Dr Andrea Hollomotz

Profile

I came to academia from a social work and social care background and I am therefore passionate about research that can have real world impact on improving frontline practice. My research interests can be broadly summed up as disability studies and human cruelty, in that my work seeks to understand how and why the most vulnerable people in our society (taking disability as a case study) are being targeted and subjected to violence and dehumanising treatment. This work extends to disabled offenders. In my recent ESRC funded project on sex offenders with learning disabilities it has become apparent that the majority of these individuals have themselves been severely traumatised in earlier life, long before they started hurting others. My aspiration is to enable a deeper understanding of the needs of those who have been hurt and those who hurt others, to inform service responses that can help to break the circle of offending.

To engage these populations effectively in research I have to be imaginative in my approach to research methods and methodology and I am passionate about passing this knowledge on to our students through undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

PhD Supervision

I am interested in supervising students in a broad range of topics. My particular expertise lies with disability studies, adult protection and offending behaviour, learning disabilities and/ or autism, self-advocacy, inclusive research methods and realist evaluation.

Research interests

My recent ESRC funded research project focusses on sex offenders with learning disabilities. A briefing paper about planning services for people with learning disabilities and/or autism who sexually offend can be accessed here.

I am a member of the ESRC Strategic Advisory Network and I regularly review for a range of journals and am on the editorial board for Disability & Society.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Any research projects I'm currently working on will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Student education

I am joined module leader for SLSP2010 Sociology and Social Policy Research Methods and sole module leader for SLSP5360M Researching Inequality in the Media. I also teach sessions on SLSP5301M Researching Society and Culture, SLSP5308M Qualitative Research Methods, SLSP5216M Social Policy, Politics and Disabled People, SLSP2040 Disability Studies: An Introduction, SLSP1180 Crime and Deviance and SLSP1170 Understanding and Researching Contemporary Society.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Disability Studies

<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>The school welcomes enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/research-opportunities">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>