Jessica Spratt, (PhD Researcher)

Jessica Spratt is a third year PhD Researcher at Ulster University in the School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences. She completed a BSc (Hons) degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at Ulster University in 2019 and a MRes of Social Science Research at Queen's University Belfast in 2021. 

She returned to Ulster in September 2022 to begin her PhD, for which she was awarded a NINE DTP studentship with the ESRC. 

Jessica's PhD research is mixed methods study, investigating drug use amongst members of the LGBTQ+ communities in Northern Ireland, and is in collaboration with The Rainbow Project and The Department of Health. 

Her primary research interests are drug use behaviours, pleasure and enhancement, drug policy, and harm reduction. 

Jessica presented at a Drugs Science event hosted by Queen's University Belfast in March 2023, where she presented the findings from her Masters research on the consideration of pleasure in drug policy in the UK and Ireland.

In June 2023, Jessica presented at the Ulster University LGBTQ+ Research Conference, where she introduced her PhD research.

In July 2023, Jessica attended the European Drugs Summer School in Lisbon, hosted by the emcdda and the University Institute of Lisbon. Here, Jessica presented on the consideration of pleasure in drug policy in the UK and Ireland.

Jessica is also a Research Assistant on an evaluation of Carlisle House substance use residential rehabilitation services. 

Jessica is an AFHEA and works as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant on the BSc Criminology and Criminal Justice and BSc Sociology degree programmes. She has taught on the 'Crime and Criminal Justice', 'Research Methods for Criminologists', 'From Crime Scene to Court' and 'Sentencing Principles' modules.

Jessica guest lectured her research in the Criminology and Criminal Justice module 'Gender, Crime and Sexuality' in Ulster University. Jessica has also guest lectured her PhD research at Queen's University Belfast on the Masters of Substance Use 'Interventions' module.