Kerry Miller is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Sheffield. In this blog, Kerry talks about her experience working for Brook as a research placement student on the Condoms and Contraception Survey 2023.
Between summer 2023 and spring 2024, I worked on Brook’s Condoms and Contraception Survey 2023 through a Postgraduate Researcher Experience Programme (PREP) placement funded by the University of Sheffield. The programme is designed to support postgraduate researchers to explore careers outside of academia through funded placements that provide students with experience in their chosen workplace, and employers with the expertise of a postgraduate researcher.
I started my PhD research on the language of contraception in the secondary school sex education classroom in 2020. My academic background is in linguistic analysis, and my PhD thesis focuses specifically on how the language teachers use in the classroom reproduces gendered narratives around risk and responsibility for contraception.
I love being able to use my training in linguistic analysis to tackle real world problems that are affecting young people, but I quickly realised I wanted to do this outside of an academic setting. So, I started exploring career options in the charity sector because although I’d realised I didn’t want to stay in academia when I finished my PhD, I was still enjoying research and I wanted to see what a research project looked like in the charity sector. I wanted to apply the research skills I’d already gained during my PhD project, while expanding my knowledge and experience of other research methodologies too.
Working as part of the research team at Brook on a project focused on contraception was the perfect fit for my research interests. It meant I had specific subject knowledge I could bring to the team but would also allow me to grow and develop this expertise, which in turn helped inform my PhD work too.
In the research project I worked on, our aim was to explore young people’s attitudes to condoms and contraception, including how they feel about using them and how easily they can access them, as well as their experiences of sexual and reproductive health education.
My role involved helping to design, implement and analyse the survey, as well as reporting on the survey findings.
Throughout this placement, I was able to experience a research project outside academia at every stage of its development, from its conception to its completion, and the production of outputs from the project. The team were so welcoming and even though I’m based in Sheffield, and therefore predominantly worked from home, I still felt like part of the team. Working from home was great for me, but it was still lovely to visit the office for key meetings during the project and meet everyone in person.
I was given a lot of autonomy in my work, and I always felt listened to by the people I worked with, which really developed my confidence in my own expertise.
When I first started my placement I felt anxious being asked for my opinion when everyone else in the room was much more experienced than me! But as the placement went on I realised the value of my perspective and expertise that I was able to bring to the team.
I worked as part of a small team, reporting to stakeholders within the organisation at key points throughout the project, which also gave me the opportunity to develop my professional network in the sexual health sector. Due to the nature of the project straddling several different teams at the organisation, I also had the opportunity to meet people from across the charity, in a variety of different roles, which was hugely beneficial in terms of gaining an understanding of the types of roles available in this sector. Something I really appreciated during my placement with Brook was how generous all my colleagues were with their time. Everyone I worked with was so supportive, and went out of their way to introduce me to other colleagues within the organisation so that I could develop network connections.
I learnt so much within the specific project I was working on, but through talking to colleagues across the organisation, I also gained a deeper understanding of how the charity as a whole operated.
I learned so much during my time at Brook.
I discovered the benefits of working in research roles in the charity sector, along with some of the challenges. I gained both skills and confidence in conducting research in the sexual health and sex education field, developed my knowledge in sexual health, and met some wonderful people that I continue to keep in touch with to this day. In terms of my professional development, it was really validating to have my name listed as a co-investigator on the Education, Access, Stigma and Young People (EASY) project report. But more than anything, it was incredibly rewarding to be part of a project that had real implications for young people. Ultimately, this is what confirmed my passion for working in this sector.
