I pursue an understanding of non-verbal behavior; specifically, the way the face is perceived, and have studied the skills, traits, and motives associated with qualities such as social dominance, power and leadership. I am also interested in learning more about the mechanisms of social behavior in naturalistic settings and this has led me to study organisational behavior, as well as effective student learning behavior.

Current Research Projects

Examining the role that facial displays have in the communication of power and leadership especially in national politics e.g., US Presidential Debates, Brexit etc

I joined my current Institution in 2004 after holding a Visiting Fellowship in Behavioural Sciences at the National Institutes of Health, USA. I have over 100 publications (2019 H Index =44) and have secured approx £2.4m in research income to date. I served as Associate Editor for the journals Cognitive Neuroscience, Frontiers in Cognitive Science, Frontiers in Educational Psychology as well as The Leadership Quarterly and was elected a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 2015. I am also a Visiting Professor to the University of Gibraltar.

I am active in three main research areas and currently offer PhD opportunities in each:

Higher Education: For over ten years I have studied the various ways and means by which students engage with their studies. University life is changing and so are the students. How can we keep the modern day (and very busy) undergraduate student engaged with their studies in such a competitive and heavily marketized HE sector?

Non-Verbal Displays: I pursue an understanding of non-verbal behaviour specifically the way the face is perceived and have studied the skills, traits, and motives associated with qualities such as social dominance, power and leadership. I am currently exploring the facial displays that occur in political debates such as the US Presidential Election and current impeachment trial, UK GE 2019 and Brexit.

Management: As a behavioural scientist I am constantly addressing questions that impact the workplace. In the past I have worked with industry to address specific questions around management processes, effective leadership, work culture and even the psychology of family run businesses.