Phillippa Wiseman

Dr. Phillippa Wiseman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociological & Cultural Studies at the University of Glasgow's School of Health & Wellbeing. She holds an associate position within the same school and is a core member of the Centre for Disability Research. Her academic home is firmly situated within sociology, with cross-disciplinary engagement in health, gender studies, and disability justice.

Her educational background includes an MA in Anthropology and Politics (2006), MSc in Human Rights and International Law (2007), and PhD in Sociology (2014) from the University of Glasgow. Her doctoral research examined disabled young people's embodied experiences of intimate citizenship.

Wiseman's research centers on embodiment, particularly disabled women's bodily experiences, using feminist emancipatory and phenomenological methodologies. She investigates how ableist structures devalue certain bodies and render experiences invisible, with specific focus on menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, gender-based violence, and access to toilets. Her work innovates inclusive research methods developed during the pandemic in partnership with people with learning disabilities.

Her 15 most recent publications reveal consistent thematic focus on disability embodiment, violence against disabled people, reproductive justice, and critical phenomenology. Key trends include pandemic impacts on marginalized groups (2020-2023), menstrual equity (2018-2020), and theoretical contributions to dirt sociology (2019). Her co-edited monograph Down the Pan: New Directions in the Sociology of Dirt (2019) represents significant scholarly contribution.

Wiseman actively supervises doctoral research on embodiment, disablement, gender, and feminist methodologies. Current projects examine Chinese women's abortion experiences, Pakistani mothers of disabled children in Scotland, and crip futurity. Past supervision includes studies on tattooing, menstrual products, and reproductive decision-making. Her research has been funded by UKRI/ESRC, The Sociological Review Foundation, Chief Scientist Office (Scotland), Scottish Government, and Third Sector Organizations.

She contributes to undergraduate teaching in Understanding Disability and postgraduate courses in Disabling Society and Health and Culture. Her work is anchored in the Centre for Disability Research where she has been a member since 2009, driving collaborative projects that bridge academic research and community advocacy.