Katie Ellis

Katie Stubbs

Floor 4
Informatics Collaboratory of the Social Sciences
The University Of Sheffield
219 Portobello
Sheffield
S1 4DP

Tel: 0114 222 6289
Email: K.Ellis@sheffield.ac.uk

Background:

I joined the Department of Sociological Studies in January 2003, following the completion of my MSc in sociology and social research. Whilst studying at university in Newcastle I worked as a family support worker, aiding young people with emotional or learning difficulties. Within this role I formed close relationships with lots of young people who had lived so far tragic lives. From this I became committed to young people´s issues and as a result, strive through my research to listen to young people¹s experiences with a view to improving services and provisions for them. I am particularly interested in young people who are viewed as troubled or troublesome and am committed to research which enables young people to share their experiences
by `giving voice´. I am keen to conduct research that will enable others to
understand young people and their life circumstances.

Current Role:

I am currently working on the `Children as Family Participants´ project. Within this project we aim to explore young people´s participation within the family and to identify which practices young people take from the family into different environments and also which practices take into other environments from `the family´.

Research Interests:

  • Young people and childhood
  • Crime and ‘the criminal’
  • Drug use and addiction
  • Health and diet
  • Feminist debates

Experience & Publications:

  • Sheffield Pathways Project (ESRC) Sept 2004 - Dec 2005:
    The ‘Pathways’ project was part of the wider ESRC funded Research Network, ‘Pathways into and Out of Crime: Risk, Resilience and Diversity’. Within the project, we explored the relationship between young people, risk factors and criminal pathways. This project focused on the role that education and youth justice can play in these processes for young people identified as being potential future offenders.
  • High Achieving Women Project (LSC and Objective 1) Aug 2003 - Dec 2004:
    ‘The High Achieving Women Project’ was funded by the LSC and Objective One with the view to addressing gender inequalities at an organisational level in South Yorkshire. Using action research, we engaged both junior and senior female managers within the local authorities and provided a training and mentoring programme to encourage promotions amongst these women. As a result, a quarter of the participants were promoted!