
Welcome to our blog!
The psychology department at Northumbria comprises of more than 70 permanent academic staff, and more than 2500 students studying across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.
Staff expertise in the psychology department can be broadly separated in to three research clusters; Health and Wellbeing, Evolution and Social Interaction and Cognition and Neuroscience. You can use the menu to see recent posts from each of the research groups, or listen to our brand new podcast: The Big 5. Staff also share posts about innovative approaches to learning and teaching.
Our undergraduate courses include specialisms in clinical psychology, forensic psychology, business psychology, health psychology and experimental psychology. We also offer postgraduate qualifications in Health Psychology, Occupational and Organisational Psychology, Sport and Exercise Psychology and Psychological Research Methods, as well as on-campus and distance learning Psychology Conversion programmes for people who would like to make a career change in to psychology. You can view posts from our students about their experience of studying psychology using the menu
We know that many aspiring psychologists would like to hear from academics and practitioners about careers advice, so please check out our Careers in Psychology section for interviews with academics and practioners in psychology and related fields, as well as our graduates.
Latest from the Blog
The Big 5 S2 Ep12: Dr. Laura Farrugia and Professor Gavin Oxburgh on Effective Police Questioning
On this episode, Dr. Laura Farrugia and Professor Gavin Oxburgh tell us about their work on effective police questioning and the app they are developing to help police officers become better questioners. Show notes: You can find out more about Laura’s work here. You can find out more about Gavin’s work here. Remember you can…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Ep11: Dr. Amanda Rotella on How We Choose Our Social Partners
On this episode Dr. Amanda Rotella tells us about her research on social competition and how we use social signals to choose our friends, romantic partners, and preferred colleagues. We talk about how and why these judgements are useful and why they’re adaptive in a biological market where we have limited resources and choices. Show…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Ep10: Richard Rawlings on Rural and Urban Dating App Usage by LGBTQ+ Individuals
On this episode we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with Richard Rawlings who tells us about his research exploring the ways in which LGBTQ+ people use dating apps to form connections in rural and urban settings. We discuss resilience and how both the city and country offer different challenges and opportunities for queer people to find…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Ep. 9: Carolina Are on Deplatforming, Sexism, and Cancel Culture
Dr. Carolina Are is an Innovation Fellow at the Centre for Digital Citizens. The Centre for Digital Citizens is a joint initiative with colleagues at Newcastle and Northumbria University from computing, design, law, and psychology who study how to make the internet a safer place for everyone. Carolina’s work centres on understanding why certain people…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Episode 8: Juli Moncada on the Importance of Being a Student Rep
This week Juli tells us about her work as a student representative and the importance of having students who can advocate for student needs. We also discuss the wonderful opportunities that arise from student rep work. Show notes: You can get in touch with Juli on her LinkedIn page. To find out more about the…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Episode 7: Harry Clelland on the Importance of Communicating Statistics Accurately
On this episode of The Big 5 Dr. Harry Clelland tells us about his work on using different types of language to communicate statistics. His work has the potential to inform medical professionals and health communicators about the best way to communicate risk to patients and the public. Show notes: To find out more about…
Keep readingThe Big 5 S2 Ep 6: Dr. Lisa Thomas on Career Paths in Academia
On this episode of The Big 5, Dr. Lisa Thomas tells us about her path to becoming a university lecturer and the strong women role models who supported her journey. Show notes: You can stay up to date with Lisa’s research on Twitter @drlthomas If you’re interested in continuing your academic career you can look…
Keep readingThe Big 5 Season 2 Episode 5: Dominik Polasek on Studying Sleep at Harvard University
On this episode, Dominik Polasek tells us about his summer as a visiting research assistant at Harvard University’s Sleep Lab. We also discuss how to get involved in research in the department and find your own international internship. Show notes: If you’d like to learn more about sleep research at Harvard you can check out…
Keep readingThe Big 5 Season 2 Episode 5: Eating disorder and parapsychology communities online with Claire Murphy-Morgan
On this special Halloween episode, Claire Murphy-Morgan tells us about the links between art and psychology, treating eating disorders remotely, and the online communities that are discussing parapsychology. We talk all things parapsychology: ghosts, near-death experiences, and spooky Wikipedia editors. Show notes: If you’d like to keep up with the Remote Healthcare for Eating Disorders…
Keep readingThe Big 5 with Anna Maughan on Medical Conspiracy Theories
On this episode, Anna Maughan tells us about her work on conspiracy theories and how emotions may play a role in who is susceptible to them. We also discuss the possible negative effects of medical conspiracy theories. Show notes: You can follow Anna’s work on Twitter @annafmaughan. You can read one of Anna’s papers on…
Keep readingThe Big 5 Season 2 Episode 2 with Connor Leslie
On this episode Connor Leslie tells us about her work on agression detection from both an evolutionary and forensic psychology perspective. Connor discusses the importance of detecting agression for preventing violence. Look out for those aggressive behaviors and try to avoid them on the International Day of Non-violence! #internationaldayofnonviolence Show notes: To follow Connor’s research…
Keep readingThe Big 5 Season 2 Episode 1: Charl Emmerson on Workplace Bullying
On this episode Charl Emmerson, PhD student at Northumbria, tells us about her research on workplace bullying. Charl will be attending the 13th Internation Association of Workplace Bullying Conference in San Diego, California to share her work with fellow researchers, but you can get a sneak peak in this episode Charl discusses what can cause…
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