Susan Speer

Susan Speer is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the Division of Psychology and Mental Health within the School of Health Sciences at the University of Manchester. She holds multiple editorial roles, including on Qualitative Research in Psychology and Journal of Language and Sexuality. Her research spans health psychology, medical sociology, and social psychology, with a focus on clinical communication, gender/identity construction, and research methodology. She has supervised numerous doctoral students and contributed to methodological debates on qualitative research practices.

Education:

• BA (Hons) Sociology and Social Policy (Durham University)
• MSc Sociology (London School of Economics)
• PhD Psychology (Loughborough University)
• PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Brunel University)

Research Interests:

• Clinical communication about sensitive topics (e.g., sexuality, health behavior)
• Gender identity construction in institutional settings
• Ethics and methodology in interactional research

Awards:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society)

Grants/Projects:

• Co-investigator on BSSVD’s ‘EDuCATE’ mixed-methods study on vulval cancer detection
• Lead researcher in the Manchester Centre for Health Psychology (active since 2010)

Labs/Teams: Active contributor to the Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, focusing on qualitative studies in clinical and social contexts.