People

Professor Pru Hobson-West

VAX-TRUST research at the University of Nottingham is led by Pru Hobson-West, Professor of Science, Medicine and Society in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, and Honorary Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

Pru is a social scientist with particular expertise in medical sociology, science and technology studies and ethics. Professor Hobson-West has significant experience in working as part of large interdisciplinary teams, applying critical ideas to controversies in human and animal medicine.

Professor Kate Millar

Professor Kate Millar is Director of the Centre for Applied Bioethics, University of Nottingham, and Honorary Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

She is a bioethicist with expertise in Biotechnology Assessment; Bioethical Analysis; Animal, Agriculture and Food Ethics; and Public and Stakeholder Engagement. She has significant experience of working as part of EU funded grants. Her role in VAX-TRUST is to contribute to the ethics work package at the University of Nottingham. Professor Millar is also a member of the Ethics Advisory Board.

Dr Alistair Anderson

Dr Alistair Anderson is a Research Fellow in the School of Sociology and Social Policy. Alistair is a social scientist with expertise in mixed-methods social research, health geography, and science and technology studies.

His PhD in Human Geography, awarded by the University of Bristol in 2021, examined antibiotic stewardship by pet-owners through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Alistair has experience in interdisciplinary teamwork from his previous research on antibiotic stewardship and animal research. 

Dr Tristan Emerson

Dr Tristan Emerson is a Research Fellow in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham (UNOTT). Tristan is an applied linguist, with expertise in healthcare communication and experience of working on a number of qualitative healthcare projects.

Utilising a mixed-methods approach, his PhD research examined how two sets of professional clinicians enacted their professional identities and conveyed their expertise in consultations with patients.

Tristan undertook his PhD as member of Linguistic Profiling for Professionals (LiPP) at the University of Nottingham, working with a number of private companies and healthcare organisations to provide academic research findings to real world professional contexts.

Dr Peter Craigon 

Dr Peter Craigon is a Research Fellow at the Horizon Digital Economy research institute at the University of Nottingham, a centre of excellence for understanding the digital economy.

He is a multidisciplinary researcher with a varied background. Expertise relevant to the VAX-TRUST consortium and the UNOTT intervention includes work in Science and Technology Studies, Human Computer Interaction, and Responsible (Research and) Innovation (RRI).

He has wide-ranging experience of qualitative approaches including, surveys, interviews, focus groups and workshops, ethnographic approaches and participatory and design methods, particularly developing and using card-based engagement tools. These tools enable researchers and technology developers to engage with the ethical elements of their work. These skills complement his contribution to large-scale quantitative research through supporting statistical analysis of datasets.

Peter will draw on this varied expertise in his VAX-TRUST role and is keen to develop further skills in project evaluation.