Dr Helen Thomas-Hughes

PhD, MSc., BA(Hons), SFHEA

  • BS8 1UH

Personal profile

Research interests

  • Co-produced research method and ethics
  • Community researchers and community researcher training
  • Community-engaged pedagogy and service-learning approaches
  • Third sector organisations
  • Third sector funding and delivery of public services
  • Parenting programmes
  • Parenting culture 
  • Higher Education pedagogy and practice
  • Mature students in higher education

Research Projects 

  • Enhancing The Research Experience For Mature PGRs: Methods For Curating Empowerment, Collaboration, And A Culture Of Valuing Diverse Experience (PI). Research England, Enhancing Research Culture funded. 2024-25.
  • Returning to Research: Enabling Mature PGRs to Thrive in Environmental Research Careers (PI). Research England, Enhancing Research Culture funded. 2023-24.
  • Testing The Toolkit: Exploring The ‘Research Team Culture Toolkit’ With Environmental PGR Communities. (Co-I). Research England, Enhancing Research Culture funded. 2023-25.
  • Interdisciplinary Supervision: Building Cross-Disciplinary Expertise In Future Environmental Research Leaders (PI). 2023.
  • Co-developing environmental and sustainability pedagogy. How can co-producing pedagogy engage, empower, and inspire diverse student bodies as collaborative environmental change makers? (PI). partnered with The Young Foundation and a team of student community 'peer' researchers. 2022-23.
  • Qualitative insights into the Connected Network (PI). 2023.
  • From PGR to Professor: Re-Imagining a Culture of Belonging in the Interdisciplinary Environmental Sciences (PI). Research England, Enhancing Research Culture-funded. 2022-23.
  • Building Inclusive Culture in Environmental Research: A Case Study of the Cabot Master’s by Research in Global Environmental Challenges (MScR) (Co-PI). Research England, Enhancing Research Culture-funded. 2021-2022.
  • Co-producing new inter-disciplinary solutions: coming together to tackle climate impacts, health, and wellbeing (PI), NERC-funded. Partner: Praxis Research. 2021-2022.
  • Advanced Research Methods Training:  Co-Production and Community Research (PI). ESRC-funded. Delivered to academic and public audiences through National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) in 2021.
  • Accrediting Community Engagement: A Bristol Approach to Service-Learning (PI). 2018-2019, Bristol Institute for Learning and Teaching (BILT).
  • Productive Margins: Regulating for Engagement (Senior Research Associate). 2013 - 2018, ESRC/AHRC. 
  • Community-Based Researchers - Making Co-production Happen (PI). 2017-2018, CC Catalyst Fund 
  • Girls Making History.(Project Lead). 2014 - 2015, EPSRC. (High Commendation from University of Bristol Engage Awards 2014/15)
  • Gender Based Violence and Displacement. (methodological consultant). 2017 - 2019, ESRC/AHRC. 
  • Third sector organisations delivering parenting programmes: A case study of community-based delivery of the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities programme. 2014 - 2024 (PhD research), ESRC, UoB Law School.

External positions

Non-Executive Director, Inclusive Futures

1 Oct 2024 → …

Advisory Group Member, University of York

1 Oct 20241 Dec 2026

Pedagogy Network Member, NCRM

1 Feb 2024 → …

Research Groups and Themes

  • Cabot Institute Environmental Change Research
  • Post-graduate research education
  • Interdisciplinary assessment
  • Interdisciplinary supervision
  • Research Ethics
  • Interdisciplinary research communities
  • Research culture
  • Responsible Research and Innovation
  • Environmental anxiety
  • Families and Parenting
  • Parenting Programmes
  • Third sector organisations
  • Community-based parenting support
  • Quality assurance
  • Critical whiteness studies
  • Third sector funding
  • Inequality
  • Parenting culture
  • Public Policy
  • Policy change
  • SoE Centre for Higher Education Transformations
  • Mature students
  • Widening participation
  • Research education
  • Well-Being
  • BILT
  • Education for sustainable development
  • Learning environments
  • Reflexive assessment
  • Community-engaged pedagogy

Keywords

  • Community Researchers
  • Co-production
  • Qualitative Research
  • Community-University collaboration
  • Community Researcher Training
  • Research Ethics
  • Research Methods Training
  • Third Sector Public Service Delivery
  • Policy Analysis
  • Socio-Legal Studies

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