Dr Nadia Ayed is a Research Associate at I-SPHERE (Institute for Social Policy, Housing and Equalities Research), Heriot-Watt University. Nadia is a mixed-methods, interdisciplinary researcher and based in South-West Scotland.
Nadia contributes to a range of research projects, including the evaluations of Upstream in both Scotland and England, a youth homelessness prevention model, our knowledge and capacity building programme focusing on homelessness and black and minoritised ethnic communities in the UK and Destitution in the UK.
Before joining I-SPHERE, Nadia worked at the Centre for Homelessness Impact, closely involved in the DLUHC funded Test and Learn programme, leading on two randomised control trials which aimed to establish the effectiveness of a supported employment model, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and a volunteer support programme for people who have experienced homelessness and have recently moved into secure housing.
Nadia completed her PhD 2019-2022 at Queen Mary University of London. Her thesis explored experiences of homelessness, housing precarity and care provisioning through a social capital lens. The doctoral project sought to identity what is afforded by social relationships and connections with services and to discern whether such affordances are sufficient in leveraging an individual out of homelessness. It also critically analysed the ways in which social capital is strategised within the sector.
Nadia holds a MSc in Mental Health Research from King’s College London and a BA (Hons) in Psychology, Politics and Sociology at the University of Cambridge.
Research Interests
- Homelessness and housing precarity
- Social capital
- Mental health
- Concepts of care and care giving
- Social theory
- Stigma and identity