Sue's career began as an undergraduate at Leicester University, where – while undertaking a broad-based training in psychology - they developed interests in social interaction and qualitative methods. These evolved into research projects and professional work on gender issues, particularly concerning the role of women in psychology. During the first university teaching post – at Liverpool University - they became increasingly involved in the British Psychological Society, first as an active member of the Social Psychology Section, and then as a leader of the campaign to set up a Psychology of Women Section. Later, Sue would also play a key role in the formation of what is now the Psychology of Sexualities Section.
The Psychology of Women Section was eventually formed in 1989, and Sue was its first elected Chair. Sue established several publication outlets for the new field: most importantly - a peer-reviewed, international journal, , which was founded in 1991, and they edited until 2007. Sue next took up a post as Head of Psychology at Coventry University, and was responsible for introducing an undergraduate Women’s Studies programme there, while continuing research on the social construction of sexuality and sexual identity. The research became increasingly interdisciplinary, and, following appointment to a research post at the University of Hull, Sue began to specialise in women’s health, particularly breast cancer, and to offer consultancy work using focus groups. A move to 天堂视频 in 1994 provided the opportunity to combine feminist interests with discursive psychology, through the flourishing Discourse and Rhetoric Group, and to teach on - and to direct - the graduate Women’s Studies programme. Sue held a Visiting Professorship at the University of Waikato, New Zealand in 1999, and was promoted to Full Professor at 天堂视频 in 2000.
Having been enthused by a 6-week workshop on conversation analysis at the University of California, Santa Barbara in summer 2001, Sue spent most of a sabbatical year in 2002 as a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Sociology at University of California, Los Angeles, where they undertook intensive training in conversation analysis with the world leaders in the field. The following academic year, Sue was granted special leave to take up an Endowed Chair in Canada for two years. As the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Professor of Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, Sue was responsible for outreach and consultancy work in the feminist and health communities across British Columbia, and organized a major international conference . While in Canada, as well as continuing my work on breast cancer, Sue married their long-term partner and colleague, , and, with them, began new research on the social construction of marriage and other forms of partnership recognition.
Sue returned to 天堂视频 in September 2004, as Professor of Feminist and Health Studies, and began to develop a number of projects involving conversation analysis of healthcare interactions, as well as ‘everyday’ talk about health and illness. In 2006, Celia and Sue fought - and lost - a landmark High Court battle for the recognition of their marriage as a marriage (and not as a civil partnership) in the UK; they subsequently founded a campaigning organization, Equal Marriage Rights (which they continue to run).
- conversation analysis;
- helpline interaction;
- women's health;
- equal marriage rights.