Dr Amarpreet Kaur

Amarpreet is a Lecturer in Health Technology and Governance in the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham. Her primary research interests sit at the intersection of reproductive technologies, genomic medicine, and policy. Her wider academic interests include gender studies, EDI matters, student engagement, and widening participation. She is a co-chair of the British Sociological Association’s Human Reproduction Study Group and a former member of the Sociology of Reproduction Research Group (ReproSoc) at the Univeristy of Cambridge.  

Amarpreet undertook her PhD research at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Prof. Sarah Franklin and Dr. Julian Hargreaves. Her research focussed on attitudes towards human germline genome editing as a potential reproductive choice in the United Kingdom, in relation to disease. Her interdisciplinary research drew upon policy and legislation, STS, and disability studies to inform her findings and discussions.  

Amarpreet’s PhD research project was formed of three parts. The first consisted of a mixed-methods online survey of a tailored sample of 521 members of the British public. The second part was formed of interviews with 13 professionals and experts who could speak to the potential future and development of germline genome editing technology in the United Kingdom. And, the final phase was devised of structured interviews with people who are affected by a range of monogenic conditions.   

During her PhD, Amarpreet undertook a Fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology where she wrote POSTnote 611 on Human Germline Genome Editing. This experience furthered Amarpreet’s interests in health policy. Her current interests include contemplating how novel reproductive technologies (such as ectogenesis, and IVG) may be legislated in the United Kingdom and across the globe. She continues to support Cambridge’s SRI Reproduction and has filmed lectures for its first two summer schools. She welcomes researchers in Cambridge to contact her for potential collaborative, and/or interdisciplinary projects.