ESRC Writing Competition

Better lives with better toilets: An ESRC Better Lives Essay
Career
May 16, 2019

Better lives with better toilets: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

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Notes on a G-string: An ESRC Better Lives Essay
Career
May 14, 2019

Notes on a G-string: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

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Tilting at windmills in a climate-changed world: An ESRC Better Lives Essay
Career
May 9, 2019

Tilting at windmills in a climate-changed world: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

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The illusion of eternal independence: An ESRC Better Lives Essay
Career
May 7, 2019

The illusion of eternal independence: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

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Becoming a diagnosis: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Becoming a diagnosis: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Sociologist Lauren O’Connell, a postgraduate research student at the University of Essex, holds a scholarship from the Economic and Social Research Council for her doctoral research exploring how clinical diagnosis and treatment shapes the experience of anorexia nervosa. In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, she details how her own experiences influenced her work.

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The psychology of flooding: An ESCR Better Lives Essay

The psychology of flooding: An ESCR Better Lives Essay

Niall McLoughlin is a PhD candidate in psychology and arts scholar at the University of Bath, as well as an associate with Climate Outreach. In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, McLoughlin discusses the psychological catastrophe that accompanied the natural disaster of the 2015 Cumbrian floods and what that might teach us for addressing climate change.

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Reliving trauma, relieving pain: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Reliving trauma, relieving pain: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Alessandro Massazza, a PhD student in the Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, at University College London has received money from the Economic and Social Research Council to research the psychiatric consequences of complex emergencies. In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, he explores how the double-edged sword of memory affects us after a traumatic event.

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Parenting with mental health: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Parenting with mental health: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Psychologist Abby Dunn is a doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex whose work has focused on parenting, and in particular parenting for those with complex needs. In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, she examines how mental health practitioners interact with patients who are also parents.

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Working relationships: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Working relationships: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, new mother Rosa Daiger von Gleichen describes the exertions required to both work and be a parent. The PhD candidate in social policy at the University of Oxford studies employer-based and public family policies, primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, to understand how employers, families and individuals will manage both work and care in the future.

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Building a better life with dementia: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Building a better life with dementia: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Before she studied psychology and mental care services, Elyse Couch worked as care worker for people with dementia — experiences which serve her well as she now investigates the use of health services following a diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment. In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, the King’s College London student describes one particular person with dementia she worked with and how that experience highlights many aspects that follow a dementia diagnosis.

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This Land Is My Land: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

This Land Is My Land: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

In this shortlisted essay from the ESRC Better Lives Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives, anthropologist Holly Chalcraft from Durham University discusses how the ethnic swap between Greece and Turkey after World War I affects self-identity today.

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Playtime in the Camps: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

Playtime in the Camps: An ESRC Better Lives Essay

On April 4 winners were announced in the year’s ESRC Writing Competition, in which PhD students who have received money from the ESRC write short essays about how their research leads too better lives. Today we posting the shortlisted and winning essays with Bobby Beaumont, a PhD research at the University of Birmingham, and his essay titled “Playtime in the camps.” Beaumont, whose research focuses on how circus, play and arts-based interventions play out in refugee camps and temporary settlements.

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