A Durham University researcher has secured a major early-career award for a five-year project that aims to reshape how Tourette Syndrome is understood, with the work placing the experiences of Tourettic people at its centre.
Dr Daniel P. Jones, from the university’s Institute for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology, was awarded a Wellcome Early-Career Award, according to a Durham University announcement published on 21 September 2026.
Tourette Syndrome is a disability characterised by uncontrollable movements and vocalisations known as tics. The university says the condition affects an estimated 1–2% of the global population, while research and public discussion have often been dominated by biomedical and deficit-focused approaches.
A different approach to Tourette Syndrome
Jones’s project, titled Towards Tourettic Futures, will explore Tourette Syndrome as a lived, cultural and political experience shaped by identity, community and digital technologies. The project will look beyond questions of diagnosis, symptoms and cure to examine culture, identity, creativity and community.
Particular attention will be given to Tourettic people whose experiences have historically been underrepresented in research, including people from global majority ethnic, queer and trans communities. The research will centre their knowledge and experiences rather than treating them only as subjects of medical study.
To do this, the project will use interviews, ethnography, zine-making and movement workshops. It will examine how online therapy, wearable devices and social media are influencing diagnosis, treatment, stigma, community building and people’s understanding of themselves.
Jones said: “I am delighted that Wellcome has recognised the importance of this work”.
International partnerships and potential impact
The Durham-led project will involve organisations, researchers and Tourettic communities across four countries. Named partners include TIC Hull and Yorkshire, the Tourette Association of Canada, the Tourette Association of Malaysia and the Tourette Association of New Zealand.
The university said the findings could create new possibilities for future research into Tourette Syndrome, public understanding, healthcare practice and policy. The work will bring together sociology, creative methods, critical disability scholarship and international academic and charity partners.
Professor Angela Woods, of the Institute for Medical Humanities, described the award as an achievement that would help demonstrate the value of medical humanities approaches to health research and establish Durham as a leading centre for the study of Tourette Syndrome.
Professor Tiago Moreira, of the Department of Sociology, said the project would build on the department’s collaborative and community-led research into health, health activism and social justice.
Towards Tourettic Futures is due to run from September 2026 until 2031. It will be hosted by Durham University’s Institute for Medical Humanities and Department of Sociology.