Jane Kelly Promoted to Rank of Senior Research Officer
In November 2023, Dr Jane Kelly, from the Adolescent Accelerators Research Hub (AARHub), was promoted to the rank of Senior Research Officer. Dr Kelly works as part of the the HEY BABY team as well as other projects that contribute to furthering adolescent health and well-being.
Her well-deserved achievement encapsulates the outstanding contributions she has made to the field thus far. Dr. Jane Kelly has an extensive background in research psychology, with specific research interests in the resilience of young people, evidence-informed policy implementation and supporting pregnant and parent learners to access health services and return to school.
She completed her tertiary education at the University of Cape Town and holds a B.Soc.Sci.(Hons) in Psychology and an MA in Psychological Research. In 2018 she earned her PhD (Psychology, UCT) focusing on the narratives of gang desistence among former gang members. She also has been published extensively in prestigious academic journals including Psychology, Health & Medicine and BMC Public Health.
She has experience working in both academic and government settings, having worked as the assistant director of policy and research at the Western Cape Government in 2019, Conducting quantitative and qualitative research on violence, crime and safety.
She began her post as a Research Officer at the Centre for Social Science Research (CSSR) in October 2020, and was awarded her promotion in 2023. She is currently the lead qualitative investigator for a sub-study of the HEY BABY project, that explores protective pathways to promote resilience amongst adolescent parents and their children in South Africa. Additionally, she serves as the leader for HEY BABY’s collaborative project with the Department of Basic Education (South Africa) to develop a support package for pregnant and mother learners.
Congratulations are extended to Dr Jane Kelly for her contribution to the CSSR and enduring commitment to improve the lives of young people. We wish her well in her post as Senior Research Officer.