Nicky Hudson is a medical sociologist with expertise in the social, cultural and political significance of reproduction, in/fertility and reproductive technologies. She also researches the chronic condition, endometriosis, and its intersection with reproductive decision-making and health care experiences. Her research is characterised by a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, co-production, social translation and impact.
Nicky has led a number of large-scale research projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, the National Institute for Health Research and the Foundation for Sociology of Health and Illness. She is editor of the leading journal, Sociology of Health and Illness, and is co-editor of the book series, Reproduction and Society, published by Liverpool University Press.
Her research has been influential in the regulation and management of fertility treatment in the UK and Europe. This includes membership of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Fertility Guideline Committee (2023- ), the Nuffield Council on Bioethics Advisory Group on the 14-day rule (2025-), and the British Fertility Society’s Law Policy and Ethics Special Interest Group (2021-). She has been invited to give evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee (Commons Select Committee), and advised policy and professional bodies including, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Royal College of Nursing, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and the International Infertility Counselling Organisation.
Nicky’s portfolio of research covers research on a range of topics related to reproductive health, gender and technology. Her current work explores the emergence of new forms of genetic carrier screening for non-at risk couples (PRECAS); and the impact of direct-to-consumer testing on the landscape of UK donor conception (ConnecteDNA). She has conducted large-scale, comparative research on egg donation in Europe. Her work considers a range of social, ethical and economic implications of reproduction and health-related technologies and the situatedness of their organisation and uptake.
Nicky is an expert in qualitative research methodologies and trains students at all levels in these approaches. She also teaches on the sociology of gender, health, technologies, families and reproduction.
Current PhD projects include:
- Notions of ‘family’ in neonatal care: taking account of family diversity in contemporary society ESRC DTP Collaborative Studentship with University of Leicester and Bliss (2026-2030) Open for recruitment.
- Julie Morgan (2025-2029) Exploring the Role of Virtual Reality in Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Sociotechnical Perspective.
- Aishwarya Viswamitra (2024-2027) Endometriosis and paid employment at the intersection: understanding organisational and lived experiences of a chronic condition. ESRC DTP Collaborative Studentship with De Montfort University and Endometriosis UK.
- Hudson N, Weis C, Pavone V, Herbrand C, Provoost V. The emergence of egg intermediaries in the European fertility landscape: the creation of value in reproductive bioeconomies. Soc Sci Med. 2025 Oct; 383:118448. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118448.
- Nordqvist P, Gilman L, Redhead C, Fox M, Hudson N, MacCallum F, Frith L. Relational dynamite: Engagements with kinship at the interface of donor conception and DNA testing. Soc Sci Med. 2025 Oct;382:118354. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118354
- Gilman, L. Nordqvist, P. Hudson, N. and Frith, L. (2025) What’s the right age to know your donor relatives? Exploring the generational ordering of kinship through decisions about DNA testing and donor conception. The Sociological Review https://doi.org/10.1177/00380261241309488
- Hudson, N. Herbrand, C. Culley, L. (2025) The emergence and use of expanded carrier screening in gamete donation: a new form of repro-genetic selection. Bioethics. doi: 10.1111/bioe.13349
- Homanen, R. McBride, N. Hudson. N. (2024). Artificial Intelligence and Assisted Reproductive Technology: Applying a Reproductive Justice Lens. European Journal of Women's Studies 10.1177/13505068241258053
- Law, C. Hudson, N. Mitchell, H. Culley, L. & Norton, W. (2024) ‘You feel like you’re drifting apart’: a qualitative study of the impacts of endometriosis on sex and intimacy amongst heterosexual couples. Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 1-24 https://doi.org/10.1080/14681994.2024.2306316
- Hudson, N. (2022) The missed disease? Endometriosis as an example of ‘undone science’, Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online, 14: 20-27. DOI: 10.1016/j.rbms.2021.07.003
- Hudson, N. (2020). Egg donation imaginaries: embodiment, ethics, and future family formation. Sociology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038519868625