معرفی
Professor Laura Kelly is a historian of modern Ireland at the University of Strathclyde, where she holds the rank of Professor of Modern Irish History in the Department of History within the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences. She joined the university in 2015 as a lecturer, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2018, and to full Professor in 2022. Her research centers on gender history, oral history, and the social history of medicine, with a particular focus on reproductive health, contraception, abortion activism, and women in the medical profession in Ireland.
- PhD, National University of Ireland (2011)
- MA, University of Glasgow (2007)
- BA, National University of Ireland (2006)
Her research interests include the social history of medicine in modern Ireland, gender and medicine, reproductive health, activism, the history of sexuality, medical education, and student culture. She has led major research projects funded by the Wellcome Trust, British Academy, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Carnegie Trust, and Irish Research Council. Her recent work explores pro-choice and pro-life activism in 1980s–90s Ireland, supported by a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant (2025–27).
The most recent 15 publications reflect a strong trend in reproductive rights, activism, and gendered medical history. These works span topics such as HIV/AIDS activism in the Irish diaspora, abortion rights movements, contraceptive access, and the medical experiences of women and marginalized groups. The interdisciplinary nature of her scholarship combines historical analysis with public health, gender studies, and oral testimony, contributing significantly to understanding social change in Ireland and beyond.
Scientific Awards:
- British Association for Irish Studies Book Prize (2024) for Contraception and Modern Ireland: a social history, c.1922–92
Professor Kelly actively supervises PhD students and has guided multiple candidates to completion. Her funded research projects include investigations into South Asian medical professionals in Scotland and Irish pro-choice activism. She is a member of the Centre for the Social History of Health and Healthcare (CSHHH), the Scottish Oral History Centre, and the Modern Irish History group at Strathclyde. She has served on peer review panels for the Wellcome Trust and the GEDI committee in her faculty.
Her work is deeply embedded in collaborative and interdisciplinary research environments, with strong networks across the UK and Ireland. She contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in health and gender equality, through her scholarship on women’s rights and medical access.
