School of Social and Political Science

Background

Jillian has tutored, lectured, and taught on a variety of courses at the University of Edinburgh since 2015.  She has been the senior tutor on the Designing and Doing Social Research course for several years and has taught on a variety of Social Science based courses.  She has been nominated for 'University Tutor of the Year' award for three years running.

Jillian has also held a variety of research posts in a number of institutions across Scotland, which have examined a range of topics.

Jillian's Doctoral thesis focuses on methodological innovation and exploring new ways of investigation. The thesis explores methodological innovation by way of combining three discrete methods; documentary analysis, biographical interviewing, and qualitative social network mapping. The research examines the three methods individually and in combination, by way of a case study. The case study is of the academic career of the prominent British Sociologist Professor Ann Oakley. Researching Oakley’s career is considered as a case study of what can be accomplished by being innovative but also considering the limitations, challenges and what obstacles must be overcome, when using this particular combination of contrasting methods, individually and in combination, to investigate a social phenomenon.

Research interests

Methodological innovations, Research methods, Qualitative Research Methods, Research Ethics, reflexivity in research, Network Mapping, virtual/online methods, narrative and autobiographical methodologies, Interdisciplinary Research, Research methodology, Research methods and methodological innovations, participatory design, Social network analysis, Participatory Mapping, reflexive sociology

Education and awards Jillian has achieved:

• PhD Doctorate in Sociology
• Title: Is methodological innovation superficially attractive but challenging in practice? National Centre for Research Methods
• Masters of Science (MSc) Degree in Social Research Methods, University of Dundee, 2012 (with Merit).
• Masters of Arts (MA) Degree in Geography and Environmental Science, University of Dundee, 2009

Courses and modules that Jillian has taught on, lectured in and teaches on:

• Senior Tutor for the Designing and Doing Social Research course 2020-2021
• Lecturing for the Designing and Doing Social Research course 2020-2021
• Senior Tutor for the Designing and Doing Social Research course 2019-2020
• Lectured in the Designing and Doing Social Research course 2019-2020
• Tutor on Research Design in Politics and International Relations course 2019-2020
• Tutor for the Designing and Doing Social Research course 2018-2019
• Tutor on Geography, Science and Civil Society course 2018-2019
• Tutor on Research Design in Geography 2018-2019
• Tutor on Sociology 1b course 2017-2018
• Guest Lecturer for Sociology 1b Course 2017-2018
• Tutor on Designing and Doing Social Research course 2017-2018
• Course Facilitator in Fundamentals: Developing the Sociological Imagination 2017-2018
• Tutor on Designing and Doing Social Research course 2016-2017
• Nominated for Best Postgrad Tutor at the University of Edinburgh 2016-2017
• Nominated for Best Postgrad Tutor at the University of Edinburgh 2017-2018
• Nominated for Best Postgrad Tutor at the University of Edinburgh 2019-2020

Research Posts held:

• R A, Teenage Cancer Trust. Project: Evaluation of Teenage Cancer Trust Way Forward, 2015
• R A, University of Stirling, School of Health Sciences. Project: The use of cardiac rehabilitation services to aid the recovery of colorectal cancer, 2014 - 2015
• R A, University of Stirling and University of Dundee, School of Medicine. Project: Mobile phone intervention to reduce binge drinking among disadvantaged men: A randomised controlled trial, 2013

Recent publications:

• Hart, J, 2015. Merry Thesis and a Happy Research Project. BioMed Central Open Access Publisher. BioMed Central Blog
• Hart, J, 2015. How do you feel now you've started your PhD. BioMed Central Open Access Publisher - BioMed Central Blog
• Hart, J, 2015. Starting your PhD and finding your feet. BioMed Central Open Access Publisher - BioMed Central Blog
• Hart, J, 2014. The nuts and bolts of peer review: what are the benefits for an early career researcher? In BioMed Central Open Access Publisher - BioMed Central Blog and LSE Impact of Social Sciences: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2015/02/18/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-peer-review/

Memberships & Other Activity:

• Member of the British Sociological Association (BSA)
• Part of the Social Network Analysis Scotland group (SNAS)
• Guest blogger for Open Access Publisher BioMed
• Part of RNNR Research - Universität Hildesheim, Germany