Fay Dennis

Fay’s research interests include sociological theories of the body, Science and Technology Studies, the governance of pleasure, substance use, and ‘inventive’ research methods.

Her current project ‘“Ripping up the rulebook”: Experiments in post-pandemic substance use treatment’ and tracks changes and innovations in the UK substance use sector after Covid-19.

Through experimental methods, it uses these inventions as an invitation to think differently on what future treatment could be. This project takes a multimodal ethnographic approach and is funded by a Wellcome Trust University Award (2022-2027).

You can read more about the project here.

Previously in the Department, Fay held a Wellcome Trust Fellowship in Social Science (2018-22) which explored rises in drug-related deaths in the UK through a feminist technoscience lens.

Prior to that, Fay was a FSHI Mildred Blaxter Postdoctoral Fellow (2017-2018) where she worked on disseminating her PhD research (conducted at LSHTM) on injecting drug use experiences and practices, with a particular interest in pleasure as a neglected topic in drug research and policy.

Fay has published articles in journals such as BioSocieties, Body & Society, Critical Public Health and the Sociology of Health & Illness.

She recently published her first book ‘Injecting bodies in more-than-human worlds’ (Routledge), which explores ‘bodies’ as a concept and method for understanding injecting drug using practices.

This book was shortlisted for the Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness book prize.

Fay is Co-Director of the Centre for Invention and Social Process.

She is an Associate Editor at the International Journal of Drug Policy and sits on the editorial board for Contemporary Drug Problems.

She co-convenes the BSA Study Groups in New Materialisms and Medical Sociology (London).

She is also a member of Goldsmiths Research Ethics and Integrity Sub-Committee.