Dr Rebecca Hardwick

Rebecca is a Senior Research Fellow in Health Services Research. She is co-lead of the National Institute for Health and Care Research South West Peninsula Applied Research Collaborative (PenARC) Mental Health Research Initiative. Which has to be one of the longest job titles ever. Put simply - her work is centered on doing applied mental health research that matters to the people and places of the South West of England.  

Prior to academia, Rebecca worked in policy implementation, public health, mental health voluntary sector and the mental health survivor movement. 

She is experienced in realist methodology and undertook at post-doctoral post at Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory, Australia with Professor Gill Westhorp working on realist evaluations of international development programmes and domestic social and welfare projects.  

She did her PhD at the University of Exeter, an enthnographic study of research and knowledge use in UK mental health third sector organisations. 

She currently supervises two students, one at CDU and one at the University of Plymouth.  

Qualifications

PhD Medical Studies, University of Exeter 

MSc Public Health, University of the West of England

BSc (Hons) Psychology, Goldsmiths' College, University of London

Research interests

Research interests include realist methodology, voluntary sector commissioning, knowledge mobilisation, public health, international development and evaluation research.

Other research

Methodologist. Indigenous Language Revitalisation in Northern Australian contexts: a realist evaluation. Charles Darwin University 

PhD Supervisor, Mr Brandon Walsh. Evaluation of Language Revitalisation programmes. Charles Darwin University

Grants & contracts

2019 Secretariat of the Pacific Community Capacity Building Evaluation EU 45,000 (co-investigator)

2019 – Charles Darwin University Rainmaker Readiness Grant: Evaluation of Indigenous Language Centres. AUD 20,000 (co-investigator)

2019 – Charles Darwin University Rainmaker Grant: Evaluation of Water, Land and Environment Programmes on soil and water management in Ethiopia. AUD 5000 (co-investigator)

2019 – Charles Darwin University Rainmaker Grant: Start-Up SIDA African Research Capacity Building AUD 5000 (consultancy)

2018 – MAR-X: QA Realist Method Design – Market Approach to Resilience in Ethiopia Extension AUD 9000 (co-investigator)

2018 – Charles Darwin University Rainmaker Grant: Workforce Northern Territory Research and Evaluation Creative Careers AUD 5000 (co-investigator)

2015 Devon Community Housing Aid Bay6 Service Evaluation GBP 10,000 (co-applicant)

2013 Association of Commonwealth Universities, Travel Award, GBP 2000 (individual award)

2013 University of Exeter Researcher-Led Initiative Grant, Development Award, GBP 2000 (co-applicant)

Conferences organised

2019 – 2020 Scientific Programme Committee Chair: Realist2020 International Conference on Realist Research, Evaluation and Synthesis.

2017-present Organising committee member: UK Knowledge Mobilisation Forum Conference.

2017 Organising committee member: Realist2017 International Conference for Realist Research, Evaluation and Synthesis