Get involved in research design
Project Steering Group: Ethnic Variations in Health and Social Service Use and Mental Health Outcomes of Unpaid Family Caregivers
Researcher: Abdulmalik Olaosebikan, Val Morrison, Diane Seddon, Paul Rauwolf.
Posted: 24.05.25
What's the research about?
Unpaid family caregivers, those who look after relatives or friends without receiving payment, often face emotional stress, financial strain, and challenges to their health and well-being.
This study focuses on understanding how caregivers from different ethnic communities in Wales use health and social care services, and how this may influence their mental health.
We are using national survey data to identify patterns of use and then conducting interviews to learn about reasons for use and non-use of services in order to identify how services can be improved to meet the needs of all caregivers.
What's involved?
You’ll join a:
• Project Advisory Group: Use your professional or your lived experience of receiving or providing care or advocacy background to ensure the study is clear, respectful, and useful to the public.
Involvement includes:
• Bi-annual meetings (online or in person) to review progress, materials, and seek your input and get feedback.
• Compensation is not available for this PhD project.
Who can get involved?
We are looking for people aged 18+ from diverse ethnic backgrounds to help shape the project.
Project Steering Group: Investigating the Experiences of Bilinguals who Stutter
Researcher: Dr. Charlotte Wiltshire
Posted: 19.06.24
What's the research about?
People who stutter often report different experiences of stuttering depending on the language that they are speaking. In this study, we will use a combination of questionnaires and focus groups to understand these processes better in the context of Welsh-English bilinguals.
What's involved?
The research process is expected to take approximately two years. We anticipate that the steering group will meet for approximately two hours every six months. The steering group will be run online via video call, however, there will be opportunities to visit the research team in Bangor if you wish.
Who can get involved?
People who stutter, speech and language therapists or stuttering allies. We are looking for people who would like to join a STEERING GROUP to help develop this research idea and to work with the research team to monitor the progress of the study.
Participate in Research
Study: Actif Period Project: Creation and evaluation of a co-designed active education session - Phase 1
Researchers: Kelly McNulty, Sophie Harrison and Natalie Brown
Posted: 24.05.25
What's the research about?
Periods are one of the biggest barriers that prevent girls from getting involved in sport and physical activity. To help change this, we’re developing a session that not only teaches girls about the menstrual cycle and its impact on exercise but also gives them the chance to get moving in a supportive and informed environment.
As we design this session, we want to hear directly from:
1. Girls and session leaders
2. Stakeholders
What's involved?
- Girls and session leaders
The session will involve talking to girls about why we are trying to design this session and then completing some fun games to learn more about how girls feel about exercising while on their periods and what they would like to learn and the type of activities they would like to do during the session. At the end of the session, we will ask the girls about how they found the session.
Additionally, we ask an adult representative (staff or volunteer aged 18+) from your organisation to observe the session and complete a short feedback survey. The session will take approximately 60 to 90 minutes in total and can be completed during normal activity time within your organisation.
- Stakeholders
The study will involve taking part in one focus group or interview, where a co-designed session will be presented to you to gather feedback and insights.
Who can get involved?
Please get involved if you meet the following criteria:
| Girls | Session leaders | Stakeholders |
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Study: Actif Period Project: Creation and evaluation of a co-designed active education session - Phase 2
Researchers: Kelly McNulty, Sophie Harrison and Natalie Brown
Posted: 24.05.25
What's the research about?
Periods are one of the biggest barriers that prevent girls from getting involved in sport and physical activity. To help change this, we’ve developed a session alongside girls, session leaders and key stakeholders that not only teaches girls about the menstrual cycle and its impact on exercise but also gives them the chance to get moving in a supportive and informed environment. Now we want to gather feedback from girls and session leaders on the session and improve it for wider use.
What's involved?
A 60 to 90-minute session will be delivered to girls, including physical activity and learning about periods, symptoms, and how to exercise during menstruation.
An adult representative from the organisation (staff or volunteer, age 18+) is asked to observe the session.
The girls and session leader will answer a few questions before and after the session, take part in a short group discussion, and be asked the same questions again in about three months.
The session will take place during the usual activity time within the organisation.
Who can get involved?
Please get involved if you meet the following criteria:
| Girls | Session leaders |
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Study: Speech Motor Control in People who Stutter and people who do not
Researchers: Nia Wyn-Williams, Michael Pendlebury and Dr. Charlotte Wiltshire
Posted: 20.05.25
What's the research about?
We want to better our understanding the brains chemical signals for “stop” and “go”, GABA and glutamate, contribute to speech motor control and speech timing in people who stutter and fluent speech.
Investigate whether various types of metronomes have fluency enhancing effects on people who stutter, using three types of metronome: auditory, tactile, and visual.
What's involved?
Part 1: Participants will be asked to take part in a 2 hour MRI session, in which we will measure the concentrations of various chemicals. Participant will not be asked to complete a task during scanning.
Part 2: Participants will be asked to speak and read in time with three types of metronomes; auditory, tactile, and visual.
Who can get involved?
Inclusion: Participants must be aged between 18 and 45, have spoken English since the age of five and either stutter or speak fluently.
Exclusion: Participants who take medications that could impact the concentrations of GABA or glutamate or response speed.
Participants who have metal implants, heart conditions, and irremovable piercings/jewellery cannot take part in the MRI portion of the study. Participants who are not able to take part in the MRI portion of the study are welcome to take part in the metronome portion only.
Study: The impact of concealing stuttering
Researcher: Dr. Charlie Wiltshire
What's the study about?
Sometimes people who stutter are aware of upcoming words that may result in dysfluencies and, in order to conceal their stutter, may choose to use strategies, such as replacing those words on-the-fly. Our aim is to understand these processes better.
Who can take part?
Anyone who does, or does not stutter, can take part. If you identify as someone who stutters you can take part (including "hidden" or "concealed" stuttering).
What does the study involve?
Computer-based tasks as well as questionnaires that can be done online at home. The study takes ~25 minutes for people who do not stutter and ~45 minutes for people who stutter (due to additional questions about stuttering).
Study: Mapping the consequences of injuries to the peripheral nerves of the hand.
Researchers: Benjamin Govier, Dr Ken Valyear
Posted: 20.05.25
What's the research about?
Our hands are the primary way we interact with the world, powered by the nerves that bring to life our experience of touch, temperature, and pain. Injuries to the nerves of the hand are common and can cause lasting problems with hand function. Our aim is to understand how the brain changes after such injuries and how these changes relate to recovery.
What's involved?
The study involves making judgments about the locations of touches applied to your hands. You’ll be asked to identify the location of each touch. The task will take approximately 40 – 60 minutes.
Who can get involved?
Anyone over the age of 18 without history of hand injury is welcome to express interest.
You will be compensated £12 per hour for your time.
Study: Working and caring: a survey of psychosocial correlates
Researcher: Prof Val Morrison
What's the study about?
In an ageing society many of us will have to take on unpaid caring roles within the family, often whilst still in paid employment. This study examines the impact that such caregiving has on work-life balance, wellbeing and quality of life and seeks to identify psychosocial and occupational factors that support better outcomes.
Who can take part?
Anyone aged over 18, who is in paid employment (full/part time) and currently supporting someone as an informal carer (e.g., a family member, friend or neighbour who has care needs due to living with an illness or physical disability) can take part.
What does the study involve?
This is an online study involving a questionnaire which addresses your experience as a carer, your work situation, the care needs of the person you care for and your current physical and mental wellbeing, levels of stress and quality of life. Completing this survey will take 20-30 minutes of your time and is on one occasion only.
Study: How does exercise impact brain chemistry? Does this change after concussion?
Researchers: Asare Adomako, Muhammad Subhan Zahid Nazir, Dr Julian Owen, Dr Geof Combs, Prof. Sam Oliver, Prof. Paul Mullins.
Posted: 24.05.25
What's the research about?
Exercise has been widely recognised for its benefits to physical health, playing an important role in maintaining fitness and promoting muscle health and metabolic function in the body, and has been shown to have a positive impact on brain health. Regular exercising has been linked to improving memory, attention, and control functions, including making decisions and solving problems. In addition, exercise has been shown to have significant positive effects on mental health by reducing symptoms of depression, fear, anxiety, and stress. Despite the growing body of evidence that supports the benefits of exercise, how this is reflected in brain chemistry during and after exercising are still unclear and not fully understood. To investigate, we will use a technique called Magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study changes in neurochemistry while participants are exercising using our MRI compatible exercise bike.
After a concussion (or mild traumatic brain injury), people often experience an intolerance to exercise. The second part of this study will aim to investigate the changes in brain chemistry during exercise in people shortly after a concussion, and see if it is the same or different from people who have not had a recent concussion.
What's involved?
About an hour – an hour and 30 mins of experimental time, with an hour in the MRI scanner, where you will take part in exercise using a specially designed exercise bike.
Who can get involved?
For part one we are looking for people who are:
- 18 to 40 years old
- Healthy
There are some conditions where exercise test is not recommended, so we will screen for these. Some examples are:
- Cardiac conditions
- Chronic illness
- Neurologic complaints
- Hyper/hypotension.
For part 2, we would be looking for the same sort of people, but who will have had a concussion within the past 3-5 days.