Dr Amy Chandler

Senior Lecturer/Chancellor's Fellow

Contact details

Address

Street

Doorway 6
Old Medical School
Teviot Place

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH8 9AG

Availability

  • Monday-Thursday (I work compressed hours over four days)

Biography

Background

Appointed as Chancellor's Fellow in Health, through Arts, Design and Humanities in October 2016.

Previously I was Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Lincoln (2015-16), and Research Fellow in the Centre for Population Health Sciences (now the Usher Institute)/Centre for Research on Families and Relationships at the University of Edinburgh (2010-15).

Qualifications

PhD Sociology, University of Edinburgh, 2010

MSc Research, University of Edinburgh, 2006

MA (Hons) Sociology, University of Edinburgh, 2003

Undergraduate teaching

I contribute to the MA Health Science and Society.

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I welcome enquiries from students interested in pursuing PhD study in the sociology of mental health, sociological or anthropological studies of suicide and/or self-harm, and social scientific studies of addiction, drug and alcohol use. 

 

Current PhD students supervised

Georgi Gill, Health in Social Science/Centre for Creative-Relational Inquiry

Catalina Martin, Health in Social Science/Centre for Homeless and Inclusion Health

Liliana Arias Urueña, Usher Institute: Cultural perspectives towards Cleft  Lip and Palate in children and impact on mental health

Annie Taylor, Edinburgh Napier University: Alcohol use in pregnancy

Valeria Lembo, Health in Social Science, ECRED, Creative methods, leisure and dementia

Research summary

I am a sociologist, specialising in the sociology of health and illness, with a particular focus on mental health and substance use. Much of my current and ongoing work addresses suicide and self-harm. 

Current research interests

My research spans two substantive areas: I work primarily on sociological research addressing suicide and self-harm (Suicide Cultures and Suicide in/as Politics are current grants). Alongside this, I maintain interest and activity in drug-use, especially in the context of pregnancy and parenting (currently via the RELATIONS study, led by University of Stirling).  I specialise in qualitative approaches, including drawing on arts-based/arts-informed methodologies.  Across all of my research I am interested in exploring the meanings of often marginalised practices, among diverse groups. For instance, my research on self-harm has worked with adults, young people and General Practitioners to examine how social location and context shapes the way that self-harm is accounted for. 

Past research interests

Previous research has included: Life-story research with men in mid-life, exploring relationships between alcohol use, self-harm and suicide (funded by Alcohol Research UK). Exploring the risks and realities of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Parent and professional accounts (funded by Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation), in collaboration with colleagues at Edinburgh Napier University, and NHS Lothian. Qualitative research with young people addressing understandings of self-harm, drug and alcohol use (funded by the Sir Halley Stewart Trust) Research with General Practitioners, exploring understandings of self-harm and suicide (funded by Chief Scientists' Office, in collaboration with Chris Burton (University of Sheffield), Steve Platt (Edinburgh), and Caroline King (Glasgow Caledonian University).

Knowledge exchange

I have collaborated with Samaritans on a number of projects, including:

https://www.samaritans.org/dying-from-inequality/report 

http://www.samaritans.org/about-us/our-research/research-report-men-suicide-and-society

 

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Suicide Cultures (Wellcome Trust): Multi-site, multi-method qualitatively driven study into meanings and practices of suicide across Scotland. 

Suicide in/as Politics (Leverhulme Trust): Qualitative, interdisciplinary project analysing the construction and contestation of suicide in UK politics and policy, and among ‘private’ citizens.

The RELATIONS study (ESRC): Relational ethnography of the governance of parental drug use in Scotland and England. 

Current project grants

Suicide Cultures (2020-2025) - Funded by a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award - more details here: https://suicidecultures.wordpress.com/
Suicide in/as Politics (2020-2023) - Funded by a Leverhulme Trust Project Grant, with co-investigator Dr Ana Jordan, University of Lincoln.
The RELATIONS study (2020-2023) - Funded by an ESRC Large Grant, led by Prof Anne Whittaker, University of Stirling.

Past project grants

2018-2020: Wellcome Trust/University of Edinburgh ISSF Grant 'Suicide Cultures'
2018-2019: British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant 'Creative approaches to self-harm in young people: a collaborative, arts-based inquiry into meaning'
2018-2019: Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland 'Creative approaches to self-harm in young people: a collaborative, arts-based inquiry into meaning' https://www.carnegie-trust.org/alumni/dr-amy-chandler/
2015: Alcohol Research UK. ‘Alcohol Stories: Using the life grid to explore how men in mid-life talk about the relationship between alcohol, mental health, self-harm and suicide’. Principal Investigator.
2014: Edinburgh & Lothian Health Foundation. ‘Risks and realities of neonatal abstinence syndrome’. Co-investigator.
2014: Innovation Initiative Grant, University of Edinburgh. ‘Animating Harm: A Public Engagement Grant – self-harm, drug and alcohol use among young people’. Principal Investigator.
2013: Sir Halley Stewart Trust Fund Grant Award. ‘Exploring understandings about self-harm, drug and alcohol use among young people in diverse socioeconomic contexts’ Principal Investigator.
2013: Chief Scientist’s Office of the Scottish Government. ‘General Practitioner understandings and management of self-harm: a qualitative study’. Co-Investigator.
2013: Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, University of Edinburgh. ‘Self-harm: Ethical Considerations of an Embodied Practice. Principal Investigator.

View all 25 publications on Research Explorer

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