Psychology

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

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

Brontë Graham

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

Start date: October 2019

Research topic: Bilingualism and cognitive control

My research is focused on the role of cognitive control in bilingualism. I investigate the circumstances when bilingual communication is challenging and may depend on cognitive control as well as when it may be less cognitively demanding and possibly “cost-free”. I focus primarily on the role of cognitive control in language switching, both in language production and comprehension.

Research supervisors: Professor Aureliu Lavric, Professor Stephen Monsell, Dr Heike Elchlepp

Email: bgg201@exeter.ac.uk

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

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

Emma Osborne

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

Start date: October 2019

Research topic: Metacognitive mechanisms of mindfulness-based prevention for eating disorders

I am investigating the relationship between metacognitive processing and key risk factors in the development of eating disorders, and assessing the extent to which these constructs are related to change in mindfulness-based intervention.

Research supervisors: Professor Paul Chadwick, Dr Melissa Atkinson, Dr Nic Hooper

Email: elo25@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-osborne-80b161164/

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

Kailing Li

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

Start date: September 2019

Research topic: The effect of working memory components on maths competencies

My research investigates the importance of working memory in students’ mathematic performance. My research distinguishes from previous research by addressing the topic using working memory model proposed by Jarrold, and also its hierarchical relationship with mathematical competencies (conceptual understanding and procedural knowledge). The research is important in which it provides a fuller picture of working memory and math learning, and aid pedagogy to help students overcome any difficulties in their math learning.

Research supervisors: Professor Christopher Jarrold, Dr Alf Coles

Email: ur18302@bristol.ac.uk

Katherine Petrilli

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Cannabis potency and mental health: triangulating the evidence

My research aims to triangulate evidence across these three interdisciplinary studies to answer a single research question looking at the association between cannabis potency and mental health. This will generate new robust knowledge, providing significant advances to the field with the potential to influence international cannabis policy and guidelines for safer use.

Research supervisors: Dr Tom Freeman, Dr Lindsey Hines, Professor Celia Morgan

Email: kp787@bath.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kat_petrilli

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

Lenard Dome

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

Start date: September 2019

Research topic: Ambiguity in Category Learning and Stereotype Formation

I am interested in the underlying processes of social categorization. I will look at how formal models of category learning, e.g. prototype models, can explain social categorization problems of between-group discrimination. My research exclusively focuses on problems: where participants generalize their experience to novel ambiguous items, and where responses are irrational or suboptimal – contradict to rational models, like Classical Probability Theory. The project’s backbone includes a large-scale model comparison across social categorization problems. But I will also extensively employ Open Science and Open Source practices to battle the problem of replicability and reproducibility in Psychology.

Research supervisors: Professor Andy Wills, Dr Sylvia Terbeck

Email: lenard.dome@plymouth.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lenarddome

Website/Blog: https://lenarddome.github.io/?

Lindsay Lenton-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

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

Lucy Waldren

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Understanding and improving measurement of individual differences in autism

My research will explore novel ways to quantify autism-related personality traits and their relationships with several socially relevant phenomena.

Research supervisors: Professor Mitchell Callan, Dr Punit Shah, Dr Esther Walton

Email: lhw38@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-waldren-8079b5160/

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

Marlene Staginnus

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

Start date: October 2019

Research topic: Meta-Analysis of Differences in Brain Structure in Severe Antisocial Behaviour

Existing studies of brain structure in individuals with severe antisocial behaviour (e.g., youths with Conduct Disorder, adults with Antisocial Personality Disorder) are not entirely consistent. Therefore, as part of the ENIGMA-Antisocial Behaviour working group (http://enigma.ini.usc.edu/ongoing/enigma-antisocial-behavior/), the aim of my PhD research is to meta-analyse neuroimaging data from research groups across the world to identify brain structure alterations that are reliably associated with antisocial behaviour and factors that influence brain structure in this population. I hope that my findings will improve our understanding of the biological correlates of antisocial behaviour and inform diagnosis, prevention, and intervention.

Research supervisors: Dr Graeme Fairchild, Dr Esther Walton, Dr Jade Thai

Professional memberships/Positions held: Member of the British Psychological Society (MBPsS)

Email: ms2290@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-staginnus-b8a3a4150

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

Masha Remskar

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Mindfulness, Movement and Mood: Mindfulness as Adjunctive Therapy to Physical Activity in a Digital Person-Based Mood Disorders Intervention

My research explores the effects of mindfulness practice and physical activity on student mental health. In particular, I am interested in the benefits that arise from combining the two approaches over and above either method individually. My aim is to develop and evaluate a digital intervention in collaboration with the University’s Student Services, Department of Computer Science and the B&NES division of Public Health England. Through this work I hope to expand the understanding of how mindfulness practice can help people engage in physical activity more regularly, and how this impacts their psychological well-being.

Research supervisors: Professor Paul Chadwick, Dr Ben Ainsworth, Dr Max Western, Dr Olivia Maynard (University of Bristol)

Professional memberships/Positions held: British Psychological Association member European Health Psychology Society member Doctoral Faculty Representative for University of Bath’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (2020/21)

Email: mr988@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masha-remskar-562aa11b9/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MashaRemskar

Maya Gumussoy

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

Start date: September 2019

Research topic: Investigating the usefulness of social and educational interventions to reduce the disgust response towards the ingestion of insects and cultured meat

The topic of my research is novel foods and how the emotion of disgust plays a role in mediating our interactions with these foods. I am particularly interested in novel proteins that are more environmentally sustainable and nutritious than conventionally consumed meats. Protein sources such as insects and cultured meat are often rejected by Western consumers as they are perceived as disgusting. The aim of my research is to first understand this food rejection and second, to investigate the usefulness of social and educational interventions to overcome the disgust response so that these sustainable sources of protein become more widely consumed.

Research supervisors: Professor Peter Rogers, Dr Danielle Ferriday, Professor Liesbeth Zandstra (Wageningen Uni)

Email: mg14613@bristol.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-gumussoy-665b01176/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GumussoyMaya

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

Nicole Russell Pascaul

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

Start date: September 2019

Research topic: The specific effects of diversity ideologies on minority group representation

I am a PhD student interested in the ways organisational practices can increase workplace diversity. I was awarded the 1+3 ESRC scholarship under the supervision of Dr. Teri Kirby and Professor Michelle Ryan. My area of research investigates the effects specific components of diversity ideologies have on the representation of marginalised groups within organisations.

Research supervisors: Dr. Teri Kirby, Prof. Michelle Ryan

Professional memberships/Positions held: SWDTP Student Rep

Email: nr312@exeter.ac.uk

Nimrah Afzal

PhD Researcher in Psychology (ESRC +3.3)
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: A Pilot Intervention Study Addressing Parental Responses to Child Trauma

My research is focused on the role of parents in the development of child PTSD following child trauma. Previous research suggests a link between parental responses to child trauma and subsequent child post-traumatic stress symptoms. Therefore, my research aims to create an online intervention targeting parental responses to child trauma in the early post-trauma. The intervention will be co-designed in with families and clinicians, through collaboration with the Emergency Department at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Through my research I hope to implement this intervention into routine services for trauma-exposed children.

Research supervisors: Professor Sarah Halligan, Dr Rachel Hiller , Dr Mark Lyttle MD

Email: na808@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimrah-a-9730161b7/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nafzal9

Nina Higson-Sweeney

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Tired all the time: Fatigue in adolescents with depression

Depression frequently starts during adolescence, and fatigue is one of the nine main symptoms. Despite indications that many adolescents with depression also report problematic fatigue, it is often not routinely addressed or treated in public healthcare services for children and adolescents with mental health difficulties. Minimal research has been conducted in this area, so there are many unanswered questions as to the importance of fatigue in adolescent depression, including how it is experienced, identified, and treated. The aim of my PhD is to begin addressing this gap in our knowledge by exploring fatigue as a common symptom in adolescent depression.

Research supervisors: Dr Maria Loades (University of Bath), Professor Barney Dunn (University of Exeter), Dr Kate Cooper (University of Bath)

Professional memberships/Positions held: SWDTP Student Rep

Email: nhs35@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-higson-sweeney/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/n_higsonsweeney

Website/Blog: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/persons/nina-higson-sweeney

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

Raqeeb Mahmood

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Removing the rose-tinted glasses: The effects of antidepressant drug withdrawal on mood and neurocognitive function

Research has demonstrated a role of negatively biased emotion processing in the development of depressive symptoms and has suggested that antidepressants work by targeting these negative biases. However, whilst these changes are well-documented, little is known about the effects of antidepressant withdrawal on emotion processing and mood. My PhD project aims are twofold, firstly to characterise mood and emotion processing changes associated with withdrawal over time to better understand the effects of antidepressant withdrawal and their time course. Secondly, to enable the identification of early markers of symptom and mood changes that might aid in predicting depressive relapse.

Research supervisors: Dr Graeme Fairchild, Dr Katherine Button, Professor David Kessler, Professor Nicola Wiles

Email: rm2377@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/raqeeb-mahmood-b54840112

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MahmoodRaqeeb

Robbie W. A. Clark

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

Start date: November 2020

Research topic: An exploration of the role and utility of the philosophy of science in psychological research

My aim is to understand how different philosophies of science and epistemologies shape research conduct and data synthesis in psychology research. My ultimate goal is to develop a coherent framework which reconciles the Popperian ideals of falsification with the human disposition towards theories of confirmation and inference to the best explanation.

Research supervisors: Professor Marcus Munafò, Professor James Ladyman

Professional memberships/Positions held: Member of the Bristol branches of both the URKN and ReproducibiliTea Club  

Email: robbie.clark.2018@bristol.ac.uk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobbieC_Bristol

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

Sophie Townend

Psychology +3
University of Bath, Department of Psychology

Start date: September 2021

Research topic: Identifying shared and distinct alterations in brain structure across internalising and externalising disorders through the ENIGMA consortium

There is increasing evidence of comorbidity which transcends distinct psychiatric diagnoses, as well as shared genetic influences found across disorders. My research will examine whether there are common alterations in brain structure across externalising (ADHD, substance dependence, conduct disorder) and internalising (anxiety, mood) disorders, or whether alterations are disorder-specific. Using data from international research groups within the ENIGMA consortium, this project will be the largest and most comprehensive neuroimaging study of transdiagnostic psychopathology in children and adolescents to date. I hope that the findings will have implications for our diagnostic systems, and inform future prevention and intervention strategies.

Research supervisors: Dr Graeme Fairchild, Dr Esther Walton

Email: st2325@bath.ac.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-townend-8b530b11b

Twitter: @TownendSophie

Toby Johnson

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

Start date: October 2020

Research topic: Investigating a Dual-Process Account of Learning, Memory, and Cognition

My research seeks to discover whether there is compelling evidence for associative processes in humans. We know that humans can learn associations between things via a verbal, propositional process, as we often reason to ourselves why two things are related. However, the existence of a subconscious associative process, that automatically builds associations without relying upon conscious knowledge, is questioned. My research will use behavioural, neuroscientific, and computational techniques to provide evidence toward this, and in doing so resolve the larger ongoing debate as to whether single or dual-process accounts of learning and memory are the better model for human cognition.

Research supervisors: Professor Ian McLaren, Dr Ciro Civile

Email: tj317@exeter.ac.uk

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