Professor Paula Saukko’s research explores the sociological and cultural aspects of health and mental health. 

She has a long-term interest in the analysis of eating disorders and how they have been understood within historical, popular, lived and treatment contexts. 

Her other work includes research collaborations with the NHS around genetic testing for common complex conditions and cardiovascular screening as well as antibiotic prescribing for older adults. 

Her first degree – awarded by the University of Tampere in Finland – is in Journalism, and she briefly worked as a political reporter. 

When she was awarded a Fulbright Studentship to study for a PhD in Communications, she relocated to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. 

In the UK, she has worked at the universities of Leicester and Exeter – and joined us in 2007.