Dr Hazel Marzetti

Senior Research Fellow

Email: hazel.marzetti@ed.ac.uk

Biography

Background

I am a Senior Research Fellow, and Principal Investigator on the Rain within the Rainbow project (funded by the Wellcome Trust), seeking to transform understandings of suicide and suicide prevention in UK LGBTQ+ communities through the life course. I also co-lead the development of the Interdisciplinary LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Network for Scotland, funded by the Royal Society of Edinburgh, with Prof Jamie Frankis from the Glasgow Caledonian University.

Prior to this, I completed my post-doctoral research on the Suicide in/as Politics project (2020-2024), which was a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and the University of Lincoln funded by the Leverhulme Trust. This research used post-structuralist critical policy analysis along with creative, arts-based methods to explore the politics of suicide prevention in the UK 2009-2019.

My doctoral studies (PhD Public Health) entitled 'Exploring and understanding young LGBT+ people's suicidal thoughts and attempts in Scotland' (2017-2020). were completed at the University of Glasgow’s Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, in collaboration with the Suicide Behaviour Research Laboratory.

I am passionate about translating academic research for the wider public and keep a personal blog, whilst also contributing to practitioner, policy-maker and public audience through sites such as the Mental Elf, the Transdisciplinary Research for the Improvement of Youth Mental Health network, and the Manchester Self-harm Project’s Virtual Clinic; as well as appearing on a range of podcasts.

Responsibilities & affiliations

I am one of the Early Career Representatives on the British Sociological Association's Medical Sociology Committee. I am also on the committee of the International Network of Early Career Researchers in Suicide and Self-harm (NetECR) where I co-lead the peer support and reflective practice group NetECR Collective Care.

Teaching & PhD supervision

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I am open to enquiries from students interested in researching LGBTQ+ health inequalities, with a particular focus on mental health and suicide. I particularly welcome enquiries from students hoping to use critical, qualitative and creative approaches. My work is explicitly interdisciplinary but I am interested in working with students with from a range of disciplinary backgrounds including but not limited to psychology, sociology and public health.

Current PhD students supervised

Catalina Martin, Health in Social Science/Centre for Homeless and Inclusion Health, Meanings of 'home' among LGBTQ Young People

Research

Research summary

I am an interdisciplinary, qualitative health researcher working on the topic of suicide and suicide prevention, with specialist expertise in LGBTQ+ suicide. My work is situated at the intersection of medical sociology, psychology, and critical public health, with substantial experience researching sensitive subjects with marginalised communities.

I enjoy using a range of qualitative research methods. My current project uses a combination of service mapping techniques, qualitative interviews, and innovative digital methods of inquiry.

Previously, my doctoral research used qualitative interviews to explore LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences of suicidal thoughts and attempts in Scotland (2017-2020), whilst most recently I have been working with creative methods including visual arts and poetic inquiry and critical policy analysis as part of my post-doctoral work.

I have a side interest in historic representations of queer madness, and in particular self-harm and suicide, as well as representations in fiction, culture and the media.