Essentials of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Jonathan A. Smith, DPhil, is a professor of psychology at Birkbeck University of London, United Kingdom, where he leads the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) Research Group and teaches qualitative methods at all levels. Previously, he held academic positions at the Universities of Keele and Sheffield after completing his doctorate at the University of Oxford. He developed IPA as a particular experiential qualitative approach in psychology, and he has applied it to a wide range of research questions, many in health and illness. He was elected an Honorary Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2020.

Isabella E. Nizza is a qualitative researcher who specializes in researching the lived experience of chronic health conditions using IPA. For many years a corporate trainer and consultant, she is now part of the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Research Group within the Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London, where she also teaches qualitative methods. At the moment, she is working on a randomized controlled trial testing a psychological support intervention for young people with epilepsy, using IPA to assess the intervention's psychological outcomes and process.