Mandy Winterton

Dr. Mandy Winterton is a Senior Lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University's School of Applied Sciences, where she serves as Research Lead for Social Sciences and sits on the Research Ethics and Integrity Committee. She joined the university in 2012 after previously working as a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds on the ESRC Timescapes Secondary Analysis Project. Her educational background includes a Doctorate and Masters in Research from the University of Edinburgh (sociology and education), a Masters in Contemporary Sociology from Lancaster University, and an undergraduate degree in Business.

Her research focuses on:

• Criminal justice systems and desistance processes
• Military veterans' transition to civilian life
• Social justice and inequality in education
• Military family support systems
• Qualitative methodologies in social research

Her publications primarily examine military transitions, veteran incarceration, and family support structures, utilizing qualitative approaches to explore identity transformation and systemic challenges in criminal justice and military contexts. Research consistently addresses psychosocial adaptation and support frameworks for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Winterton leads multiple funded research projects:

• Exploring experiences of miscarriages of justice (British Academy, £7,952, 2019-2023)
• Identity, Transitions and Support: Processes of Desistance among Ex-Military Personnel in Custody (Carnegie Trust, £9,358, 2019-2020)
• Military veteran spouses' welfare access (Carnegie Trust, £2,500, 2018)

She currently supervises PhD candidate Jacqueline Rappoport studying incarcerated UK veterans in Scottish prisons, and previously supervised doctoral research on physical activity in youth and master's research on environmental microbiology. As Research Lead, she coordinates the Social Sciences Research Group, collaborating with colleagues on interdisciplinary projects linking sociology, criminology, and health studies.