Participatory research – where research is done with people rather than on them – centres collaboration and lived experience throughout the research process. It is an essential approach to ensure that our research is relevant, inclusive, and meaningful, but it also comes with unique challenges, especially at PhD level.
As PhD students, we are still training as researchers and often working under tight time and funding constraints. Unlike large, well-funded projects, we also have to balance participatory approaches with the requirement to carry out our own individual research and produce a thesis, which can make it difficult to fully embed participatory practices.
The PhD Participatory Research Network was created to provide a space for PhD students across disciplines to come together, share experiences, discuss challenges, and support one another in making our research more participatory.
Our Team
Emma Hayashibara
(She/They)
Queen Mary University of London
Emma is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Psychology at Queen Mary University of London, funded by LISS-DTP. Emma’s research aims to address mental health disparities in neurodivergent young people through an intersectional approach, with a focus on co-producing an inclusive mental health assessment tool tailored to neurodivergent young people from marginalised/minoritised backgrounds. Emma uses participatory and mixed methods approaches, collaborating closely with neurodivergent individuals throughout her research.
Cheyenne Contreras
(She/Her)
King’s College London
Cheyenne is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Psychology at King’s College London, supervised by Dr. Charlotte Tye (KCL), Prof Jo Van Herwegen (UCL) and Prof Tony Charman (KCL). Cheyenne’s LISS-DTP funded project investigates early life predictors of educational attainment at primary school in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Various projects include a community advisory group and participatory research methods to improve accessibility and impact of her research.
Samuel Yosef
(He/They)
King’s College London
Sam is a Doctoral Student in the Cultural Competency Unit under the supervision of Dr Shuangyu Li and Prof. Katherine Woolf (UCL Medical School). His PhD project, funded by the LISS-DTP, focuses on colonialism and postgraduate specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the UK. In his research, he collaborates with resident doctors, educators, organisations, and communities to co-develop new approaches to obstetrics and gynaecology education, aiming to bring about meaningful change.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/samuel-yosef
Alexandria Bartley
(She/Her)
Queen Mary University of London
Alexandria is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Psychology at Queen Mary University of London, funded by QMUL’s Science & Engineering Department. Under the supervision of Dr Jessica Agnew-Blais, Alexandria’s research specifically examines the experiences of individuals with ADHD as they undergo the menopausal transition, and whether this differs from those without ADHD. Alexandria uses mixed methods to address this understudied area and actively involves menopausal individuals with ADHD as collaborators in her studies. Their insights inform each stage of her research, helping to deepen the understanding of ADHD throughout adulthood.
PhD Participatory Research Network 