Psychology people in profile: Professor Jonathan A. Smith (part-one)

Professor Jonathan A. Smith is best known for his development of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a particular experiential qualitative approach within psychology and its application to a range of areas within health, social and clinical psychology (Smith, 1996; Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009). He holds a Chair in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck University of London. On behalf of the PsyPAG Quarterly, Kate Doran caught up with Professor Smith in the second half of 2013, to discuss his work. This, the first of two interviews with Professor Smith to be published in this publication, focuses on his current role and how what we now know as IPA first came into being. The second interview will focus on the continued development and achievements of IPA