I am an experimental social psychologist interested in how people’s complex social environments impact upon health and wellbeing. My main area of research focuses on the neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning alcohol consumption, as well as the stigma ascribed to addiction. I have >50 publications and am Action Editor for Registered Reports at Addiction Research & Theory. I am currently leading an Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) Springboard Award to determine the neural underpinnings of alcohol-related attentional bias in adolescence. 

I am also passionate about research-led teaching and am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. My most significant contribution to higher education focuses on changing how students are trained in research, with an emphasis on Open Scholarship – the idea that knowledge should be accessible, transparent, replicable, and inclusive. This passion is highlighted through several esteem indicators: I am the author of “A Student’s Guide to Open Science: Using the Replication Crisis to Reform Psychology”, which won the BPS Textbook Award in 2024 for its significant contribution to teaching. In 2026 I co-authored a teacher-focused book, “Teaching Open Science”. I am the Director of Impact for the Framework for Open & Reproducible Research Training, which provides pedagogic infrastructure to support the teaching of Open Scholarship. Further, I provide consultancy in this area for Sage, Epigean, McGraw-Hill, and Open University Press.

2025-2027: £122,000, Principle Investigator, Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award.

2022-2023: £19,750, Principle Investigator, Research England: Enhancing Research Culture.

2022-2023: £97,000, Principle Investigator, Experimental Psychology Society (EPS) with matched contribution from the Institute of Health & Neurodevelopment.

2022-2023: £2,600, Co-Principal Investigator, The Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP).

2019-2020: £60,000, Co-Principal Investigator, NHS Health Education England.

2018-2019: £15,000, Principal Investigator, Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Research Award, University of the West of England.

I am the Programme Director of the Single Honours Psychology programme at Aston University.

I teach on the following modules:

PY1504 Developmental & Social Psychology, Year 1 Psychology

PY3505 Addiction & Impulsivity, Final Year Psychology

PYM717/727 Advanced Research Methods, MSc Health Psychology

PY3501 Undergraduate Psychology Research Project

PYM707, MSc Research Project

PYM745, MSc Addiction (Convenor)

2023-Current: Senior Lecturerin Psychology, School of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham.

2020-2023: Lecturer in Psychology, School of Psychology, Aston University, Birmingham.

2017-2020: Lecturer in Social Psychology, Department of Health & Social Sciences, University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol.

2016-2017: Teaching Associate, Department of Psychology, Lancaster University.

2013-2016: Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University.

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA)

Local Network Lead of the UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)

Experimental Psychology Society (EPS)

Framework for Open & Reproducible Research Training (FORRT)

ReproducibiliTEA Journal Club Lead

• Editorial boards: Addiction Research & Theory (2021-Present); Peer Community In Registered Reports (2021-Present), McGraw-Hill Education (2022-Present)
• Scientific Advisory Board, Cognition Agency
• Senior Fellow: Higher Education Academy

2024-Current: Magda Skubera (Primary Supervisor)

2024-Current: Katerina Mickalaki (Associate Supervisor)

2024-Current: Steve Jones (Associate Supervisor)

2024-Current: Natasha D'Ambrogio (Associate Supervisor)

2023-Current: Evelyn Murray (Primary Supervisor)

2023-Current: Michelle Oxtoby (Associate Supervisor)

2023-Current: Yanli Wan (Associate Supervisor)

Available to supervise PhD students in the above research areas. Please contact: [email protected]

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone Number: 0121 204 4889

Office: SW511A