Skip to main content Open Accessibility Menu Accessibility Menu

Home / Participate in research

Participate in open research opportunities

If you are looking for opportunities to make a difference to understanding brain injury and improving care by being involved in research, you are in the right place!

In this page you will see a list of open brain injury research opportunities for being involved.

You can find out about each project, who is running it, what researchers are asking participants to do, and who you can contact.

Unless stated otherwise, all projects are run by researchers independent from Brainkind.

If you have any questions about a project, or wish to volunteer to take part, please contact the researchers directly, for the project you are interested in.

If there are no suitable opportunities at the time of your visit to this page, please feel free to get in touch with us with any questions or feedback.

Latest research opportunities

Explore the latest research opportunities.

  • A coping skills group programme for people experiencing persisting symptoms after a concussion.
    Who are the researchers? 
    If you have any questions, require more information about this study or would like to participate please contact the research team using the following contacts: 

    Researcher - Victoria Holetic: v.holetic196@canterbury.ac.uk  

    Supervisor – Dr. Jerry Burgess jerry.burgess@canterbury.ac.uk    
    Who can take part? 
    • Adults aged 18 – 65 years-old 
    • Who had a concussion 3 months ago or longer 
    • Still experiencing symptoms like dizziness, headaches, fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating or others. 
    • English speaking 
    • Able to participate virtually on a computer, tablet, or mobile phone 
    • Willing to attend six weekly group sessions 
    What will participants be asked to do? 
    • You will be asked to complete a survey and to provide your contact details to the researcher.  
    • You will be invited to speak with the researcher who will confirm if you are eligible to take part in this project.  
    • You will be asked to sign a consent form saying that you would like to take part in the project.  
    • You will then be randomly allocated to either take part in the group programme or to continue your usual routine.  
    • If you are randomly allocated to the group programme, you will be asked to complete questionnaires on the symptoms you are experiencing, your quality of life, and your mood, at the beginning and at the end of the group programme.   
    • If you are randomly allocated to continue with your usual routine, then we will ask you to complete the same questionnaires at the same time as the group programme. You have an equal chance of being put into either group.  
    • The concussion group programme will take place every week over 6 weeks. Each session will last for an hour and a half with a 10-minute break halfway through. The group programme will take place online using Microsoft Teams, which is free to use. The group will have up to 12 people who are all experiencing persisting concussion symptoms and two group facilitators who will deliver the group programme. This will be the researcher and another healthcare professional.  
    • If you are randomly allocated to not take part in the group programme, the researchers will encourage you to continue your usual routine and continue managing your persisting concussion symptoms however you wish.   
    • Participants in both groups will be asked to complete questionnaires during the project. These will be emailed to participants before the group programme begins and at the end of the group programme. Some demographic information will also be collected at the beginning of the study. 
    Who to contact? 
     If you have any questions, require more information about this study or would like to participate please contact the research team using the following contact details:   

    Researcher – Victoria Holetic, v.holetic196@canterbury.ac.uk  

    Supervisor – Dr Fergal Jones (Clinical Psychology Programme Research Director at Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology), fergal.jones@canterbury.ac.uk  
    Project resources 
    Participant Information Sheet 

    Poster

  • Digital self-management of sexual wellbeing for partners of acquired brain injury (ABI) survivors.
    Who are the researchers? 
    This project is being led by Jennifer Godber, a researcher from Coventry University, UK.  
    Who can take part? 
    Anyone who has been in a relationship with someone who has acquired brain injury. 
    What will participants be asked to do? 
    • Review and feedback a programme that has been designed to support partners of people who have a brain injury 
    • Take part via Microsoft Teams sessions, lasting up to 2 hours (or shorter, if preferred) 
    • Attend a single session, or multiple sessions (if you would lie to review more of the programme)   
    Who to contact? 
    Jennifer Godber 

    Email: godberj3@coventry.ac.uk  

    Phone: 02477 659 121 
    Project resources 
    Study poster

  • Sleep after traumatic injury (TBI), and its relationship with sleep, fatigue, and pain.

    Who are the researchers? 
    This project is being let by Kate Bosak, a doctoral researcher at the Nottingham Trent University. 
    Who can take part? 
    • UK individuals  
    • Aged 18 or over 
    • Have either a brain injury, spinal cord injury, or limb amputation and this injury must be traumatic (sustained suddenly, not born with, or a result of disease) 
    What will participants be asked to do? 
    Participants will be asked to complete a a 20-minute online (or over telephone) questionnaire comprised of background, sleep, fatigue, pain and PTSD (post-traumatic stress) related questions. 
    Who to contact? 
    If you have any questions, require more information about this study or would like to participate please contact the research team using the following contact details:   

    Kate Bosak: kate.bosak@ntu.ac.uk (Principal Investigator) 
    Project resources 
     Individuals advert for socials PDF.pdf 

  • Thinking out loud: Do existing loneliness measures capture the experience of individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury?

    Who are the researchers? 

    This project is being led by  Maria Vize, a researcher from the University of Sussex, UK.

    Who can take part? 

    You will be able to take part in this study if  

    • You have had a brain injury in adulthood.
    • You are 18 + years old.
    • You are comfortable being recorded.
    • You are not currently involved in a rehabilitation programme

    What will participants be asked to do? 

    • Meet the researcher online for an interview. 
    • During the interview, participants will be asked to read through a questionnaire and give their thoughts on it. The questionnaire will be sent to participants in advance to read and think about, two days before the interview.
    • Interviews will last for 45 minutes.
    • At the end of the interview, participants will be sent a £20 Amazon gift voucher as a thank you for their valuable time and participation in the study.
    • Participants may have a carer, or other individual, present during the interview, if they wish, but this is not necessary to take part in the study.

    Who to contact? 

    If you have any questions, require more information about this study or would like to participate please contact the research team using the following contact details:  

    Researcher – Maria Vize: m.vize@surrey.ac.uk
    Supervisor – Dr Hannah Frith: h.frith@surrey.ac.uk

    Project resources

    Study poster

  • The personal experiences of parents of children with acquired brain injury (ABI), along with enhancing liaisons with the professionals: Utilising thematic analysis

    Who are the researchers? 

    This project is being led by Louise Cooper, a researcher from the University of Wolverhampton, UK.

    Who can take part? 

    Anyone who:

    • Is a parent of a child (of any age) with ABI
    • Is willing to take part in an interview

     

    What will participants be asked to do? 

    • Take part in one-to-one interviews online
    • Speak (1 hour) with Louise, the lead researcher

    Please note: Interviews will be scheduled at a time which suits participants. The researcher’s questions will be about participants’ lived experiences.

    Who to contact? 

    Louise Cooper

    Email: l.cooper14@wlv.ac.uk

    Project resources

    Study poster

  • Continuity Therapy: maintaining good relationships after brain injury

    Who are the researchers?

    This project is being carried out by a team led by Dr Gerard Riley, Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, UK.

    Who can take part?

    • Couples who are experiencing some difficulties in their relationship because of a brain injury, or who feel their relationship is not as good as it was before the injury.
    • One of you must have had a brain injury, such as a stroke, head injury or anoxia.
    • You must both want to take part.
    • You must have lived together for at least 2 years before the injury and still be living together now.
    • The brain injury must have happened at least 1 year ago, but no more than 10 years ago.
    • The study is based in the UK. The team can provide the therapy in the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire. If you live outside these areas, taking part online is possible.

     

    What will participants be asked to do?

    You would take part in about 10 therapy sessions, each lasting about an hour long.  The sessions will take place weekly at the start.

    The sessions would take place at a venue that is convenient for you, such as your own home or a Headway or NHS centre near your home. The team can also deliver the therapy online if you prefer.

    The therapy involves a review of your life as individuals and as a couple.  The team would look at who you were before the injury, and what was important to you. They would then look at what the injury changed and what has stayed the same.

    You would also work on changing your day-to-day life and ways of being together as a couple – to bring them closer to what these were like before the injury.

    Who to contact?

    Please contact Barbara Hagger by email or letter:

    • email – barbara.hagger@nhs.net
    • send a letter to –  Barbara Hagger, Moor Green Brain Injury Service, Moseley Hall Hospital, Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8JL

    OR leave your contact details on the project’s Facebook page and the team will get back to you.

    The team will then arrange a meeting (online if you prefer) to explain more about the research. After this meeting, you can decide whether you want to go ahead.

    Contacting the researchers does not commit you to taking part. Please be assured that the team will not put any pressure on you to take part.  

    The invitation to participate will remain open until October 2024

  • Social consequences after brain injuries

    Who are the researchers?

    This project is being led by Ammaarah Siddique, doctoral student from the University of Bolton, UK.

    Who can take part?

    Anyone who:

    • Is over the age of 18
    • Had a brain injury (not including childhood brain injury)
    • Has social difficulties after brain injury

     

    What will participants be asked to do?

    To take part in an online interview which will last about 45 minutes.

    Who to contact?

    Ammaarah Siddique: AS7EPS@bolton.ac.uk

    Project resources

    Information leaflet

  • Wellbeing in patients with acquired brain injury: A survey study

    Who are the researchers?

    This project is being led by Mauro Cavarra from the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands.

    Who can take part?

    Anyone who suffered or is suffering from acquired brain injury is invited to participate in the study.

    What will participants be asked to do?

    To fill out an online questionnaire that should take about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The questionnaire can be completed on a computer or a mobile device.

    Who to contact?

    Mauro Cavarra: fpn-pim_p141@maastrichtuniversity.nl

    Project resources

    Online questionnaire

I have a question or feedback…

Contact our team at research@brainkind.org or use the form below. Thank you!

Contact the research team
Pattern used for background spacing