Professor Vicky Singleton

Emeritus Professor

Research Interests

Key Words

Materiality, practices, care, technoscience, feminist theory, health, medicine, policy, gender constitution and enactment, standardization and generalisation, science and technology studies, (after) actor-network theory.

General Research Activities

I am an interdisciplinary scholar, bringing feminist theory and methods together with sociological and cultural perspectives to study health, medicine, science and technology. I work within the discipline of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and its sub-discipline Science, Technology and Medicine Studies (STM).

My work has contributed to the development and growth of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) - a major and influential approach to STS that is widely used in numerous disciplines including organisational studies, health and medicine studies, social psychology, empirical philosophy, history, sociology and feminist studies. My work put ANT into conversation with feminist method and theory. My ANT inspired approach explores care as situated entanglements of non-human and human actors and explores the implications of this for fostering and supporting the best possible care practices.

Prior to my academic career I trained as a Registered General Nurse and I work with professional practitioners, service users and activists in order to contribute to policy and concrete practice as well as to theory. I carry out qualitative studies of doing care and policy on the ground: the research explores the complexities of practice essential to good care, but which often escape the managerial or policy-oriented approaches.

My current research projects are:

2018 - Being a digitised cancer patient (with Professor Pierre Martin-Hirsch and Lancashire Acute Hospitals Trust, linked to an ESRC CASE Award and a Swedish International Visiting Researcher Grant)

2017 - Living with Dying: palliative care (with Dr Steve Mee and and hospice staff and clients)

Previous projects:

2010 - 2016 Compassion in practice (with Dr Steve Mee, University of Cumbria and local community)

2007 - 2010 The impact of the Cattle Tracing System on the care work of farmers (with Fylde and Wyre farmers)

2001 - 2007 Women’s choice and Caesarean Section (with Liverpool Women’s Hospital and an NHS Fellow, Dr Carol Kingdon)

1999 - 2003 Training healthy citizens: CPR in the community (with Heart of Lancashire Charity)

1998 - 2000 The care trajectory of patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease (with Dr Peter Isaacs and a local acute Hospital Trust)

1999 - 2001 Sickness Absence at a District Land Registry (with Dr Anne Grinyer and HM Land Registry)

External student funding

  • Eight ESRC Collaborative studentships (CASE Awards) and 4 NHS funded studentships.
  • 3ESRC studentships, 2 AHRC studentships, 1 NERC studentship
  • Oversees funding including Mexican, Canadian, Spanish, Chinese and Portuguese Governments.

Selected Publications


Singleton, V., Law, J. 28/01/2013 In: Journal of Cultural Economy. 6, 3, p. 259-277. 19 p.
Journal article


Law, J., Afdal, G., Asdal, K., Lin, W., Singleton, V. 2014 In: Common Knowledge. 20, 1, p. 172-192. 21 p.
Journal article


16/05/2021 → 30/09/2022
Research


16/05/2019 → 30/09/2022
Research


01/10/2018 → 30/09/2021
Research


01/01/2017 → 01/01/2020
Research


01/03/2013 → …
Research


01/10/2010 → 30/09/2016
Research


01/01/2007 → 01/01/2010
Other


01/01/2006 → …
Other


01/10/2001 → 01/10/2007
Research


01/01/1999 → 01/01/2001
Research


Invited talk


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Other


Other


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Other


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Membership of committee


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Editorial activity


Membership of committee


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Membership of committee


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Visiting an external academic institution


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Participation in workshop, seminar, course


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in conference -Mixed Audience


Participation in workshop, seminar, course

  • Centre for Gender Studies
  • Centre for Science Studies