Dr Kim Ross | University of Chester

Deputy Head, Social and Political Science

Kim is a researcher and senior lecturer in the Division for Social and Political Science. Her interests include public social science, harm reduction and health risk behaviors and the development of creative research methods.

In addition to teaching and research, Kim is the Division's PGR Tutor and is also Deputy Chair for the Social and Political Science Research Ethics Committee.

Kim specialises in interdisciplinary teaching within the social sciences. In particular, Kim's teaching focuses on the role that social scientists should have within wider society and the role that social science should have in challenging harms and injustice.

Kim is module leader for the following modules: SO6312 - Contemporary and Emerging Issues in Criminology SO6313 - Risk and Harm Reduction

In addition to the above, Kim also provides guest lectures across a number of Sociology and Criminology modules based up her research interests as well as supervising undergraduate dissertations.

Kim is part of the Social Justice Chester research group and has been collaboratively working with other academics in the Division for Social and Political Science to develop participatory and co-produced research to address issues pertaining to social injustices. Recent projects undertaken by Social Justice Chester include developing a framework for co-production that is now being piloted across local community organisations, a review of participatory approaches at West Cheshire Foodbank and a public research exhibition that was co-produced with West Cheshire Poverty Truth Commission which explored the lived experience of poverty.

Kim has broad research interests in the area of risk behaviours and harms experienced within vulnerable populations, as well as expertise in the development of creative qualitative research methods, such as draw and write and photograph elicitation.

Kim is currently supervising two PGR students:

• Beth White (MPhil/PhD) – Participatory research exploring representations of resistance and protest in young adult fiction.

• Roxy Birdsall (DProf) – Experiences of working-class councillors.

Journal Articles

Quigg, Z., Ross-Houle, K., Bigland, C. & Bates, R. (2022) ‘Evaluation of the good night out campaign: a sexual violence bystander programme for nightlife workers in England’, Journal of Public Health.

Atkinson, A.M., Meadows, B.R., Ross-Houle, K.M., Smith, C. & Sumnall, H.R. (2022) ‘Magazines as contradictory spaces for alcohol messaging: a mixed method content and thematic analysis of UK women’s magazine representations of alcohol and its consumption’, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2022.2051436

Ross-Houle, K. & Porcellato, L. (2021) ‘Recovery capital in the context of homelessness, high levels of alcohol consumption, and adverse significant life events’, Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2021.2014402

Quigg, Z., Bellis, M.A., Hughes, K., Kulhanek, A., Brito, I., Ross-Houle, K., Bigland, C., Calafat, A., Duch, M. & the STOP-SV group (2021) ‘STOP-sexual violence: evaluation of a community based nightlife worker awareness raising bystander training programme’, European Journal of Public Health.

Porcellato. L., Ross-Houle. K., Quigg. Z., Gee. I., Harris. J., Bigland. C., Bates., R., Timpson., H., Gee, I., Bishop, J., Gould, A. & Davies, A.R. (2020) ‘Welsh primary schoolchildren’s perception of e-cigarettes: a mixed method study’, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, (10).

Ross-Houle K and Quigg Z (2019) ‘Content, perceptions and impact of alcoholic drink promotions in nightlife venues that are targeted towards students’ Addictive Behaviours Reports, 9, DOI:10.1016/j.abrep.2019.100163.

Bowring J, Leavey C, Ross-Houle K, Carline A and Gunby C (2018) ‘The UK Adult Film Performer Project – a case for being pro-performer voice’ Porn Studies, 5, (4), pp457-460.

Atkinson AM, Ross-Houle KM, Begley E and Sumnall H (2016) ‘An exploration of alcohol advertising on social networking sites: an analysis of content, interactions and young people’s perspectives' Addiction, Research and Theory, DOI:10.1080/16066359.2016.1202241.

Book Chapters

Ross-Houle K, Atkinson A and Sumnall H ‘The symbolic value of alcohol: The importance of alcohol consumption, drinking practices and drinking spaces in classed and gendered identity construction’ in Thurnell-Read T (2016) Drinking Dilemmas: Space, Culture and Identity. London: Routledge.

PG Cert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Chester (2021)
PhD ‘Women’s Lived Experiences and Perceptions of Representation and Identity in Urban Space, A Case Study of Liverpool, UK’ University of Liverpool (2016)
MA Cities, Culture and Regeneration, University of Liverpool (2009)
BA (hons) Sociology, University of Liverpool (2008)