Senior Management Team
Professor Athina Vlachantoni
Professor Athina Vlachantoni
DTP Director
I am a Professor of Gerontology and Social Policy in the Department of Gerontology at the University of Southampton. I am also a member of the Centre for Research on Ageing and the ESRC Centre for Population Change. My research interests are at the interface of ageing over the lifecourse and social policy. Recent research projects have focused on informal care provision across the lifecourse in the UK, Europe and China; pension protection among minority ethnic groups in the UK; and long-term care provision in India, China, the UK and sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr Raphael Schlembach
Dr Raphael Schlembach
DTP Deputy Director for Employability (Brighton)
Raphael Schlembach is Principal Lecturer in Criminology and Deputy Director of the South Coast DTP at the University of Brighton. His research spans critical approaches to protest and social movements, criminal justice and social policy, migration and citizenship, and policing and security. His most recent book, ‘Spycops’, is the first academic examination of the Undercover Policing Inquiry, and has been cited in legal submissions to the Inquiry and in the House of Lords statutory inquiries committee report. He is interested in supervising doctoral research across politics, sociology and criminology.
Professor Tamsin Bradley
Professor Tamsin Bradley
DTP Deputy Director for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) (Portsmouth)
Tamsin Bradley is Professor in International Development Studies at the University of Portsmouth, UK. She is a social anthropologist who has worked for over twenty years generating research on what works best to end Violence against Women and Girls in South Asia and Africa. She is the author of 4 monographs including Global Perspectives on Violence against Girls (2020. Routledge) and over fifteen peer review articles.
Professor Melanie Nind
Professor Melanie Nind
DTP Deputy Director for Training & Impact (Southampton)
I am a Professor of Education at the University of Southampton and one of the co-directors of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. My research spans inclusive education, inclusive research, and research methodology. I am particularly interested in building capacity among teachers and users of qualitative research methods and in working with people with learning disabilities to foster belonging in education, research and community.
Dr Suzanne Everley
Dr Suzanne Everley
DTP Deputy Director for Student Engagement & Social Media (Chichester)
I am a Reader in the Sociology of Physical Education, Activity and Health at the University of Chichester. My research focuses on children’s experiences of physical activity and sport and methods of understanding these, with particular reference to creating child centred cultures as a means of safeguarding. I am chair of the Association of Child Protection Professional’s Special Interest Group in Sport and associate editor of the Child Abuse Review.
Jing Lin
Jing Lin
DTP Manager
Jing is the manager of the South Coast DTP, leading the administration team to provide support for SCDTP students, fellows, and the research network. Jing had worked in ethics and governance at the University of Southampton, and at the National Biofilms Innovation Center at its start-up stage throughout its first funding phase. Jing has both project management and programme management credentials and relevant experience.
Research-in-Practice Team
Professor Sarah Neal
Professor Sarah Neal
Research-in-Practice Lead (Academic)
Sarah originally trained as a nurse before pursuing further studies in social policy and social research at the Universities of Bristol and Bath. With a focus on public health, she has contributed to numerous programmes in developing countries, particularly those facing fragility. Professor Neal also served as an advisor with the UK Department for International Development. Following the completion of her PhD on the determinants of neonatal mortality in developing countries at Southampton University in 2009, she collaborated on the Atlas of Birth Maternal Health Advocacy Project with the Universities of Southampton and Aberdeen, as well as the White Ribbon Alliance. Prior to her appointment as a lecturer, Professor Neal held a British Academy postdoctoral fellowship, conducting research on motherhood in very young adolescents (under 16 years) in developing countries.
Penny White
Penny White
Research-in-Practice Lead Administrator
Penny joined the South Coast DTP as Research-in-Practice Lead in April 2026 after ten years with the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) team at University of Southampton, most recently as the Centre Manager. She will be supporting the South Coast DTP Students with all aspects of the Research-in-Practice (RiP) component of their training. In addition to her experience in postgraduate research methods training provision, Penny also brings a wealth of experience and insight from previous high level administrative roles within the NHS, charity and commercial organisations.
Rebecca and Alexandros will join the Research-in-Practice team from January 2027.
Dr Rebecca Graber
Dr Rebecca Graber
Research-in-Practice Academic Lead (Academic)
Rebecca is Senior Lecturer in Health Psychology at the University of Chichester. Her research explores how friendships and peer relationships support psychological resilience and wellbeing, particularly around alcohol and substance use, socioeconomic vulnerability, and LGBTQIA+ experience. She previously worked at the Universities of Brighton and Sussex, and holds a PhD from the University of Leeds.
Dr Alexandros Ntovas
Dr Alexandros Ntovas
Research-in-Practice Academic Lead (Academic)
Alexandros is Associate Professor (Reader) of Maritime Law at Southampton Law School, University of Southampton, and former Director of the Institute of Maritime Law (2020–2023). His expertise spans admiralty and navigational law, the law of the sea, and marine environmental law, with earlier posts at Queen Mary University of London and King’s College London.
