Spotlight on Research Fellow Dr Alex Pearl

In this interview we’ll uncover the motivations and experiences that have shaped Dr Pearl’s journey through the world of research.

Can you introduce yourself and your Fellowship?

My name is Dr Alex Louise Pearl, and over the last two years I have been an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow. The Fellowship is an award from the Economic and Social Research Council which gives researchers who have just completed their PhDs, the opportunity to spend some time disseminating their research through publications, building their networks and professional skills, and making a real-world impact with their research. I would wholeheartedly recommend the scheme for any postgraduate researchers considering a Fellowship immediately following their doctorate.

What was your path to this career?

When I finished my PhD, I knew I wanted to spend some time trying to capitalise on the potential of my research, both in terms of its academic contribution, but also by engaging directly in law and policy reform and undertaking some impact-focused work at the grassroots level. I really wanted to use my research in ways which might help improve the lived experiences of disabled people. The Fellowship provided a great opportunity to start making connections and networks across different sectors and with disabled people’s organisations. It is very flexible and as the leader of your own project, you can mould the shape of how you deliver it and what you want it to achieve. That was a huge attraction for me.

What was your PhD in, and who were your supervisors?

My PhD was in disability and human rights law with a particular focus on supported decision-making and greater financial inclusion for disabled people. My supervisors were the utterly brilliant, world-leading disability rights academic Professor Anna Lawson FBA, FAcSS and the equally brilliant Dr Julie Wallbank whose encyclopaedic knowledge of feminist theory and methodology really influenced me. I also count Mr Finn (Anna’s Guide Dog), as an honorary supervisor – very good for emotional support!

Dr Pearl's viva day: left to right - Professor Anna Lawson, Alex Pearl, Dr Julie Wallbank, and Mr Finn.

What was your experience of doing a PhD in this area?

I loved undertaking a disability law-focused PhD. My doctorate is living proof that if you stick with it through the good, the bad and the ugly – great things can happen! I care deeply about improving accessibility and inclusion for disabled people and my PhD and Fellowship have only strengthened that conviction.

I was incredibly lucky to have exceptional support from my supervision team, Dr David Pearce in his role as PGR tutor, the management support staff, and from the School of Law as a whole, without which I could never have completed my PhD.

How did you get the Fellowship?

Honestly, luck plays a big role in all funding awards. There are so many high-quality proposals, and competition can be really fierce. Nevertheless, you must be in it to win it! So, if anyone is considering a Fellowship application – go for it! Take advantage of all the development training on offer within the University, such as the Fellowship Accelerator Programme and the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership training options, because these make a huge difference. Also ask other people to read your proposal and give you feedback. My proposal improved tremendously from the help of others, but I was still very lucky…

What focus did you decide on?

I decided to look at financial inclusion for disabled people and to cover it from three interrelated angles, law, policy engagement, and impact.

Policy engagement

In terms of direct policy engagement, the Fellowship gave me the flexibility to respond to social events and policy changes. When the previous government proposed sweeping cuts to disability benefit provision under the ‘Modernising Support for Independent Living: the health and disability green paper (2024), I had the opportunity to coordinate and spearhead a consultation response on behalf of the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS), at the University. That led to my being asked to join the steering committee for CDS.

Impact 

I was lucky enough to get involved with Project Nemo during my Fellowship, which is a cross-sector leadership team working to improve accessibility and inclusion across the banking and financial technology sectors for people with learning disabilities (and disabled people more broadly). The project is being spearheaded by Joanne Dewar (Project Nemo co-founder), Kathryn Townsend, (Head of Customer Vulnerability & Accessibility at Nationwide and the outgoing Government Disability & Access Ambassador for the banking sector), and Kris Foster (co-founder of Project Nemo and a lived experience expert). Our Safe Spending for Adults with a Learning Disability Report was launched on 19 June at an event opened by the Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms. The report can be found here in standard, accessible and easy read versions. A short recap video for the launch event can also be found here.

Picture from the Project Nemo team, left to right: Kris Foster, Emily Baum, Joanne Dewar, Matt Robinson, Kathryn Townsend and Alex Pearl.

What were your academic outputs?

My most recent journal article offers a novel development of capability theory by incorporating Nancy Fraser’s theory of recognition into the capability paradigm. This is forthcoming in the Modern Law Review and is available for early access here. I have written 30,000 words for a forthcoming book entitled Emerging Voices: Grassroots Disability Research in East Asia which I am editing alongside Stephen Hallett OBE, Professor Anna Lawson, and Ni Zhen, and which is due for publication in 2026. I am also writing another article on disabled people’s experiences around financial decision-making, and I have put together a new funding bid to keep working in this area.

What did the school give you in terms of supporting your Fellowship?

Alongside being lucky enough to have Professor Anna Lawson as my project mentor, the School and wider University have been incredibly supportive during my Fellowship. I got so much out of the School training on the Research Excellence Framework and had the opportunity to sit on the School of Law Research Committee as the representative for early career researchers. I learned so much from Professor Henry Yeomans and Dr Imogen Jones, as well as relying far too much on the brilliant problem-solving skills and knowledge of Cin Kong, Abi Macey and Amanda Hemingway!

What have you learned?

I have learned that when it comes to funding – just give it a try. Even if you might not be successful the first time, those research ideas are incredibly valuable, and you can repurpose them in so many ways. I have also learned to ask more questions if I’m unsure of anything and to put my name forward for opportunities – so much of the time it takes you to new, exciting and unforeseen places that you could never have envisaged.

What would you do differently?

I would ask more questions! It takes a minute to get to grips with how to manage your first funding award and sometimes you can get a bit lost in unfamiliar bureaucratic systems, so ask for help and advice – there is always somebody who can put you in touch with somebody who can help!

What are your hopes for the future now that your Fellowship has come to an end?

I really hope that I can build on the momentum I have generated during my Fellowship and take the next steps into my career as a disability law academic. I want to achieve a good balance between high quality academic outputs and making a real-world difference in the lives of disabled people. I would like to spend some time working for a big disabled people’s organisation and undertaking policy engagement work which drives change at the grassroots level. However, I will be staying on as a visiting scholar at Leeds, so this is definitely not goodbye.

Dr Pearl is a member of the Executive Committee for the Centre for Disability Studies, a member of the Centre for Law and Social Justice and a trustee of Disability Rights Charity Ability Beyond Borders. She can be found on LinkedIn here.