Dr Sarah Carter-Walshaw

Profile

My educational background is in philosophy, medical ethics, and bioethics. I have a BA in Philosophy from Roehampton University and an MA in Health Care Ethics from the IDEA Centre at the University of Leeds. After my Masters, I completed an AHRC-funded PhD in Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence at the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy at the University of Manchester; my thesis explored the ethical and legal implications of Moral Bioenhancement. Throughout my time at Manchester I also worked as an ethics tutor in the Leeds Institute of Medical Education.

Following submission of my PhD in 2017, I worked at Lancaster University as a postdoctoral research associate on the Wellcome Trust funded project ‘The Donation and Transfer of Reproductive Materials’, where I explored ethical issues relating to in vitro gametogenesis (for reproductive purposes), uterus transplants, and ectogenesis. In 2018 I joined the IDEA Centre as a lecturer in applied and interdisciplinary ethics. 

Responsibilities

• Programme Lead BA/MA Biomedical Health Care Ethics
• IDEA Academic Lead for Dentistry

Research interests

My principal research interests regard the ethical, social, and legal implications of emerging and hypothetical biotechnologies and interventions. I have a particular interest in the ethics of bioenhancement (especially moral bioenhancement) and the ethics of emerging reproductive technologies (such as IVG and artificial wombs). I am also interested in the ethical questions raised when making postmortem arrangements for ourselves and others. A list of my publications can be found on Google Scholar.

Qualifications

• BA Philosophy (University of Roehampton)
• MA Health Care Ethics (IDEA, University of Leeds)
• PhD Bioethics and Medical Jurisprudence (CSEP, University of Manchester)

Professional memberships

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Student education

I oversee the IDEA Centre's provision of ethics teaching in the School of Dentistry and deliver teaching as part of this role. I teach on, and am Programme Lead for the BA/MA Biomedical and Health Care Ethics programme at the IDEA Centre. I also deliver ethics teaching in the School of Chemistry.

I supervise MA dissertations on the MA Biomedical and Health Care Ethics (both campus and online) and I am interested in supervision of PhDs in medical ethics more broadly – but particularly in enhancement ethics, or in the ethics of emerging reproductive biotechnologies.

My office hours are typically 1-2pm on Thursday and Friday. However, as my timetable can be very irregular, I recommend emailing me in advance in case I am not available on the day.