Ulla McKnight, Admissions Tutor and Lecturer in Sociology

The inaugural Early Career Researchers Dragons’ Den competition in July saw researchers from across the University pitch their ideas, with seven finalists bidding for funds to support their research. Ulla McKnight, Admissions Tutor and Lecturer in Sociology in the School of Law, Politics and Sociology took the overall prize, winning £3,000. Her pitch was for a project combining AI and embroidery-based workshops to explore the potential impact of sexual self-care practices with women of colour.

Tell us a little about your research 

My research focuses on the provision of sexual and reproductive health to racialised people in the UK. I’m informed by an eclectic mix of theoretical perspectives such as science and technology studies, Black feminist hauntology, and innovative research methods. My Dragons’ Den project draws on a collaborative workshop that I led, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, using art-based participatory methods to explore women of colour's ‘unsayable’ experiences of reproductive trauma. The project will use artificial intelligence and embroidery to examine the possible effects of sexual self-care practices with young cis/trans women of colour in Brighton.

What impact do you hope your research will have? 

Firstly, I hope the research will make an important contribution to our understanding of women of colour’s sexual health care practices and the impact they have. Secondly, the project will encourage conversations about the possibilities and barriers to more positive futures for women of colour. And finally, the research will trial an innovative and interdisciplinary method of generating collaborative data.

What is your favourite thing about being at Sussex? 

My favourite thing about Sussex is all the brilliant people I have had the pleasure of befriending and working with. Closely connected to that is the way in which the interdisciplinary nature of Sussex has allowed me to learn from researchers with interests and approaches that are very different from my own.

What do you do away from your research? 

I spend most of my time listening to my youngster talk about (and play) Dungeons & Dragons which is very entertaining. I’ve probably read the Monster Manual more times than any other book. Aside from that, I enjoy spending time with my family on our beautiful allotment on top of Whitehawk Hill. Our plot overlooks the English Channel, and my happy place is weeding while listening to an audio book. I also love making music with my husband - preferably in a dark, dank practice room under a bridge!

What’s next for you, in your work or otherwise? 

I am delighted to say that I will begin an Arts and Humanities Research Council collaborative project in the spring. The project is called ‘Reproductive Borders and Bordering Reproduction: Access to Care for Women from Ethnic Minority and Migrant Groups’. I’ll work with Dr Camillia Kong (Queen Mary University, London), Dr Sarah Milton (King’s College, London) and Professors Devyani Prabhat and Sheelagh McGuinness (University of Bristol) for the next three years. The research aims to examine the lived experiences of ethnic minority and migrant women and their barriers in accessing maternal and reproductive healthcare.