Psychology

Abigail Mottershaw

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: The nature and nurture of wellbeing in adolescence

Abigail’s project examines environmental and genetic influences on adolescent wellbeing using a genetically informative design. The Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) is world leading in this field, frequently informing policy and often reported in the media. This project expands the impact of TEDS by analysing data collected on 5000 pairs of twins when they were 16 years old using a wide range of variables, including measures of wellbeing, personality characteristics, mental illness and cognitive and academic success. This novel research has great implications for policy, particularly education, and extends current knowledge on subjective wellbeing.

Research supervisors: Dr Claire Haworth

Email: abigail.mottershaw@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbiMottershaw

Website/Blog: http://www.bris.ac.uk/expsych/people/abigail-l-mottershaw/index.html

Adele Wang

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2014

Research topic: The role of genes and environment in adolescent wellbeing

My research investigates the genetic and environmental influences that can help us explain why some adolescents experience higher levels of wellbeing than others. I am also interested in predictors of wellbeing throughout the lifecourse. My ESRC PhD studentship is in collaboration with the Department of Health, with the hope that my research will have direct implications on policy recommendations, and help to bridge the gap between research and policy making.

Research supervisors: Dr Claire Haworth, Dr Oliver Davies

Email: adele.wang@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adele_wang_

Website/Blog: https://dynamicgenetics.org/

Alexandra Wilcox

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +4)
University of Bristol, Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: The Importance of Neural Plasticity in Ageing.

Research supervisors: TBD

Email: alex.willcox@bristol.ac.uk

Annabelle Redfern

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2013

Research topic: Visual perception of faces

My research investigates face processing in the human brain, specifically exploring the functional inter-relationship between the processing of facial identity and facial expressions. In doing so I aim to draw conclusions about the nature of our mental representations of facial identity.

Research supervisors: Dr Christopher Benton, Dr Casimir Ludwig

Professional memberships/Positions held: PhD Rep – Bristol Vision Institute Management Team PhD Rep – The School of Experimental Psychology Equality and Diversity Committee Secretariat to the AVA (Applied Vision Association)  

Email: ar0719@bristol.ac.uk

Antonia Sudkaemper

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Environmental and Life Sciences

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: Gender Equality in the Workplace

I am doing research on gender equality in the workplace, specifically I am investigating how to make the workplace a more even playing field for men and women. Unlike a lot of previous research I am not looking at what women can do to achieve this, but am focusing on men’s contribution, as these are the main power holders in the society at the moment which makes their contribution extremely valuable. This research is important as previous results have shown that not only women, but also men, and even their children, benefit from a more egalitarian society.

Research supervisors: Professor Michelle Ryan, Dr Teri Kirby

Professional memberships/Positions held: Organizing committee of the SWDTC student conference  

Email: a.sudkaempermail.com

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/antoniasudkaemper

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ASudkaemper

Website/Blog: https://www.antoniasudkaemper.com/

Asha Ladwa

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: March 2017

Research topic: Examining how, why and for whom psychological treatments for depression work

Currently there are effective psychological treatments for depression available, but we still do not know how and why these treatments work. Consequently, I will be using secondary data to investigate the processes that are related to patterns of depression symptom change within Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Behavioural Activation.

Research supervisors: Dr Heather O'Mahen, Dr Kim Wright, Professor Adele Hayes (University of Delaware)

Professional memberships/Positions held: Member of the British Psychological Society (MBPsS) and the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (BABCP)

Email: al395@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asha-ladwa-28915a73/

Website/Blog: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Asha_Ladwa

Benjamin Woolf

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Department of Psychological Science

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: Understanding Genomes in Social Contexts

My PhD thesis seeks to examine if there is a direct causal association between our friends genes and our own risk for psychiatric outcomes like depression, independent of our own genetic makeup. I will also examine if this mechanism is involved in building resilience, and if it generalises to on-line social networks as well as off-line social networks.

Research supervisors: Dr Claire Haworth , Dr Oliver Davis

Email: Benjamin.woolf@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarWoolf

Chris Moreno-Stokoe

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: Investigating digital health technology

The medical world is lagging behind in their adoption of technology to deliver useful services such as booking appointments, understanding scientific data and delivering therapies. We don’t fully understand how to develop and incorporate these technologies for the good of the NHS and the British public. I’m working with academics and medical practitioners to understand and further the adoption of a range of digital health technologies. This research is situated within a branch of Applied Psychology known as Human Computer Interaction. This work stems from my professional practice.

Research supervisors: TBC

Professional memberships/Positions held: Specialist digital consultant, Dauntless R&D

Email: cm14911@bristol.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmorenostokoe

Elena Dimitriou

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: Sexual harassment complaints procedures

My research focuses on sexual harassment complaints procedures. Through a mixed methods approach I aim to explore the ways in which people respond to sexual harassment, how they decide which path to take (formal complaint, disclosure to a friend etc.) and the effects of each path on their wellbeing. At the moment I’m at the first stage of qualitative research, interviewing professionals who respond to sexual harassment complaints.

Research supervisors: Professor Manuela Barreto, Professor Thomas Morton

Professional memberships/Positions held: SWDTC 2016 student conference planning committee Member of BPS and ISJR  

Email: e.dimitriou@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/elenadimitriou

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElenaDimitriouG

Website/Blog: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Elena_Dimitriou

Emily Darley

PhD Researcher in Education (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2012

Research topic: Psycholinguistics

I am researching language processing and in particular sentence processing: what mechanisms and resources are involved in the brain’s computation of how the component words of a sentence fit together, as it unfolds, to help us comprehend the meaning of the sentence? More specifically, my PhD primarily involves experiments on processing of negation in sentences and under what circumstances the presence of negation may disrupt incrementality of processing.

Research supervisors: Dr Nina Kazanina, Dr Chris Kent

Email: emily.darley@bristol.ac.uk

Emily Hammond

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2013

Research topic: Mind and matter: How mindfulness shapes phenomenological and embodied dimensions of emotion

Research supervisors: Dr Anke Karl

Email: E.R.Hammond@exeter.ac.uk

Emily Hughes

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: Social identity, health behaviour and behaviour change

My research aims to provide a comprehensive test of the utility of a novel social identity model of behavioural associations (SIMBA) that proposes associations between the concepts of social identity, group norms, and individual behaviour. The model suggests that individuals are motivated to maintain a level of cognitive consistency. Therefore, behaviour change could be achieved through modifying the strength of any one of these associations. Through highlighting the way in which associations exist in established groups, can be created in novel groups, and can be changed in both novel and established groups, I hope for the research to serve as a foundation for behaviour change interventions.

Research supervisors: Dr Joanne Smith, Dr Natalia Lawrence

Email: eah220@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emily-hughes-63245b9a

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emily_annhughes

Hope Christie

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC+3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: Parental Distress and PTSD – Impact and outcomes on the child

Broadly speaking my research is concerned with parental distress and parental post-traumatic stress disorder, how this impacts on parenting behaviours and subsequently how this may impact on the child.

Research supervisors: Dr Sarah Halligan, Dr Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis

Professional memberships/Positions held: I am a part of The Open Review journal (TOR)

Email: H.Christie@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HChristie_psych

Website/Blog: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hope_Christie

James Lumsden

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, School of Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2013

Research topic: Mobile Platform Devices for Measuring Lifestyle-Related Cognitions

Research supervisors: Professor Marcus Munafo

Email: jl9937@my.bristol.ac.uk

Jessica Armitage

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bristol, Department of Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: Genetic and environmental influences underlying resilience and wellbeing

Understanding the complex aetiology of mental health is a crucial, and pressing area of research, with the ultimate aim of helping individuals to remain mentally healthy across the life-course. Using methods from epidemiology, psychology, behavioural genetics, statistical genetics and epigenetics, my research will explore why some individuals are more resilient than others when presented with life’s stresses and strains, and the role that genetic and environmental factors play in promoting resilience and wellbeing.

Research supervisors: Dr Claire Haworth, Dr Oliver Davis

Email: ja17544@my.bristol.ac.uk

Jonathan Jones

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2014

Research topic: How does Working Memory Training Work?

Research supervisors: Dr Anna Adlam

Email: jj256@exeter.ac.uk

Katy Payne

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2014

Research topic: Autism and the Criminal Justice System

Research supervisors: Dr Katie Maras , Dr Ailsa Russell, Professor Mark Brosnan

Email: klp42@bath.ac.uk

Laura Nesbitt

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: Can emotional change be a predictor of prosocial action?

My research will examine if within-individual change in emotion can explain when and why individuals engage in prosocial action. That is, can dynamic change in emotion – such as anger – explain the ‘tipping point’ at which someone decides to take action. Almost all relevant previous research has examined variation between individuals, for example, those higher in anger are more likely to act. This research will be novel in that it will test whether change in emotions from one time point to another predicts change in prosocial behaviour; can people’s engagement in prosocial action be predicted by the process of becoming angry, rather than just being angry at a particular point in time?

Research supervisors: Dr Andrew Livingstone, Dr Joseph Sweetman

Professional memberships/Positions held: Student Psychology rep for College of Life and Environmental Sciences at Exeter

Email: LN265@exeter.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-nesbitt-2590

Website/Blog: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/?web_id=Laura_Nesbitt

Leanne Martin

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
Plymouth University, School of Psychology

Start date: October 2017

Research topic: Using natural environments to reduce craving: cognitive and affective mechanisms.

My research investigates whether increased exposure to natural environments reduces craving for potentially health-damaging behaviours (e.g. snacking, smoking, substance use). Integrating theoretical approaches from environmental psychology with the Elaborated Intrusion theory of craving (Kavanagh, Andrade & May, 2005) the project examines which characteristics of natural environments are most relevant to craving, as well as exploring the cognitive and affective mechanisms underlying any effects. Synthesising and extending two fields of research, this project has practical applications to environmental policies and public health initiatives.

Research supervisors: Dr Sabine Pahl, Professor Jon May, Dr Mathew White

Email: leanne.martin@postgrad.plymouth.ac.uk

Lindsay Maughan

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
Plymouth University, School of Psychology

Start date: October 2018

Research topic: Adolescent Anti-Social Behaviour. An Active Choice?

Adolescent Anti-Social behaviour is viewed as a normative part of the developmental process. That said, the outcomes of such behaviour on a young person’s future, although varying in severity, are often negative. The many factors which lead to a young person taking part in anti-social behaviour differ between individuals and groups. This project, through collaboration with local services, aims to investigate the decision to take part, the factors which are involved in this decision both for individual adolescents and groups and whether this decision can be altered using an intervention designed to impact upon an individual’s uniqueness.

Research supervisors: Dr Alison Bacon, Professor Jon May

Email: Lindsay.maughan@plymouth.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsay-lenton-maughan-06b077106/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LindzMaughan

Lorna Hardy

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2014

Research topic: How psychiatric comorbidity contributes to continued drug use in addiction

Email: lh331@ex.ac.uk

Lucy Porter

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Studies

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: Inhibitory Control Training to Improve Child Diet Quality

My research looks at whether a simple computer game can help children to make healthier decisions when choosing what to eat. Inhibitory control training (ICT) involves making quick motor responses (keyboard presses) to pictures of food unless a “stop” signal is presented at the same time. When these signals are presented consistently with images of unhealthy snacks (chocolate, sweets, biscuits), training can lead to automatic food-stop associations that reduce selection and intake of these foods. This project aims to determine the conditions under which ICT is most effective on improving child food choices.

Research supervisors: Dr Natalia Lawrence (University of Exeter), Professor Frederick Verbruggen (University of Exeter), Dr Fiona Gillison (University of Bath)

Email: lp315@exeter.ac.uk

Maren Müller-Glodde

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Bristol, School of Experimental Psychology

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: The impact of anxiety and traumatic brain injury on emotion recognition

Facial expressions are an important source of information about other people’s state of mind/emotions (Neumann et al., 2014), however brain injury patients have been shown to suffer from deficits in facial affect recognition (Babbage et al., 2011). Furthermore, anxiety has been associated with facial affect recognition difficulties (Demenescu et al., 2010). Using the Bristol Emotion Recognition Task (BERT; http://www.cambridgecognition.com/tests/emotion-recognition-task-ert) my PhD investigates facial affect recognition following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and consider the impact other factors, e.g. anxiety, may be having on task performance. The aim is to further understanding about underlying causes of facial affect recognition difficulties after TBI.

Research supervisors: Professor Ian Penton-Voak , Dr Natalia Lawrence

Email: maren.muller-glodde@bristol.ac.uk

Marike Sophie O’Donnell

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: The social psychology of epigenetics: as understood in stress, inflammation and disease models of health

Research supervisors: Tim Kurz, Julie Barnett, Adele Murrell

Email: msod20@bath.ac.uk

Michael Richardson

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC+3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: January 2019

Research topic: Improving Inclusion of the Visually Impaired in Physical Activity with Assistive Technology

Research supervisors: Dr Michael J Proulx, Dr Karin Petrini, Dr João Roe

Email: mr945@bath.ac.uk

Miriam Cohen

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: April 2015

Research topic: Traumatic Brain Injury and socioemotional processing in a young offending population

I am currently researching prevalence and consequences of traumatic brain injury in adolescent and young adults with offending behaviour. My research investigates the neurocognitive and neuroaffective profiles of those with and without injury in the criminal justice system, focusing particularly on the capacity for socioemotional processing and facial affect recognition. We are also investigating these profiles in members of the general population and exploring whether deficits can be addressed using digital intervention strategies in prison settings.

Research supervisors: Dr Natalia Lawrence, Professor Ian Penton-Voak (Bristol)

Professional memberships/Positions held: Committee member for South West Research Co-op (SWRC); Member of Bristol Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group (TARG)

Email: mc355@exeter.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiriamCohen432

Website/Blog: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam_Cohen2

Rachel Clutterbuck

PhD Researcher in Advanced Quantitative Methods (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of Social and Policy Sciences

Start date: January 2019

Research topic: Advancing the Study of ‘Mind Reading’ across Development in Typical and Atypical Populations

Research supervisors: Prof Mitchell Callan, Dr Punit Shah

Email: rac78@bath.ac.uk

Ralph Bagnall

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2018

Research topic: Interviewing police suspects with autism: theory and best practice for interviews

Research supervisors: Mark Brosnan, Katie Maras, Ailsa Russell

Email: rb2069@bath.ac.uk

Rosie McGuire

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2017

Research topic: An Investigation into the role of trauma-related memory processes and emotion regulation in the mental health of young people in care.

My PhD will focus on understanding key memory processes (over-general memory and intrusive memories) associated with poor mental health following trauma. I am also interested in the role that emotion regulation may play in this link between memory processes and trauma-related mental health problems, particularly as poor emotion regulation is a central problem for young people in foster care. As well as this, poor emotion regulation presents across a range of mental health problems associated with memory processes, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety; making it a useful focus when exploring risk factors in this more complex sample.

Research supervisors: Dr Rachel Hiller, Professor Sarah Halligan

Email: r.mcguire@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosie_mcguire

Stacey Heath

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC 1+3)
University of Exeter, College of Life & Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2014

Research topic: Exploring the role of identity in urban regeneration settings

My research looks to explore the role of social identity in communities undergoing urban regeneration. Using the framework of social identity and social cure, I aim to explore community relations within areas of high deprivation and poverty. Taking a mixed methods approach which works collaboratively with Plymouth Council, I aim to develop our understanding of the social dynamics within these communities and the impact that regeneration schemes may have. The PhD hopes to implement small scale interventions that will incorporate identity building techniques into regeneration strategies, resulting in increased levels of engagement and sustainability within these areas.

Research supervisors: Dr Anna Rabinovich, Professor Manuela Barreto

Email: sh587@exter.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/staceyheath2

Website/Blog: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Stacey_Heath

Tamsyn Hawken

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2015

Research topic: The experiences of young carers: towards an understanding of psychophysiological resilience

Broadly speaking, my research is investigating the impact of caregiving at a young age from a biopsychosocial and a resiliency perspective. Ultimately, I am attempting to identify coping factors which may contribute to positive adjustment and determine whether this has an impact upon physiological health.

Research supervisors: Professor Julie Barnett (Bath), Professor Julie Turner-Cobb (Bournemouth)

Email: T.A.Hawken@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthPsychTam

Website/Blog: https://healthpsychtam.com/

Will Nicholson

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3)
University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences

Start date: September 2016

Research topic: Using Response Inhibition Training to Encourage Safer Driving

My research investigates how response inhibition training can modify and improve driving behaviours. Many drivers have inappropriate driving habits in response to environmental cues; the training targets these cue-behaviour links with the aim of creating safer driving habits. The project will explore a range of dangerous driving behaviours and determine under which conditions response inhibition training is most effective in improving driving.

The goal of the research is to develop an intervention in collaboration with industry partners to allow drivers to use such training in the real world, specifically aimed at those who have been on a driver retraining programme.

Research supervisors: Professor Frederick Verbruggen, Dr Cris Burgess

Professional memberships/Positions held: Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA), and SWDTP student representative.

Email: W.G.Nicholson@exeter.ac.uk

Website/Blog: http://psychology.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=William_Nicholson