Samantha A. Shave

I'm an academic with expertise in British welfare policies from the eighteenth century to the present day. My work focuses on the historical development and impact of welfare, health, and wellbeing policies. I have an interdisciplinary approach and a wealth of experience on research projects in the modern era, collaborating with academics in across the social sciences and humanities. 

I joined Strathclyde in November 2024 as a Research Associate on the project 'Border Crossings: Charity and Voluntarism in Britain's Mixed Economy of Health Care since 1948'. Before joining the University of Strathclyde I held a Senior Lectureship in Social Policy at the University of Lincoln.

I have Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS, 2020-present) and Fellowship status of the HEA/Advance HE (FHEA, 2019-present). 

My academic qualifications, BA (Hons) in Geography (2005), MSc in Social Policy (2006), and a PhD (2010), were obtained from the University of Southampton. 

My research interests include the following: 

• The development of British welfare policies from 1700 to the present day
• The history of the mixed economy of welfare 
• The development and impact of the poor laws and institutionalisation 
• Power and influence in the policy process

Teaching Experiences

I have taught my subject specialism to undergraduate and postgraduate students in several universities in the UK over the last 18 years. This includes topics on welfare and health, welfare states, social security, the mixed economy of welfare including the voluntary and private sectors. I have considerable experience teaching core social science and humanities modules, including research methods and design, research ethics, social science issues and concepts, and academic study skills.

I have lots of experience in developing and reviewing degree programmes, and the revalidation process, in addition to designing and leading new modules.

I have supervised a significant range of student research projects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including work-based dissertation projects. I have supervised doctoral research students and acted as an external PhD examiner at the Universities of Durham and Essex.  

Academic Leadership

I was Programme Leader (aka Programme Director in some HEIs) of the Social Policy, and Sociology and Social Policy, undergraduate degree programmes at the University of Lincoln (2018-2019).

My other leadership roles within the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Lincoln included Digital Education Lead (2020-2021), during the pandemic lockdowns, and Careers and Employability Lead (2021-2024), focusing on managing and undertaking School initiatives linked to the Graduate Outcomes. 

Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy

I gained Fellowship of the HEA in 2019. I am currently developing my application for Senior Fellowship of the HEA. 

I have managed knowledge exchange programmes on a range of academic funded projects, co-creating publications, resources and CPD events with archives, charities, educational organisations, and school teachers.  

My consultancy experience with print and broadcast media, conveying histories and experiences of welfare provision, enables me to reach broad audiences.