Psychology (Research)

The School of Psychology fosters a culture of collaborative, multidisciplinary research and you will join a vibrant community that includes regular work-in-progress seminars to foster an active research environment. You will join this environment and have the opportunity to engage with the postgraduate research group and attend seminars with external speakers. We hold an annual postgraduate conference, giving you the chance to showcase your research and further connect with other students and staff. There are also opportunities to connect with the wider research community by presenting at national conferences.

We are happy to consider research proposals on a wide range of topics relevant to our staff interests. Click on the link to each research area below to find out more.

Study can be on either a full-time or a part-time basis. The minimum period of study for achieving your PhD is three years full-time and six years part-time

For study at PhD level a MSc in psychology or a closely related subject is desirable but not essential. If you do not have a MSc then you would need a very good undergraduate degree and be able to demonstrate a solid understanding of psychology research methods and statistics.

Our research areas
Our research spans a wide range of psychological areas, using a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods. These can be broadly aligned with the following: Social and Cognitive Experiences; Creativity and Performance; Self and Identity. Further details about this can be found below.

Cognitive and Social Experiences
This research area explores social and cognitive experiences in a variety of populations including those with a religious identity, and those with expertise in problem solving. Some specific areas of interest include a focus on human-robot interactions, spatial and temporal attention, the way time is perceived and the cognitive appraisals made following serious spinal cord injury. These areas are researched by focusing on both individual experiences and group processes. Click on the names below to find out what our lecturers’ specific research interests are.

• Dr Philip Fine

• Dr Gillian Hill

• Dr Alan Martin

• Dr Sofia Petisca

• Dr Charmaine Sonnex

• Dr Karl Wereszczynski

CREATIVITY AND PERFORMANCE
Our research is at the forefront of the exploration of creativity in the UK. We have a strong focus on applied aspects of creativity and performance. This includes research into psychological correlates to dance performance, the development of expertise in areas such as music, quizzing and cryptic crosswords, performance in sport, and the use of everyday creativity. Additionally, creativity is looked at through the lens of cyberpsychology exploring its relationship with artificial intelligence. Click on the names below to find out what our lecturers’ specific research interests are.

• Dr Helen Clegg

• Dr Philip Fine

• Dr Kathryn Friedlander

• Dr Gillian Hill

• Chloe Ward

• Sofia Petisca

Self and Identity
As researchers, we explore the ways our selves and our identities are constructed through individual experiences and through social norms. This includes how we identify ourselves through religion, through dance, through gender, through our experiences of injury, pain, and health conditions, and how these identities are created with the use of technology. Additionally, we explore how people experience different versions of themselves and how these different versions may be better integrated into the whole “Self” for both therapeutic and performance purposes. Click on the names below to find out what our lecturers’ specific research interests are.

• Dr Helen Clegg

• Jenna Gillett

• Kirsty Lowe-Brown

• Chloe Ward

• Sofia Petisca

• Dr Charmaine Sonnex