertation. It conducts the final oral examination and determines whether the dissertation meets acceptable standards; see Policy 227 for more information.

Meetings of the doctoral candidate and his/her dissertation committee must occur at least annually from the time the student gains admission to doctoral candidacy. During these meetings, the committee should assess the student's progress toward the degree and discuss objectives for the following year and a timetable for completing degree requirements.

Membership of the doctoral committee may be changed whenever it is appropriate or necessary, subject to the approval of the PhD Program Director and the Dean.

Dissertation Topic Approval

The dissertation focus must be approved by the student's dissertation committee and reported to the PhD Council by the student's dissertation chair before the student can proceed with the selected research. This Dissertation Committee's approval will be based on the appropriateness of the abstract of the planned study to the science of nursing and the match between the School of Nursing faculty and the student's research topic.

See Policy 227 for more information.

Theses and dissertations

The library holds a large number of Bristol theses and dissertations, including many PhD and doctoral theses. Read our advice about how to locate theses from other institutions, both in the UK and internationally .

University of Bristol theses and dissertations

To find a University of Bristol thesis:

• If the thesis is held in the Research Reserve, it can be requested using the 'reserve a copy' button.
• If the thesis is held in the Research Reserve, use the online request form to request it.
• See below for details of how to access theses held in our other library sites.
• Recently submitted theses may be listed on Explore Bristol Research  though information about these is regularly added to Library Search.

Arts and Social Sciences

The collection includes theses from Arts Faculty, Social Sciences and Law Faculty, Physics, Mathematics, Biological Sciences, Geographical Sciences, Agricultural Science and the School for Policy Studies.

MA, MSc, MPhil and MLitts do not have to be deposited with the library under the Regulations, so our collections of these are incomplete. 

How to consult a thesis

• Arts and Social Sciences theses are now held in the Library's Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.
• We will notify you when the thesis arrives at the library.
• Thesis loans are for use in the Arts and Social Sciences Library only.

School of Chemistry PhD, MSc and DSc theses from 1910 to date.

Thesis loans are for use in the Chemistry Library only, though postgraduates with seats may keep a thesis at their desk. You may ask if a particular thesis can be kept behind the Issue desk if you will be using it repeatedly for a period of time. Other theses are kept in a Library Staff room and are not available during the evenings.

School of Education EdD, PhD, MPhil, and a selection of Masters theses. Many theses written before 2005 are located in the Research Reserve.

• The MSc and Masters theses are located in the Quiet Study Area;
• The MPhil, PhD and EdDs are located in Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.

The thesis collection from the Medical Library has been relocated to the library's Research Reserve. The collection includes: PhD, MD, MSc, ChM and DSc theses of staff and postgraduate students of the Health Sciences Faculty, from 1910 to date.

A card catalogue in the Medical Library contains details of the earlier theses, or you may check the  Card Catalogue Online .

• See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.
• We will notify you when the thesis arrives at the library;
• Theses are for use in the Medical Library only and you will be asked to sign a register.

School of Physics PhD, MSc and DSc theses from 1950 to date, with a few earlier ones. BSc and MSci projects are also held.

A card catalogue in the Physics Library contains details of the earlier ones.

• Ask at the Issue Desk to borrow a thesis, quoting author, year and category;
• Theses may be borrowed by staff and postgraduates as standard loans;
• Undergraduates may use theses in the library only;
• BSc and MSci projects may be borrowed by undergraduates: for the standard loan period.

Queens (Engineering, Mathematics, Computer science)

Engineering and Mathematics PhD theses are held in the Research Reserve, including Computer Science theses before the Department transferred to the Faculty of Engineering.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request these.

A card catalogue, on the right beyond the Issue desk, contains details of pre-1978 theses.

• It can take 2-3 working days for a thesis to arrive and you will be notified when they are available;
• PhD theses may not be borrowed by undergraduates; taught postgraduates or external members but may be consulted in the library.

MSc Projects

• Some early Engineering MSc projects (1914-1950) are available from the Research Reserve - please contact your  Subject Librarian

Undergraduate projects

• Individual and group projects from 2015/16 - 2019/20 academic years for Civil and Mechanical Engineering are available on the open shelves in the Gallery.
• Early projects from 1920 to 1949 have been moved to  Special Collections  in the  Arts and Social Sciences Library

Veterinary Sciences

MSc Meat Science theses from 1979 to date and a small number of PhD theses. The majority of veterinary sciences PhD theses are housed in the Research Reserve.  See 'to find a University of Bristol thesis' section above for details of how to request.

Theses are shelved in the Computer Room and are for use in the library only.

Wills Memorial (Law, Earth Sciences)

Collections of both Law and Earth Sciences theses.

Theses are confined to the library; please ask at the information desk if you wish to borrow one.

UK and international theses

Information about many UK and international theses can be found via  Library Search . If the thesis you are interested in is not available online, you can use our  inter-Library Loan service . Non-UK theses can be difficult to obtain: in some countries, universities are working together to make full text electronic collections available:

• Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS)  - a service provided by the British Library
• DART - Europe e-theses Portal
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
• PQDT Open  - open access dissertations and theses
• PQDT Global  -  a collection of dissertations and theses from around the world

Submit a thesis

Advice on how to submit a thesis for a higher degree can be found on the  Presenting and submitting your dissertation for examination  page. Information on how to submit a thesis to the library can be found on the Library's own Thesis Guidance  pages.

Teen earns doctoral degree at 17 after defending her dissertation

Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II was 10 when she entered college as a freshman.

A teenager from Chicago walked in her graduation ceremony this month after earning her doctoral degree at 17.

Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II was only 10 when she became a freshman at the college of Lake County, majoring in Psychology. In 2020, she earned her Master of Science from Unity College. She was accepted in 2021, when she was 15, into the Doctor of Behavioral Health Management Program at Arizona State University.

Teen who battled leukemia and homelessness as a child graduates college at 18

Speaking to "Good Morning America," Tillman said she has always held education in such high regard in part due to her family's background.

"People in my life like my grandmother, who was part of the Civil Rights Movement, she of course harped on the importance of education and consistently learning something always," Tillman said.

"But the way I always held education so high on my own, aside from being raised that way was finding different things to be educated about it doesn't just have to be all of the subjects that they teach you in school there's so many things in the world to learn about that we wish we knew about," she said. "I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn't exist for me."

Tillman said, growing up, she had always felt drawn towards psychology and related fields.

"They've always made me so curious," she said. "And so grinding away, I could continue to study in that area. With even more that was attached to it. It was just really intriguing to me."

In December 2023, at 17, Tillman successfully defended her dissertation to earn her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from ASU's College of Health Solutions. On May 6, she walked at ASU's commencement ceremonies.

Tillman told "GMA" prior to the big day that she was feeling "so excited," just like any other student.

"I love having a reason to celebrate and throw a big soirée," she said. "Just that walk, and especially with people I haven't been there, seeing every day, since my program is online, it's just gonna feel really fulfilling to finish."

Dr. Leslie Manson, a clinical associate professor at ASU, told "GMA" that Tillman is the youngest person in school history to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health.

"It's a wonderful celebration, and we hope ... that Dorothy Jean inspires more students," Manson said, adding of Tillman, "But this is still something so rare and unique."

'Super dad' graduates with master's while working 3 jobs

Throughout Tillman's time at ASU, Mason said she saw her growth in gaining the skills of professional writing as well as leadership, noting that Tillman is "inquisitive" and "intelligent."

"She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful," Mason explained. "And truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader."

Mason added that "other students can really learn the piece of dedication" from Tillman.

"So that motivating energy, those are the pieces that I think other folks can really turn to and feel inspired about," she said. "That curiosity is always there. And I think all learners come with that. But it's great to be able to see it in someone so young as well."

Her inspiration and how she gives back to community

Tillman's journey to success wouldn't be made possible without the support from her mom whom she said is one of her biggest motivators.

"Seeing my mother consistently worked so hard to continuously uphold our family's legacy, and be that person that everyone was able to go to, if they needed anything... Always seeing [her] like [a] 'Wonder Woman' definitely made me want to grow up [into] an accomplished person," she said.

An advocate for education, Tillman is also the founder and CEO of the Dorothyjeanius STEAM Leadership Institute, where she runs programs like summer camps to help kids find balance between arts and STEM subjects.

"I feel like adding art and putting a focus on it throughout science, technology, engineering, and math, makes the kids excited to learn all those things," she said. "And it opens them up to all of the possibilities and all the knowledge provided in that area of just STEM."

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As for her plans after graduation, Tillman said she is "just like any other teenager, still figuring out what my specific dreams and goals are."

"And I'm really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I've done so much so young. And I have time to like, kind of think that through," she said.

Discussing her advice to other youngsters, Tillman said she would remind them to be careful about being influenced on what they see on social media, noting that some posts "aren't real."

"There's a lot more to whatever it is than what you're seeing, you know, and so to always remember that is definitely important," she said. "And to always remember that everyone has points in their life where they feel like they're figuring it out…And so figuring things out, not knowing what you want, isn't a bad thing. But making the choice not to sit down and try to figure it out is."

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Department of Physics & Astronomy

PhD Alumnus Dimitrios Kranas Receives 2024 Distinguished Dissertation Award in STEM

The LSU Alumni Association 2024 Distinguished Dissertation Award in Science, Engineering and Technology has been awarded to Dimitrios Kranas from Thessaloniki, Greece, who joined LSU and the Hearne Institute of Theoretical Physics under the mentorship of Associate Professor of Physics Ivan Agullo in 2018.

His dissertation, “ Entanglement in the Hawking Effect: From Astrophysical to Optical Black Holes ,” opens a promising window for the observability of the quantum origin of the Hawking effect in the lab using different input quantum states of light.

“In essence, Dr. Kranas' dissertation stands out as the most exemplary PhD thesis produced under my guidance,” said Agullo. “Dr. Kranas' dissertation is exceptional, incorporating innovative, multi-disciplinary work that bridges gravity, quantum information, optics, and condensed matter. His research connects theoretical developments with experiments in analog gravity systems, yielding a powerful set of tools applicable to diverse collaborations, including experimental groups. It is a rare accomplishment for a graduate student's theoretical work to reach such heights.”

2017 BS alumnus from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Kranas received his PhD in physics from the LSU College of Science in August 2023 and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France.

“It was in the lively ambiance of the enchanting city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece I first developed a passion for solving riddles and understanding the mysteries of nature,” Kranas said. “This led me to pursue a degree in physics and delve deeper into theoretical physics.”

Kranas investigates the confluence of field theory, general relativity and quantum information.

“At the heart of theoretical physics lies the tantalizing challenge of reconciling Einstein’s theory of relativity with the enigmatic realm of quantum mechanics,” Kranas said. “My scholarly pursuits are centered on unraveling this intricate connection, with a specific focus on investigating the quantum properties of matter in the presence of gravitational influences, such as particle creation in the vicinity of black holes and during the cosmic expansion.”

Each year, the LSU Alumni Association and the LSU Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School recognize two LSU doctoral students whose research and writing demonstrate superior scholarship. Read more about the 2024 recipients here .

Mimi LaValle

LSU Physics & Astronomy

225-439-5633

[email protected]