Jennifer joins the group having worked previously in the Health Services Research Unit (HSRU) and Divinity school at University of Aberdeen. Her professional passions lie in interdisciplinary work surrounding death and dying.
Tell us a bit about yourself
Against everyone’s advice (think “oh, do you want to be a nun?”, “no one gets a job from that” and, “wait, did you say ‘geology’?”) I studied Theology at university, discovering that all of the parts of the degree which I had expected to merely tolerate (namely sociology and anthropology of religion) were in fact the most exciting things I had ever enjoyed working on. So, upon graduating, I moved from Durham to Lancaster to do an MA in Religious Studies, before moving back to Durham to do a PhD exploring the relationship between religion and healthcare work among evangelical Christians.
Fresh from my PhD, I joined University of Aberdeen to work on the Care in Funerals project, which used qualitative methods to explore people’s experiences of funerals during the COVID-19 pandemic. I particularly enjoy working in interdisciplinary contexts at the intersection(s) between religion, healthcare and deathcare, and thinking creatively about qualitative and mixed methodologies.
What will you be working on with the Epi Group?
As part of the CAPE study, the Wellcome Trust has awarded an ISSF grant to undertake (among other things) a review of qualitative literature that examines the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and chronic pain in later life. I’m joining the group to lead on that review, hopefully transferring my qualitative knowledge and skills into the new and unfamiliar territory of epidemiology and pain.
Are you currently involved in any other research?
I am currently working alongside Professor John Swinton in the school of Divinity, History and Philosophy on a project exploring how we might best educate and train prospective church leaders to minister alongside those who have dementia, and those who care for them. It’s revealing plenty of scope for more research and action surrounding dementia in faith communities, so watch this space! I’m also polishing off some of the publications from the Care in Funerals project, and it’s lovely to see such a fascinating and important piece of research producing some really good outputs.
Why did you choose Aberdeen?
I think it’s probably fair to say Aberdeen chose me, thanks to its remarkable interdisciplinary group of researchers who developed the bid for the Care in Funerals project, and then kindly decided I was the right person to join as a research fellow. Having joined in the middle of the pandemic, working entirely remotely from the opposite end of the country, I’ve been consistently impressed at the University’s commitment to staff wellbeing and flexible ways of working. Having been up to Aberdeen for one lovely (read: "rainy, but still beautiful and dramatic’) visit, I’m hoping to find more excuses to make the journey in coming months, so that my colleagues and I can all confirm that the people we see on Teams calls are not just floating heads and shoulders.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I read as much as I can, majoring on crime novels old and new (I’m currently making my way through The Hound of the Baskervilles). I taught myself to crochet during the first lockdown, which has turned into a prolific but very mindful hobby. I’m particularly proud of my collection of 16 dolls each modelled on an iconic woman from history, from Cleopatra to Greta Thunberg. They jostle for space with my growing collection of houseplants.