Benjamin Costello

About
Benjamin Costello

BA (Hons), MA, PhD, FRSA, FHEA, FInstLM

Research Fellow and Teaching Associate at the University of Birmingham, Journal Copy Editor at Evental Aesthetics, and Director/Trustee of BARN and Redditch Nightstop.

An experienced researcher, teacher, and advisor in applied/practical ethics, mental health, and social policy.

Currently engaged in qualitative research in mental health and FGM, and conceptual research in applied ethics (particularly prevention and early intervention).
Experience

Research Posts

Research Fellow in FGM
Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham
April 2019 – Present

Research Fellow in Mental Health
Health Services Management Centre, College of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham
October 2018 – March 2019

Research Fellow in Corpus Linguistics
School of English, Drama, and American and Canadian Studies, College or Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
October 2018 – January 2019

Research Associate in Mental Health, Member of the Secretariat, and Advisor to the Mental Health Policy Commission
School of Social Policy, College of Social Sciences, University of Birmingham
September 2016 – July 2018

Research Assistant in Philosophy
Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
November 2013 – October 2014

Teaching Posts

Teaching Associate
Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFi), University of Birmingham
September 2019 – Present

Academic Writing Tutor
Academic Writing Advisory Service, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
February 2015 – Present

Academic Skills Advisor
Academic Skills Centre, University of Birmingham
October 2017 – Present

Teaching Associate in Philosophy
Department of Philosophy, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
October 2014 – March 2019

Subject Workshop Instructor in Philosophy and Mental Health
Outreach and Recruitment, University of Birmingham
January 2014 – October 2019

Academic-Related Posts

Student Experience Officer
Birmingham Law School, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
March 2016 – June 2016 (Secondment)

Project Co-ordinator
Bank of Assessed Work, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham
November 2014 – July 2016

Voluntary Posts

Director and Trustee
Redditch Nightstop
July 2019 – Present

Journal Copy Editor
Evental Aesthetics
April 2019 – Present

Director and Trustee
Bromsgrove and Redditch Network (BARN)
February 2019 – Present

For details and to view my full employment history, visit LinkedIn.
Education

University of Birmingham

Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, Philosophy

Thesis Title:
Moral Sequencing and Intervening to Prevent Harm

Supervisors: Lisa Bortolotti and Iain Law
Examiners: Jonathan Parry and Patrick Tomlin

Awarded in 2019

University of Southampton

Master of Arts, MA, Philosophy

Thesis Title:
What is Paedophilic Behaviour and Why is it Immoral? An Investigation into the Language and Ethics of Being Sexually Involved with Minors

Supervisor: Denis McManus

Merit, awarded in 2013

University of Southampton

Bachelor of Arts, BA (Hons.), Philosophy

Thesis Title:
Is a ‘Mental Illness’ a Deviation from an Established ‘Norm’? An Investigation into the Concept of ‘Mental Illness’

Supervisor: Conor McHugh

First Class with Honours, awarded in 2012
Research
Main research areas include:

Moral sequencing

Intervention and early response

Decision-making

Mental health

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C)

Action and responsibility
Publications
Commission Reports

Burstow, P., Newbigging, K., Tew, J., and Costello, B. (2018). Investing in a Resilient Generation: Keys to a Mentally Prosperous Nation. Birmingham: University of Birmingham. Available at: www.birmingham.ac.uk/mhpc

Watch Video

Journal Articles

Newbigging, K., Rees, J. Ince, R., Mohan, J., Joseph, D., Ashman, M., Norden, B., Dare, C., Bourke, S., and Costello, B. (2019). 'The contribution of the voluntary sector to mental health crisis care in England: a mixed methods study'. Health Services and Delivery Research.

Jones, L., Danks, E., Clarke, J., Alidu, L., Costello, B., Jolly, K., Byrne, A., Fassam-Wright, M., Latthe, P., and Taylor, J. (2019). 'Exploring the views of female genital mutilation survivors, their male partners and healthcare professionals on the timing of deinfibulation surgery and NHS FGM care provision (the FGM Sister Study): protocol for a qualitative study'. BMJ Open, 9(10): e034140. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-034140

2 papers currently under review and 6 papers in preparation

Online Articles

Jones, L., Costello, B., Danks, E., and Cross-Sudworth, F. (2020). 'Female genital mutilation (FGM): an increasingly important healthcare challenge in the UK'. The Birmingham Brief. Available at: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/thebirminghambrief/items/2020/02/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-an-increasingly-important-healthcare-challenge-in-the-uk.aspx

Burstow, P. and Costello, B. (2016). 'A New Paradigm for Mental Health'. Birmingham Perspective. Available at: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/perspective/mental-health-awareness-day-2016.aspx
Talks
Talks

Invited to give talks, lectures, and workshops at the University of Birmingham for outreach events, widening participation events, campus visits, residential summer schools, TeachFirst events, public talks, and other events.

Talks have included:
'Investing in a Resilient Generation'
'How can we tell if someone is mentally ill? A Philosophical Approach to Psychiatry'
'Mental Illness, Involuntary Hospitalisation, and Nosological Uncertainty'
'Finding Normality in Mental Illness'

Please see my CV for the full list of talks.

Conference Presentations

Costello, B. and Danks, E. (2019) ‘The FGM Sister Study’. North West Central Social Care Conference, Tally-Ho! Birmingham, 03/07/2019

Costello, B. and Taylor, N. (2019) Exploiting Technologies to Improve the Module Evaluation Questionnaire (MEQ) Feedback-Loop. Higher Education Futures Institute (HEFI) Conference 2019, University of Birmingham, 20-21/06/2019

Costello, B. (2019) Moral Sequencing and Intervening to Prevent Harm, Research Poster Conference 2019, University of Birmingham, 19/06/2019

Costello, B. And Finan, L. (2015) Advocating Active Learning: Developments in the College of Arts and Law Bank of Assessed Work. 12th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference, University of Birmingham, 23/06/2015
Memberships
Learned Societies, Professional Institutions, and Professional Associations

Fellow (FRSA), The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)
Fellow (FHEA), Higher Education Academy (HEA)
Fellow (FInstLM), The Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)
Member, Q
Member, The British Philosophical Association (BPA)
Skills
Research

Teaching

Outreach and Public Engagement

Proofreading and Copyediting

Advising and Consultancy

Content Creation

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