Our Team

Dr. David Best is Professor of Addiction Recovery at Leeds Trinity University, Honorary Professor of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University and Adjunct Associate Professor of Addiction Science at Monash University (Melbourne). He is also chair of the Prisons Research Network of the British Society of Criminology. He is also an Affiliate Senior Scientist at the Public Health Institute in California and a founding member of the College of Lived Experience Recovery Organisations in the UK.

Trained as a psychologist and criminologist, he has worked in practice, research and policy in the areas of addiction recovery and rehabilitation of offenders. He has authored or co-edited seven books on addiction recovery and desistance from offending, and has written more than 230 peer-reviewed journal publications and around 70 book chapters and technical reports. He is one of the leading academics in the area of addiction recovery and a key innovator in developing recovery capital measurement tools and methods.

Dr. Mulka Nisic is a Research Officer at the Centre for Hate Studies, University of Leicester, Secretary General of RUN- Recovered Users Network; and founding member of the Global Gender Committee within the World Federation Against Drugs. She brings decades of active engagement in the field of drug policy and addiction recovery. Her current research explores the lived experiences of individuals in recovery and gendered recovery pathways across nine European countries, focusing on recovery capital and stigma's role.

Caroline Beidler, MSW is a Technical Expert Lead with JBS International, Inc. where she supports the State TA project under SAMHSA by providing training, technical assistance, and technical writing for the project. She is also an author and internationally recognized trainer, speaker, and facilitator who works directly with states, federal agencies, and policymakers on mental health and substance use disorder programs and initiatives. She has expertise in peer recovery and brings administrative and leadership experience working under federally funded grants like the State Opioid Response and administrating a statewide peer recovery initiative within hospital settings in rural areas in Wisconsin.

Dr. Maike Klein is a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Lancaster University. She is also a Counselling Psychologist, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), and accredited through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).  She has worked in a range of clinical settings, including statutory and non-statutory mental health and addiction services, both nationally as well as internationally. Additionally, Maike is Director of Reason – a charity which supports people with mental health and addiction issues. Maike's research focuses on pathways for recovery growth from addiction and mental health issues, with a specific emphasis on developing innovate and peer-led intervention strategies. Maike is an Advisory Board member of the Recovery Outcomes Institute (ROI) and a member of the German Association for Addiction Research and Theory (DG-Sucht)

Eleanor Johnson is a PhD candidate at the University of Nottingham whose current research takes a combined social semiotic and cognitive stylistic approach to the exploration of addiction, particularly in the realm of gambling. Her research investigates the various conceptualisations of addiction and examines how discursive strategies, such as cognitive metaphors and multi-semiotic features, utilised in gambling advertisements, influence perceptions of and attitudes towards gambling. Eleanor has delivered numerous presentations on addiction to people from a myriad of disciplines and sectors, highlighting the interdisciplinary aspects that require further attention. She also actively participates in innovative arts-based research initiatives, providing support to individuals with lived experiences of addiction.