The Team

Directors

• Professor Sara Upstone is co-Director of LPN. She is Director of Postgraduate Research at Kingston School of Art, Kingston University. Her research focuses on social justice in contemporary literature, critical theory, and autotheoretical creative writing practices.
• Professor Deborah Riby is co-Director of LPN. She is a developmental psychologist who takes mixed-methods approaches to questions focused on cognition and behaviour, especially in relation to autism and neurodivergence. She is co-Director and co-founder of the Centre for Neurodiversity & Development at Durham University. Debbie is also Associate PVC for Postgraduate Research at Durham University and was previous Director of the ESRC funded North East and Northern Ireland Doctoral Training Partnerships for 5-years.

Supervision Pool

• Dr Amy Pearson (DU)
• Professor Tammi Walker (DU)
• Professor Mary Hanley (DU)
• Dr Patrick Jachyra (DU)
• Dr Elisa Back (KU)
• Dr Anna Paolillo (KU)
• Professor Roslyn Malcolm (DU)
• Professor Stephen MacDonald (DU)
• Dr Nicole Renehan (DU)
• Dr Nikki Rutter (DU)
• Dr Melania Calestani (KU)
• Dr Travis LaCroix (DU)
• Professor Grant Macaskill (DU)
• Louise Creechan (DU)
• Dr Paty Paliokosta (KU)
• Volker Eichelmann (KU)
• Dr Roman Vasseur (KU)
• Dr Anke Jakob (KU)
• Steven Fowler (KU)
• Professor Mariann Hardey (DU)
• Professor Christos Politis (KU)
• Dr Gordon Johnson (KU)
• Dr Peter Garside (KU)

Our Partners

We work with 16 non-HEI partners who contribute to the training and development of our researchers.

• Celebrate Difference
• Daisy Chain
• Durham CC Communication and Interaction Team
• Empathy Lab
• The Horton
• Institute for Neurodiversity
• Investing in Children CIC
• LEXXIC
• Life Science Centre
• Hospital Rooms
• Mason Foundation
• National Archives
• Neurodiversity and Entrepreneurship Association
• Reach Foundation
• Surrey History Centre
• Voices of Hope