Anglia Ruskin University

Professor Tim Waller - Interim Director

Tim Waller is currently both the Interim Director for the Childhood and Youth Research Institute and Professor of Child and Family Studies at the Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education. His substantive research interest concerns ethnographic and participatory research methods and he is particularly interested in research involving children's rights, children's culture and children's everyday lives.

Tim was formerly Reader in Early Years Education and Coordinator of the Childhood Research Cluster at the University of Wolverhampton and Director of Postgraduate Studies in the Department of Childhood Studies at Swansea University.

Previously he taught in nursery, infant and primary schools in London and has also worked in the USA. He has undertaken research on a variety of care and education topics including funded projects for Local Authorities, the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and the Department for Education (DfE). For example, he is currently co-directing a large national project, the 'Longitudinal Evaluation of the Role and Impact of Early Years Professional Status' for the CWDC (2009-12).

Since September 2003 he has been coordinating an ongoing research project designed to investigate children's perspectives of their outdoor play. This project has involved developing and using a range of 'participatory' methods for research with young children. He has also helped to establish the Men in Childcare Network in Wales. Recently, he has been contracted to edit the third edition of An Introduction to Early Childhood: a multi-disciplinary approach to be published by SAGE.

Dr Darren Sharpe - Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Darren Sharpe is a Sociologist and Senior Research Fellow of the Childhood and Youth Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University. He has been expert advisor to the European Commission on youth affairs, and undertaken work on behalf of the UK Central Government, Local Government Association, and the Office for the Children's Commissioner for England, the NHS and AYPH, and for the British Council in Norway and Jordon.

Dr Sharpe's research interests include user involvement in social policy research, innovations in qualitative methods and methodologies, youth citizenship, youth unemployment, intergenerational mobility, suicide and mental health. Prior to his appointment at Anglia Ruskin University Dr Sharpe was a Development Officer at the National Youth Agency a Think Tank on youth policy. Dr Sharp has lectured and undertaken research at the University of Leicester, Loughborough University and Nottingham Trent University in the Social Sciences. He's taught and developed modules including Qualitative Research Methods, Social Structure, and Race, Culture and Society, and Criminal Justice Research.