Dr Susan Molyneux-Hodgson

Senior Lecturer in Sociology (BSc, MSc, PhD)
Faculty Director of Doctoral Programmes
Academic Director, White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre@Sheffield

Academic Profile

I work within the field of science and technology studies. I joined the Department in October 2001, following 5 years in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Bristol, and a 2-year post-doc at the Institute of Education, University of London. Founder and Co-Director of SATIS (Science and Technology in Society) research group. My work can be divided into three substantive areas:

• The emergence and reproduction of scientific communities

• Nature and society relations

• Gender and science

In 2007-2008 I was Visiting Professor of Sociology, Turku University, Finland. Within Sheffield I have strong links with a number of research groups in the Science and Engineering Faculties, including: synthetic biology (http://www.shef.ac.uk/synbio/mates) and the Pennine Water Group (http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/penninewatergroup).

Research

Funded Research Projects
Date	Sponsor	Details
2012-2013	The British Academy	Visualising the Fetus: Exploring the Production and Use of Obstetric Magnetic Resonance Imaging
2012-2015	ESRC White Rose DTC	Rethinking the social production, locus and impact of bioscience (PhD Training Network)
2012-2015	X-Cutting Research & Innovation Fund	Synthetic biology for healthcare applications (PhD Training Network)
2009-2011	EPSRC	Deploying synthetic biology in the water industry
2009-2012	White Rose Consortium & NSLC	Engaging young people in science (PhD Training Network)
2008-2011	BBSRC	Microbial applications for tissue engineering (MATEs) http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/synbio/mates
2008	ESRC	Society, Science and Technology
2007-2011	EPSRC	Urban rivers and sustainable living agendas (URSULA) http://www.ursula.ac.uk/
2009-2010	FCS Seed Corn Fund	Ethnic minority use of ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging in pregnancy
2006-2007	Higher Education Innovation Fund	Assessing 'social benefit' for sustainability assessment
2006-2009	EU Framework 6	Knowledge, institutions and gender: an East-West comparison http://www.knowing.soc.cas.cz/
2005-2006	Higher Education Innovation Fund	Performing science in Victorian and contemporary society
2005-2008	ESRC & NERC	Water, environment and society http://www.shef.ac.uk/environmentdivision/wes
2003-2004	Social Sciences Devolved Fund	Developing qualitative research in an e-science framework
1998-1999	ESRC	Mathematical practices in science

Teaching

In September 2010 I was appointed Faculty Director of Doctoral Programmes and as of 2011 also became Academic Director of the White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre at Sheffield (http://www.shef.ac.uk/social-sciences-dtc).

I co-ordinate and teach on the Faculty research training programme. In autumn 2011 we began a new suite of modules, available to all doctoral students across the 13 Departments in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Core modules on philosophies of social science, qualitative methods and quantitative methods are team taught by staff from various Departments and research students learn about the application of ideas and methods in a broad social science setting, not only from a single disciplinary perspective. I mostly teach in a ‘Day School’ format to allow students dedicated and concentrated time to focus on their learning. Sessions are a mix of lecture, small group discussion, and set activities. All the sessions are accompanied by online resources and we regularly use blogs and discussion streams to continue work beyond the confines of the face-to-face setting. This approach also allows our part-time and distance learning community better access to the resident doctoral research community.

Postgraduate Supervision

Postgraduate Research Students: Pinar Kaygan, Kate Bulpin, Muazu Shehu, Guillaumette Haughton; Richard Newman (graduating Jan 2012).

I am interested in supervising students with interests in the sociology of techno-sciences; science and society relations, research policy and gender and science.

I currently have TWO, fully-funded PhD scholarships available. They are each part of PhD training networks, providing the opportunity to work in a group environment as well as on an individual PhD thesis:

• Narratives of innovation and salvation in biomedical research. For info on the Network and the individual project, see this page:
  http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/scholarships/projects/syntheticbiology

• Meanings and practices of translational research. For info on the Science and Technology Studies Network, see this page:
  http://whiterose-social-science-doctoral-training-centre.ac.uk/content/white-rose-esrc-networks

For info on the PhD project see this page: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/socstudies/ppr/scholarships

Applicants must first receive the offer of a research place in the Dept of Sociological Studies.

To find out more about our PhD programmes, go to:
Studying for a PhD in Sociology

Publications since 2005

Newman R., Ashley R., Molyneux-Hodgson S. and Cashman A (2011) ‘Managing water as a socio-technical system: the shift from ‘experts’ to ‘alliances’, Engineering Sustainability. Vol 164, no. 1: 95 –102.

Meyer M. and Molyneux-Hodgson S. (2011) ‘Communautés épistémiques’: une notion utile pour théoriser les collectifs en sciences, Terrains et Travaux, Vol 18 : 141 - 154

Hodgson S.M. and Phillips D. (2011) ‘The Environmental Challenge’, in Fitzpatrick T. (ed.) Understanding the Environment and Social Policy: Understanding Welfare series, Bristol: Policy Press.

Hurley, L., Ashley, R., Molyneux-Hodgson, S., Moug, P., and Schiessel , N. (2010) '‘Measuring’ sustainable living agendas', Management of Environmental Quality, vol. 21, no. 1: 45-57.

Meyer, M. and Molyneux-Hodgson, S. (2010).  'Introduction: The Dynamics of Epistemic Communities'. Sociological Research Online 15(2)14 www.socresonline.org.uk/15/2/14.html

Molyneux-Hodgson S. and Meyer M. (2009) 'Tales of Emergence: synthetic biology as a scientific community in the making', BioSocieties, vol. 4, no. 2/3: 129-145.

Molyneux-Hodgson S (2009) 'The Contexts of Knowing', in Felt (ed.) Knowing and Living in Academic Research: convergence and heterogeneity in research cultures in European context, Prague: Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. pp:3.

Molyneux-Hodgson S (2009) 'Speaking KNOWING to Power', in Felt (ed.) Knowing and Living in Academic Research: convergence and heterogeneity in research cultures in European context, Prague: Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. pp: 3.
[plus contributions to Chapters 3 (p.127-168) and Chapter 4 (p. 169-226) in Felt (ed.)

S.M. Hodgson and Z.M. Irving (2007) Policy Reconsidered: meanings, politics and practices, Bristol: The Policy Press. 250pp

Hodgson S. M. and Z.M. Irving (2007) 'Studying Policy: a way forward', Chapter 11 in S.M. Hodgson and Z.M. Irving, Policy Reconsidered: meanings, politics and practices, The Policy Press. pp 191-207

Hodgson S. M. and Z.M. Irving (2007) 'Policy and its Exploration', Chapter 1 in S.M. Hodgson and Z.M. Irving, Policy Reconsidered: meanings, politics and practices, The Policy Press. pp 1-20

Hodgson S.M. and Smith J.W.N. (2007) 'Understanding water and society relations: designing research for/on water policy', Interdisciplinary Science Reviews., Vol. 32, No. 3: 187-202

Hodgson S.M., Maltby L., Paetzold A. and Phillips D. (2007) 'Getting the measure of nature: ecosystem services as a way to understand environment and society', Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Vol. 32, No. 3: 249-262

Hodgson S. & Clark T. (2007) Sociological engagements with computing: the advent of e-science and some implications for the qualitative research community, Sociological Research Online http://www.socresonline.org.uk/12/3/9.html

Hodgson S. (2006) 'Narrating Community: history and absence in scientific texts', Interdisciplinary Science Reviews. Vol. 31, No.2 pp: 175-188.

Hodgson S. M. (2005) ‘History of Lasers in Optoelectronics’, in Encyclopaedia of 20th Century Technology, New York: Routledge.

A full list of publications can be downloaded by clicking the link on the right of this page.