Dr Louise LawsonAcademic

Biography

Dr Louise Lawson is a Lecturer in Urban Studies and Social Policy in the School of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Glasgow, and an Associate of the School of Health & Wellbeing. Her research examines poverty, health inequalities, and the gendered dynamics of work and care. She was Principal Investigator on a Nuffield Foundation-funded project (2020–2024) on women in multiple low-paid employment, its pathways between work, care and health. She previously served as a Research Fellow on the GoWell Research and Learning Programme, where her interests included community empowerment, regeneration and health, and foodbanks. She received her PhD from the University of Glasgow in 2025, with a thesis on community regeneration in Glasgow and perspectives of poverty and power. She has argued publicly that unpaid care is undervalued in Scottish political debate, and that meaningful social care reform requires wider public understanding of the scope and value of care.

References

1. 1.Dr Louise Lawson – University of Glasgow staff page — Establishes current role (Lecturer, Urban Studies & Social Policy; Associate, School of Health & Wellbeing), office address (25 Bute Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RS), institutional email, and research interests including the Nuffield Foundation project.
2. 2.Why Scotland's 400,000 unpaid carers of working age deserve a better deal – The Scotsman (April 2026) — Confirms press byline as 'lecturer in urban studies and social policy, University of Glasgow'; establishes her public argument that unpaid care is marginalised in Scottish political debate and her research finding that caring pushed women into lower-paid work.
3. 3.Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it – Guardian (via AOL, August 2026) — Confirms press byline 'Lecturer in social policy, University of Glasgow' and her public argument on social care reform and funding.
4. 4.Community regeneration in Glasgow: perspectives of poverty and power – PhD thesis, University of Glasgow (2025) — Establishes award of PhD in 2025 and confirms research focus on poverty, inequalities, women's work, care and health.

Expertise

Cited on

• Unpaid carers
• Adult social care & reform

Stated areas of expertise

• Women and unpaid care
• Social care policy
• Health inequalities
• Poverty and low-paid work
• Community regeneration
• Gender and employment

Notable achievements

• Led a Nuffield Foundation-funded study (2020–2024) on women in multiple low-paid employment — described as the first study of its kind in the UK — examining relationships between multiple low-paid employment, caring responsibilities, and health. Source ↗
• Awarded PhD by the University of Glasgow in 2025 for thesis 'Community regeneration in Glasgow: perspectives of poverty and power'. Source ↗
• Co-authored peer-reviewed article 'Foodbanks as paradoxes of policy and society', published in Voluntary Sector Review (2021). Source ↗
• Published opinion piece in the Guardian arguing that social care reform requires public recognition of the scope and value of care, bylined as Lecturer in social policy, University of Glasgow. Source ↗
• Published op-ed in The Scotsman (April 2026) arguing that Scotland's 400,000 unpaid carers of working age are marginalised in political debate despite caring's importance to Scotland's economy. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “Time is a resource that reflects power, raising the question of who gets to decide how it is spent.”

  Lecturer in social policy, University of Glasgow · Unpaid carers · 27 Aug 2026 · The inequalities of time are stark | Letters ↗

• “Social care is relied on by people of all ages.”

  Lecturer in social policy, University of Glasgow · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it | Letters ↗

Source references

1. The inequalities of time are stark | Letterstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
2. Social care is for us all, and we all must fund it | Letterstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitical/staff/louiselawson
• Press office emailLouise.Lawson@glasgow.ac.ukpublished here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.