Social Science Research Unit (SSRU)

Founding Director: Professor Ann Oakley
Director: Dr Rebecca Rees

Founded in 1990, SSRU's mission is to engage in and promote rigorous, ethical and participative social research and to support evidence-informed public policy and practice across a range of domains including education, health and welfare.

About us

Focus areas

Our work is guided by a concern for human rights, social justice and the development of human potential. To this end, we engage in:

• research and scholarship of international significance;
• the communication of evidence to relevant audiences;
• high quality, research-informed learning and teaching programmes, consultancy and other work.

Our team

Founding Director

• Ann Oakley, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy.

Director of Centre

• Rebecca Rees, Professor of Social Policy.

Assistant Director

• James Thomas, Professor of Social Research and Policy.

Professors

• David Gough, Professor of Evidence-Informed Policy and Practice
• Carol Rivas, Professor of Health and Social Care
• Jonathan Sharples, Professorial Research Fellow
• Sandy Oliver, Professor of Public Policy

Honorary researchers and professors

• Jonathan Breckon, Honorary Senior Research Fellow
• Priscilla Alderson, Professor Emerita of Childhood Studies
• Virginia Morrow, Visiting Professor

Staff

• Alison O'Mara-Eves, Senior Research Officer.
• Antonia Simon, Research Officer.
• Ailbhe Finnerty 
• Anastasia Koryakina
• Anna Tsalapatanis
• Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Lecturer in Social Theory and Social Policy.
• Carol Vigurs, Research Officer.
• Claire Stansfield, Research Officer.
• Deniz Arzuk - Lecturer in Childhood and Programme Leader MA Sociology of Childhood and Children’s Rights.
• Dylan Kneale, Research Officer.
• Gareth Hollands
• Gillian Stokes, Research Officer.
• Hayley Jones, Lecturer in International Social Policy.
• Ian Shemilt, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Evidence Synthesis Methodology.
• Irene Kwan, Research Officer.
• Janice Tripney, Lecturer in Social Policy.
• Karen Schucan-Bird, Research Officer.
• Kate Hinds, Research Officer.
• Katy Sutcliffe, Research Officer.
• Kelly Dickson, Research Officer.
• Kirrily Pells, Lecturer in Childhood Studies.
• Kusha Anand
• Lionel Openshaw
• Mark Newman, Reader in Evidence-Informed Policy and Practice in Education and Social Policy.
• Mary Sawtell, Research Officer.
• Matteo Tiratelli
• Mel Bond
• Meena Khatwa, Research Associate.
• Meg Wiggins, Senior Research Officer.
• Michelle Richardson, Research Officer.
• Mukdarut Bangpan, Research Officer.
• Nelly Ali
• Patrick O'Driscoll
• Preethy D'Souza, Research Associate.
• Rachael Edwards
• Rachel Rosen, Lecturer in Childhood.
• Veronica Osorio Calderon
• Roch Dunin-Wąsowicz
• Rosa Mendizabal-Espinosa
• Sarah Lester, Research Officer.
• Sergio Graziosi, Information Systems Officer.
• Zak Ghouze

Funders

For their generous support, we would like to thank:

• Arthritis Research UK,
• Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID),
• British Academy,
• British Council,
• Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA),
• Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS),
• Department for Education (DfE),
• Department for International Development (DfID),
• Department of Health (DH),
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC),
• Education Endowment Foundation (EEF),
• European Commission (EC),
• European Food Standards Agency (EFSA),
• Health Education England (HEE NHS),
• Health Education North Central and East London,
• Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF),
• International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie),
• Islington Council,
• Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC),
• Leverhulme Trust,
• London School of Economics,
• and Political Science (LSE),
• Medical Research Council (MRC),
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE),
• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR),
• Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC),
• Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) / International Development Research Centre (IDRC),
• Research Councils UK (RCUK),
• SHINE Trust,
• Sightsavers,
• University College London (UCL) / IOE Strategic Fund,
• World Bank,
• World Health Organization (WHO).

Study with us

Programmes

We teach and supervise undergraduate, Master's, PhD and post-doctoral students across the social sciences.

Teaching is an important part of our work as it allows us to disseminate our innovative research methodologies and findings to social science researchers, policy-makers and practitioners.

Master's

• Social Policy and Social Research MSc
• Social Policy and Social Research (with Systematic Reviews) MSc
• Sociology of Childhood and Children's Rights MA

Short courses

We also offer bespoke training courses and a number of stand-alone courses in research methods.

View all IOE short courses.

Our activities

Our broad strands of work are:

• Childhood, gender and society;
• Evaluations of social interventions;
• Perspectives, participation and research;
• Evidence for Policy and Practice.

Research

We have a research portfolio of projects such as:

• Improving responses to domestic abuse in England
• Consent and shared decision-making in healthcare
• Private sector childcare in England
• Time for tea

See also:

• UCL Research Portal, IRIS for more info about our researchers, publications, activities, groups and themes.

Consultancy

We provide guidance and support to people undertaking research projects and offer training in conducting research. Our staff can provide independent evaluations and help with disseminating research findings for policy and practice.

We also provide access to our web-based software tool EPPI-Reviewer to external groups. The software allows users to undertake and achieve sustainability in systematic reviews.

To find out more about:

• how to use EPPI-Reviewer, email EPPISupport@ucl.ac.uk
• our consultancy services, email ioe.ssruadmin@ucl.ac.uk

Neonatal Wellbeing Network

The Neonatal Wellbeing Network is an international, transdisciplinary network that promotes the wellbeing of premature and/or sick newborns and their families in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) through the co-production of knowledge. 

Our group of academics, health professionals, parents, caregivers and citizens works on equal terms to identify, design, implement and evaluate best practices to promote neonatal care that is provided with knowledge and skills based on evidence, compassion, and respect for children's rights, with the aim of supporting early childhood development in public health institutions in Mexico and similar LMIC contexts.

Activities

• Research priority setting exercises in neonatal care from a child rights perspective in Mexico and Latin America.
• Generation of scientific evidence through co-production.
• Promotion of the use of evidence for better policymaking in neonatal healthcare.
• Mobilisation of knowledge through society-wide conversations.

Steering group members

• Dr Rosa Mendizabal 
• Dr Kelly Dickson
• Dr Mukdarut Bangpan
• Dr Viviana Ramirez
• Dr Sonia Hernandez-Cordero
• Mtra. Vania Lara
• Mtra. Bianca Franco 
• Dr Myriam De Luna
• Dr Miriam Quintanar
• Dr Mariana Colmenares

Contact

For more information about our work and how to join please contact r.mendizabal@ucl.ac.uk.