Speaking of Research is the official podcast from the ESRC South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership (SCDTP) (https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/). Hosted by Research Podcasts’ (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/) Catherine McDonald, the show showcases cutting-edge social science research and explores how academic studies generate real-world impact beyond academia.
Featuring in-depth conversations with researchers, industry pioneers, and community advocates, Speaking of Research highlights how early-career research tackles critical societal and global challenges.
What to expect in each series:
Series 3: In Dialogue with Stakeholders (Current Series)
Expanding into longer form video episodes, this series explores collaborative research from the outset. SCDTP doctoral researchers sit down alongside their stakeholders, community partners, and lived-experience advocates who shape their work to ask how and why their research can make a difference. From blue space accessibility for visually impaired swimmers to digital narrative ownership among migrant women, these episodes show what co-created methodology, stakeholder engagement, and community accountability look like in practice.
Series 2: Global Challenges
Focused on social science research addressing pressing global issues. Doctoral researchers unpack their work on policy, sustainability, and social equity, detailing how academic research helps inform solutions to global crises.
Series 1: Research with Impact
Recorded on location at Cumberland Lodge, our debut audio series introduces doctoral researchers across the SCDTP network as they discuss their research journeys and aspirations for societal change.
Find out more about the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership at southcoastdtp.ac.uk (https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Addressing Gender-Based Violence Among Displaced Women and Refugees with Sixtus Onyekwere and Deborah Shedrack
How can humanitarian aid and protection services better prevent violence against women and girls during times of crisis and forced displacement?
And what happens when a doctoral researcher collaborates with local grassroots organisations to ground sensitive research in local context and decolonial practice?
In the sixth episode of "In Dialogue with Stakeholders", a special series of Speaking of Research presented by Catherine McDonald, we bring researchers together with the people and organisations who can help shape their research and show how it can have impact in the real world.
Joining Catherine is SCDTP doctoral researcher Sixtus Onyekwere (https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/sixtus-onyekwere/), (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspeth-clark-05b37294/) whose mixed-methods research examines how NGOs deliver interventions targeting gender-based violence among internally displaced persons and refugees in Nigeria during emergency shocks like COVID-19, and Deborah Shedrach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-shedrach-565a78197/?isSelfProfile=false) from the Grassroots Researchers Association (https://www.grassrootresearchers.org/), a Nigerian-based non-profit focusing on conflict resolution and evidence-based research.
Together, Sixtus and Deborah explore the critical role of local ‘foot soldiers’ in building trust, navigating ethical complexities, and collecting vital field data across displaced communities. They discuss how crisis conditions and economic disruptions compound vulnerabilities to gender-based violence, the sharp differences in reported experiences between camp and host settings, and the ongoing challenge of securing government involvement and legal accountability for perpetrators.
Their conversation demonstrates the value of embedded stakeholder partnerships: providing the empirical evidence needed by NGOs and decision-makers to strengthen humanitarian protection and ensure aid responses are better prepared for future shocks.
"In Dialogue with Stakeholders" captures these conversations to show how researchers and stakeholders can work together from the outset, bringing different expertise and perspectives to research and helping shape its potential for impact beyond academia.
You can read a transcript of the conversation here (https://1drv.ms/b/c/78a938171475c335/IQDoplA5fImVRZyOQJ-FI8MdAZV5ol9ynOQGJs68PuMjNsY?e=EVTcnU).
Find out more about the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership at southcoastdtp.ac.uk (https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/)
This is a Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/) production.
Credits:
Presenter and Producer: Catherine McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathmcd11/), Research Podcasts
Guests: Sixtus Onyekwere (https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/persons/sixtus-onyekwere/), (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspeth-clark-05b37294/) South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership; Deborah Shedrach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-shedrach-565a78197/?isSelfProfile=false), Grassroots Researchers Association (https://www.grassrootresearchers.org/), Nigeria
Video and Audio Editor: Alex Canner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-canner/), Research Podcasts
Transcripts: Lauren White (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-white-1a585a41/), Research Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
26 Oct 2026
Sensory Theatre and Belonging for People with Profound Disabilities with Elspeth Clark and Ellie Griffiths
Can theatre create a sense of belonging without relying on words?
In the fifth episode of “In Dialogue with Stakeholders”, a special series of Speaking of Research presented by Catherine McDonald, we explore what happens when research and creative practice come together to ask how cultural experiences can be made more inclusive for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.
Joining Catherine is SCDTP doctoral researcher Elspeth Clark (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspeth-clark-05b37294/) from the University of Southampton whose PhD explores whether meaningful activity can foster belonging for students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, and Ellie Griffiths (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-griffiths-06b07b363/), Artistic Director of Oily Cart Theatre (https://oilycart.org.uk/), a company pioneering sensory theatre.
Their collaboration brings together occupational therapy research and creative practice, exploring how movement, sound, lighting, smell and other sensory experiences can create connection and shared meaning without relying on conventional forms of communication.
They discuss Elspeth’s researcher residency at Oily Cart Theatre, their work on Making Sideways (https://oilycart.org.uk/resources/making-sideways-field-notes-from-the-insideways-creative-process/) and the development of Sideways, an at-home sensory theatre experience designed for families to experience together.
Elspeth and Ellie reflect on what research and practice can learn from one another, and how involving stakeholders can challenge assumptions, strengthen research and help turn ideas into practice. Their conversation highlights how greater attention to non-verbal communication could help cultural, educational and research spaces include people whose voices and participation have traditionally been overlooked.
“In Dialogue with Stakeholders” captures these conversations to show how researchers and stakeholders can work together from the outset, bringing different expertise and perspectives to research and helping shape its potential for impact beyond academia.
You can read a transcript of the conversation here. (https://1drv.ms/b/c/78a938171475c335/IQCis3OGqX-AQq0gJSUePwt1ASA37JwPfcFIUpgRdlbg63k?e=194Xn1)
Find out more about the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership at southcoastdtp.ac.uk (https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/)
This is a Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/) production.
Credits:
Presenter and Producer: Catherine McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathmcd11/), Research Podcasts
Guests: Elspeth Clark, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elspeth-clark-05b37294/) South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership; Ellie Griffiths (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellie-griffiths-06b07b363/), Oily Cart Theatre
Video and Audio Editor: Alex Canner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-canner/), Research Podcasts
Transcripts: Lauren White (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-white-1a585a41/), Research Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
26 Oct 2026
Navigating Health and Social Care as a Trans Autistic Adult with Katie Munday and Alex Robertson
What would health and social care look like if the people using those services helped shape how they work?
And what happens when a practising GP is involved in research from the outset, bringing clinical expertise and frontline experience to help shape its direction and potential impact?
In the fourth episode of “In Dialogue with Stakeholders”, a special series of Speaking of Research presented by Catherine McDonald, we bring researchers together with the people who can help shape their research and explore how collaboration can turn research into impact in the real world.
Joining Catherine is SCDTP doctoral researcher Katie Munday (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-munday-74895bab/) from the University of Portsmouth whose participatory research explores the health and social care experiences of transgender autistic adults, and Alex Robertson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alex-robertson/), a practising GP, who brings frontline clinical experience to the research and its potential application in healthcare.
Katie’s research works alongside trans autistic adult co-researchers with experience in community work, activism and research. The project focuses on experiences of accessing talking therapies in the NHS and private sector, examining barriers including difficult systems, primary care gatekeeping, misgendering, stereotyping and disbelief.
Together, Katie and Alex explore what research can learn from clinical practice – and what practitioners can learn from research rooted in lived experience. Their conversation considers how this collaboration can help identify practical changes, from better clinician education to more inclusive systems for recording names and pronouns.
At its heart, this episode demonstrates the value of involving stakeholders early in the research process: bringing a practising GP into the conversation not simply to respond to research findings, but to help shape questions, outcomes and the potential for change from the outset.
“In Dialogue with Stakeholders” captures these conversations to show how researchers and stakeholders can work together to create research with impact beyond academia.
You can read a transcript of the conversation here (https://1drv.ms/b/c/78a938171475c335/IQCMayKpalXWTKK81DLCRaT7AQ95TougevY5J7UCwx6_Y6s?e=lXDkY1).
Find out more about the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership at southcoastdtp.ac.uk (https://southcoastdtp.ac.uk/)
This is a Research Podcasts (https://researchpodcasts.co.uk/) production.
Credits:
Presenter and Producer: Catherine McDonald (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathmcd11/), Research Podcasts
Guest: Katie Munday (https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-munday-74895bab/), University of Portsmouth and Alex Robertson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alex-robertson/), Practising GP
Video and Audio Editor: Alex Canner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-canner/), Research Podcasts
Transcripts: Lauren White (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-white-1a585a41/), Research Podcasts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on Speaking of Research: The SCDTP Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Isaac Thornton
Elspeth Clark
Max Dixon
Charlotte Booker
Yifan Ge
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Spotify
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 16 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
32
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
0
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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Speaking of Research: The SCDTP Podcast
Who hosts Speaking of Research: The SCDTP Podcast?
Catherine McDonald host the show. Published by The South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Speaking of Research: The SCDTP Podcast take guests?
The show does not typically feature guests, based on episode analyses.
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