Dr Nicola Smithers graduated from the University of Northampton in 2004 with BA in Law with Criminology. After working at Shoosmith’s Solicitors as a case handler for a year, she decided to pursue a career in academia and went back to university to complete a Master’s of Law (LLM) in 2006. She took up a full-time position at the University of Northampton as a lecturer in law upon completion of her Masters.
In 2012, Nicola began her PhD as a part-time student. Her thesis focused on the lived experiences of parents involved in decisions to withhold or withdraw treatment from their critically ill baby and it was awarded in July 2019. She is currently in the process of securing publications from her PhD and in addition, is working on a project to extend current understandings of children’s experiences of the loss of a sibling or parent.
Nicola is also a member of CHELSIG (Children’s Healthcare Ethics and Law Speciality Interest Group) which is an independent, membership based, organisation closely allied to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Ethics and Law Advisory Committee. It is a multidisciplinary professionals group seeking to explore ethical and legal issues affecting children and their healthcare. She also sits on the University of Northampton’s Research Ethics Committee.
