The Oral History Unit was our core team of internationally recognised oral historians, who had specialist interests in social justice, labour, rural, and women’s history as well as medical humanities. The team was based in Newcastle University's School of History, Classics and Archaeology and when the unit was established in 2017.

From 2018 our core team consisted of oral historians with experience across academic and community settings. Together the team brought together many years of local, national and international experience and expertise. This included working in development oral history, labour history, memory studies, heritage and the history of inequalities. Collectively the team built a portfolio of work that promoted the transformative power of oral history practice and theory. 

The Unit was led by Professor Graham Smith with three research associates. Dr Alison Atkinson-Phillips, Sue Bradley and Dr Andy Clark and four associate researchers: Rosie Bush, Silvie Fisch, Dr Kath Smith and Liz O'Donnell. 

Siobhan Warrington joined as a Senior Research Associate between 2019 and 2024 on the Living Deltas Research Hub before assuming an Associate Researcher's position with the Collective. Alison and Andy moved on to new and more secure lecturing contracts in Australia, in 2023 and Scotland in 2024. In these years, we were also ably supported by our blog editor and student intern Charlotte Stobart. 

New Associate Researchers were appointed, replacing Rosie and Kath between 2022 and 2024. Jack Hepworth, replaced Alison in an associated public history lecturing role. And Joe Redmayne as a Research Associate joined to work on the Women and Shipbuilding project with Historic England (2023-24) before winning a Leverhulme fellowship in 2025.