Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in the fields of alcohol and other drug use including methodological advances in the field.
Public outreach & key achievements
With 20+ years of research expertise, Gillian Shorter is a leading authority in harm reduction psychology and addiction science. She has successfully supervised 15 Doctoral students into high-impact careers in academia, healthcare, policy, and the private sector. With over 100 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Shorter has collaborated with researchers in over 33 countries in the last five years, reinforcing her reputation as a highly collaborative and internationally networked researcher in the field.
Dr. Shorter led the evaluation of the UK’s first overdose prevention site, producing influential evidence of its positive impact on community health and safety. She also leads the evaluation of the first drug consumption room/safe injecting facility in Ireland. Her work directly shapes evidence-based policy and harm reduction strategies locally and globally. She is a global leader in developing consensus-based core outcome sets for brief alcohol interventions, drug consumption rooms, and substance use treatment—advancing consistent, measurable, and impactful approaches to public health evaluation and treatment effectiveness.
Currently serving as the President of the Kettil Bruun Society (KBS) for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (Presidential term 2025–2027), Dr. Shorter is a prominent voice in global alcohol and other drug policy. She has been invited to present her research at the United Nations and prestigious centers of excellence, including at University of Toronto, Stockholm University, University of New South Wales, and Tampere University.
A sought-after science communicator, she regularly engages with the public through media appearances, including BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, The Independent, podcasts, and invited talks. She is committed to enhancing public understanding of alcohol and other drug harm reduction and translating complex psychological research into accessible insights.
Research students
| PhD area | Understanding individual and health factors which contribute to uptake in Ireland |
| Name | Caoimhe Shields |
| Years of study | 2023 - present |
| PhD area | Exploring the relationship between harm reduction provision and the lived experience of people who use drugs: A comparative rapid ethnographic study between the UK, Canada and Greece |
| Name | Benjamin Scher |
| Years of study | 2022 - present |
| PhD area | Treatment options for long-term alcohol dependence |
| Name | John McQuaide |
| Years of study | 2019 - present |
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD area | The psychosocial impact of online problem gambling |
| Name | Dr Abby Hunter |
| Current position | Regional Tobacco Manager at Public Health England |
| PhD area | Hooked on the Internet: The Prevalence, Risk, Theory and Presenting Problem of Internet Addiction |
| Name | Dr Daria Kuss |
| Current position | Associate Professor in Psychology, Nottingham Trent University |
| PhD area | The Challenges of Replicating Drug Consumption Room Policy in Australia and Canada: A Comparative Exploration of Policy Transfer |
| Name | Dr Vanessa Gstrein |
| Current position | Assistant Director Skills Canberra |
Discover More