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Cara Molyneux

Research

  • Organisation Work and Technology
Type of address: Postal address.
Charles Carter Building
LA1 4YX
Lancaster

Email: c.j.molyneux1@lancaster.ac.uk

SUMMARY of research interests (100 words)

My current research is focussed on the adoption of AI technology in professional service firms, drawing upon Organisational Studies theory. Alongside this I continue to research the structural and relational barriers that sustain the disability employment gap. I draw upon a wide literature base including business leadership and human resource management to understand the cultural dynamics that can either create enabling or disabling experiences of work. While I am interested in what makes work 'good' for disabled people, I am equally keen to understand how smaller businesses can be better supported to improve disabled people's experience of work. My doctoral studies found that smaller organisations play a critical role in offering employment to disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, yet Government policy often neglects the needs of smaller employers in terms of information, advice, guidance and funding (either direct or indirectly via tax incentives) and other resources such as access to legal advice, human resource expertise, and occupational health services. Yet, despite these potential weaknesses in provision, disabled people report feeling welcome and accepted in smaller oganisations. These are interesting insights and ones which I hope to explore further. 

 



Employment

Senior Research Associate

Research

Organisation Work and Technology

Lancaster University

Lancaster, United Kingdom

2/10/2023 → present

Senior Research Associate

Research

Health Research

Lancaster University

Lancaster, United Kingdom

1/11/202130/09/2022

Senior Research Associate

Research

Health Research

Lancaster University

Lancaster, United Kingdom

1/11/202130/09/2022

PhD, Conservatism and conditionality: Disabled people's access to supported work programmes

Sociology

Lancaster University

Lancaster, United Kingdom

Supervised by: Christopher Geoffrey Grover

1/10/201712/10/2021

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

University of Leeds

United Kingdom

1/10/202230/09/2023

Student Assessor

Office for Students

15/02/2019 → …

PGR

Centre for Disability Research, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YT, UK.

1/09/2017 → …

Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)

15/01/2015 → …

Student Reviewer

QAA Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

15/01/2015 → …

Research outputs

Navigating serial inequities: the unmet support needs of disabled entrepreneurs

Holland, P., Molyneux, C. & Winstanley, J., 25/01/2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Disability & Society.

Why employer inflexibility matters for the recruitment, retention and progression of disabled workers

Molyneux, C., 30/09/2023, In: Disability and Society. 38, 4, p. 723-728 6 p.

Flex-able Working: Disabled People and Small-Medium Size Enterprise Employers

Molyneux, C., 30/06/2022.

Pandemic Stories from the UK: Disabled people's Experience of Employment in Socially Distanced Times

Molyneux, C., 1/03/2022.

Disabled People, Work, and Small-Medium-Size Enterprises (SMEs)

Molyneux, C., 09/2021, Lancaster University. 237 p.

Report on the impact on the mental health of mortgage prisoners

Molyneux, C., 6/01/2020, Mortgage Prisoner Action Group.

Landscapes of Exclusion: A Qualitative Study of Small and Medium Size Employers (SME’s) and Disabled People: Labour market relations, employment and occupation

Molyneux, C. J., 6/05/2019, Nordic Network for Disability Research - Copenhagen, Denmark.

Employment and Support Allowance: State Crafting the “Disability Category”

Molyneux, C. J., 11/09/2018, Centre for Disability Research (CeDR) Lancaster University.

Disabled people, work and SMEs: An exploration of experience and attitudes

Molyneux, C. J., 14/07/2018, Lancaster University Postgraduate Intellectual Party Conference.

Activities

41st EGOS Colloquium - Athens, The American College of Greece

Molyneux, C. (Speaker) & Faulconbridge, J. (Speaker)

3/07/20255/07/2025

MS and Employment in the UK

Molyneux, C. (Speaker)

3/06/2025

Professions Fest 2025

Molyneux, C. (Speaker) & Faulconbridge, J. (Speaker)

19/05/202520/05/2025

TiPS Technology Adoption Festival 2025

Molyneux, C. (Speaker) & Faulconbridge, J. (Speaker)

14/05/2025

TiPS Festival of Technology Adoption

Molyneux, C. (Chair)

22/01/202426/01/2024

British Sociological Association

Molyneux, C. (Speaker)

15/09/2023

Social Policy Association

Molyneux, C. (Speaker)

7/07/2023

Deakin University

Molyneux, C. (Visiting researcher)

10/03/202328/03/2023

Festival of Digital Adoption in Professional Service Firms

Molyneux, C. (Chair)

22/01/2023

Disability and Society (Journal)

Molyneux, C. (Peer reviewer)

1/10/2022 → …

British Sociological Association conference

Molyneux, C. (Speaker), Holland, P. (Contributor) & Winstanley, J. (Contributor)

14/09/2022

Nordic Network for Disability Research (NNDR)

Molyneux, C. (Speaker)

6/05/2019

Disability Studies Conference CeDR (international)

Molyneux, C. (Speaker)

12/09/2018

Prizes

ESRC 1+3

Molyneux, C. (Recipient), 1/10/2016

ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship

Molyneux, C. (Recipient), 1/10/2022

Projects

TiPS: Accelerating Innovation Adoption in Next Generation Professional Service Firms

Spring, M. (Principal Investigator), Faulconbridge, J. (Co-Investigator), Mason, K. (Co-Investigator), Molyneux, C. (Senior Research Associate), Southall, D. (Consultant), Hyman, J. (Consultant) & Knowles, S. (Project Manager)

1/05/2330/09/25

Hidden Voices: Growing Up as the Child of a Mortgage Prisoner

Molyneux, C. (Co-Investigator) & Renehan, N. (Co-Investigator)

1/08/2028/02/21

Improving the recruitment and work retention of disabled workers: What are the unmet informational and support needs of small business employers and disabled business owners?

Molyneux, C. (Senior Research Associate)

1/11/2131/10/22

UK Mortgage Prisoners: A Rapid Thematic Report on Key Workers.

Molyneux, C. (Co-Investigator) & Renehan, N. (Co-Investigator)

16/04/2010/06/20

Press/Media

‘I’m sitting on a timebomb’: legal action gives renewed hope to 200,000 mortgage prisoners

Molyneux, C.

23/01/20

1 item of Media coverage

Mortgage prisoner group flags mental health issues

Molyneux, C.

27/01/20

1 item of Media coverage

Mortgage prisoners: Heart attacks, strokes and suicides caused by stress, survey reveals

Molyneux, C.

23/01/20

1 item of Media coverage

Releasing the mortgage prisoners Final report November 2020

Molyneux, C.

1/11/20

1 item of Media coverage

Impacts

Policy Engagement - POST note: Invisible Disabilities in Education and Employment

Molyneux, C. (Participant)

Impact: Cultural Impacts, Economic Impacts, Political Impacts, Societal Impacts

Policy engagement - to help find solutions for UK mortgage prisoners

Molyneux, C. (Participant)

Impact: Political Impacts, Economic Impacts, Health Impact, Societal Impacts, Legal Impact

Qualifications

PhD, Disabled People, Work and SMEs, Lancaster University

1/10/20171/06/2021

Award Date: 13/10/2021

MA, Social Research, Lancaster University

1/10/20167/07/2017

Award Date: 7/07/2017

BA, Disability Studies (Inclusive Practice), University Centre Blackburn College (UCBC)

5/09/201325/06/2016

Award Date: 29/07/2016