Research
The School of Psychology conducts research under the structure of one research cluster entitled Behavioural Sciences. A key feature of our research programme is the leadership the School provides in multi-disciplinary collaborations that address key challenges in society.
The School conducts fundamental and applied psychological research that has both a regional legacy in Northern Ireland and a global resonance, addressing important societal challenges. We achieve this through our four interlinked research themes: Development and Cognition; Health, Welfare and Clinical Psychology; Perception and Action; and Social Psychology.
- Our research is facilitated through the development of meaningful and long-term partnerships with non-academic organisations, and both international and interdisciplinary collaborations.
- This strategy has enabled us to secure funding from a diverse range of sources, including UK central government bodies, local authorities, health and hospital authorities (e.g. Department of Health; PHA; NIHR), UKRI funders (e.g. AHRC; ESRC; and EPSRC; GCRF Newton), UK-based charities (e.g. Cancer Research UK; Forces in Mind; Leverhulme Trust; Nuffield Foundation; Royal British Legion; the Wellcome Trust; and the Templeton Foundation), EU government bodies (ERC; SEUPB), and UK industry (e.g. Aperture, IVA; Sensum).
- Our research is responsive to new and emerging challenges, for example understanding the challenges posted by social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic and developing evidence-based guidelines for how to stay healthy duriong this time.
Professor Rhiannon Turner, Director of Research
Find our more about our four research themes: Perception and Action, Development and Cognition, Social Psychology, Health, Welfare and Clinical Psychology on our Research Themes webpage.
in the UK for Research Intensity
Research Excellence Framework (2014)in the UK for Research Impact (Joint)
Research Excellence Framework (2014)Doctorate Programmes
The School of Psychology has four Research Centres:
- The Animal Behaviour Centre (ABC)
- The Centre for Identity and Intergroup Relations (CIIR)
- The Centre for Improving Health-Related Quality Of Life (CIHRQOL)
- STARC (Stress, Trauma And Related Conditions).
Our researchers contribute to several of the University’s interdisciplinary research centres.
Staff from the Perception & Movement and the Social Psychology themes work collaboratively with the Centre For Intelligent Autonomous Manufacturing Systems in the areas of movement in robotics and human robot interaction.
Several staff are fellows of the Mitchell Institute, working collaboratively on joint grants proposals and projects, and contributing to the Institutes summer school.
The School offers an inclusive and supportive environment and provides staff with the time, resources, and academic support and mentorship they need to undertake high quality, impactful research.
Our research is built on a solid foundation of state of the art research infrastructure, backed up by a talented technical support team dedicated to Psychology.
Learn more about our Research Culture and Environment
The school has a vibrant postdoctoral research community in the School across all research themes, and we are committed to supporting the career development of our postdoctoral researchers.
We provide excellent postgraduate research opportunities for PhD students, based on the expertise of our staff and state of the art facilities. We have a vibrant community of postgraduate research students from a number of countries including Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, India, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.
Find out more about PhD research in the School.
Hear from some of our current PhD students and previous doctoral students.
The School of Psychology has a weekly seminar series with local, national and international colleagues and visiting academics sharing their research.
For further information, visit our Research Seminars page.
Latest Publications
Canadian politicians' rhetoric on Twitter/X: Analysing prejudice and inclusion towards Muslims using structural topic modelling and rhetorical analysis
- John Shayegh
- David Sumantry
- Arvin Jagayat
- Becky Choma
Reply from Sean Williams, Richard G. Carson and Katalin Tóth
- Sean Williams
- Richard Carson
- Katalin Tóth
The daily mile in Northern Ireland: research, implementation and partnership: a summary of research for teachers, practitioners and policy makers
- Gavin Breslin
- Medbh Hillyard
- Noel Brick
- Stephen Shannon
- Brenda McKay-Redmond
- Barbara McConnell
Is a mirror necessary for mirror therapy?
- Richard Carson
- Alannah Morley
The home mathematics environment and its relation to children’s mathematical skills for Chinese families
- Wei Wei
- Hongling Liao
- Chang Xu
- Xiaohong Ye
- Jo-Anne Lefevre
Future research direction in Psychology
Building on our research strengths we will work collaboratively to address global societal challenges related to mental health and health-related behaviours, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The school will continue to work closely with our already strong and growing network of community stakeholders undertaking research to inform policy and practice on the ground.