Jacqui Gabb, Professor of Sociology and Intimacy at The Open University, has been named among this year’s Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS)
FAcSS is the national academy of academics, learned societies and practitioners in the social sciences, and its mission is to promote social science in the United Kingdom. Recipients of a fellowship will have significant achievements to their name and have contributed to thought leadership, practical application or policy development.
Receiving her Fellowship, Professor Gabb said:
“I am honoured and delighted to receive the conferment of the Award of Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS).”
Incredible achievements
Professor Gabb has been working in the field of family and sexuality studies for over 20 years. Funded investigations over this time include projects on families and intimacy (ESCR), same-sex parenthood (ESRC), relationships and mental health (ISRF), separated fatherhood (AHRC), and LGBTQ+ youth mental health and wellbeing (Wellcome Trust).
Professor Gabb’s research looks at couples and their relationships
Recent research interests have focused on personal life and couple relationships. The Enduring Love? (ESRC) study on couple relationships made global headlines for highlighting the ways that everyday small gestures are core relationship maintenance behaviours. The scale and reach accomplished by the project established her as the leading UK relationships research expert. This reputational standing has led to a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership with a start-up tech company to develop an evidence-based Android/iOS app, launched this month. Paired aims to improve couple relationship quality through daily questions, quizzes, tips, and courses.
In other research she is collaborating with colleagues in WELS, UCL, Cardiff University and Brook (a national charity which provides clinical sexual health, education and wellbeing services for young people) on a Wellcome Trust funded public engagement project ‘Engaging Sexual Stories’. This will repurpose and further extend Natsal (National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles) data into interactive online resources for young people, teachers, and the general public.
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