Mary Darking

I am a Social Scientist with expertise in digital innovation and qualitative, participatory research methods.  I combine these specialisms in research projects that seek to improve systems, policies and technologies to meet social and environmental goals.  With a background in Innovation and information Systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science my research takes a whole system, place-based approach which I have used to study health, transport and energy systems.

I have a particular interest in community-based and lived experience-led approaches to digital innovation and system change through use of co-design and co-production methods.  I have used these methods in national and international research spanning 20 years most recently working in Zambia to co-produce place-based, community-digital pathways to improve access to healthcare.

I have supported the development and commercialization of 3 social enterprises seed funded by Innovate UK, Horizon 2020 and Nesta respectively.  I have contributed to and led research and innovation on digital health services in HIV care and prevention, with services subsequently procured by national health services in England and Croatia. 

I am a member of Sexual Health Innovation Partnership working alongside NHS and community colleagues to advocate for and coproduce community-digital health innovation.  I regularly work in partnership with local health and community partners.  I was recently academic and evaluation lead for Brighton and Hove Common Ambition which co-produced system improvement in health services for people experiencing homelessness.

My theoretical interests in Science and Technology Studies and Institutional Logics.

I have supervisory interests in digital health, coproduction of health and social care services, community and social innovation, complex multi-method evaluation, energy justice and transport de-carbonisation.

I am currently Course Leader for two Masters in Research courses.  My teaching is constantly updated by my research practice in which I explore and experiment with a broad range of research methods and designs including: grounded and anthropologically-informed methods; participatory; arts-based; multi and mixed methods. In classroom teaching and online, I encourage students to draw on their own backgrounds and experiences in order to explore, challenge and collaboratively develop innovative ways in which to understand research and its role.  Whether at undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD levels or in community, I aim to ensure everyone I teach develops an interest and enthusiasm for designing, taking part in and sharing research.