ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow
Dr Monique Botha
University of Stirling
I focussed on writing up my thesis for publication, including studies on how autistic community connectedness might moderate the impact of minority stress on mental health. Alongside this, I did additional limited research into the dehumanization, objectification of autistic people in autism research. I focused on how the lack of inclusion of autistic people in autism research shapes knowledge.
Department:
Division of Psychology
Mentor:
Dr Eilidh Cage
Cohort:
2020/2021
Project title:
Community connectedness as a buffer against the effects of minority stress on mental health in the autistic population.
Fellowship accomplishments / highlights:
The SGSSS fellowship gave me an opportunity to submit funding bids for longer fellowships. This meant that I had time to prepare and submit a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship application, which I won. Without the SGSSS fellowship I wouldn’t have had the time or space to prepare such a competitive fellowship.
Advice for future fellows:
The fellowship is a rare opprtunity to focus on writing for publications, building a solid network with other scholars, and preparing funding applications. These are all key for building research capacity for the future – embrace having the time to build a solid foundation for your future career. Be brave enough to reach out to other academics who you think might be willing and interested in collaborating on future projects – these are vital connections.
