Dr Anna Weighall

Senior lecturer

I gained my BSc and PhD in psychology from the University of York and joined Sheffield Hallam University as a lecturer in 2002, gaining a PgCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in 2004.

Most of my teaching focuses on aspects of cognitive psychology and I have been responsible for developing modules on this topic right through from first year undergraduate to Masters level during my time here. I currently teach cognitive psychology at all levels and particularly enjoy teaching my specialism, which is the psychology of language. I also contribute to teaching in developmental psychology, specifically language acquisition and development.

I led the development of our research masters degree (MRes) in psychology and I am the am the course leader for that award. I am currently the faculty ethics representative for the psychology group and convene the ethics approval sub-panel of the faculty ethics committee for taught psychology courses. I am also an A Level examiner for psychology.

I am a member of the Sheffield Hallam Language Research Group and my research interests and publications lie in the area of psycholinguistics and language development. My research focuses on children’s spoken sentence comprehension, specifically the role of memory and attention in comprehending complex sentences. I am currently investigating vocabulary acquisition in both children and adults and the role that memory consolidation and sleep plays in language learning. I have also investigated the way in which text message shortcuts are processed by adults and children.

As part of the language research group I am currently involved in the development of a project which aims to encourage evidence-based practice in the classroom, with a focus on literacy and communication issues.

Dr Jane Morgan

Senior Lecturer

I gained my BA (Hons) and PhD in Psychology from the University of Wales, Bangor I then took a postdoctoral research in psycholinguistics at the University of Birmingham. In 2003 I was appointed as a lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University where I have since gained a PgCert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

My teaching interests are mainly in the area of cognitive psychology. I lead core cognitive psychology modules at undergraduate level as well as a more specialised final year option module which explores language and speech processing and masters level modules in cognitive psychology and cognitive development. I also contribute to academic skills and support teaching which links to my role as level five year tutor.

My research interests and publications focus on language processing, in particular speech production. I collaborate with a number of psycholinguists here at Sheffield Hallam University as well as external institutions.

In collaboration with Dr Linda Wheeldon (University of Birmingham) I research the processes involved in the generation and monitoring of the sound-based representation which is constructed in preparation for speech. Our current research investigates how the speech production architecture (and in particular phonological encoding processes) interfaces with verbal short-term memory.

With Dr Anna Weighall (Sheffield Hallam University) I am also interested in what the processing of SMS shortcuts in text messages (for example gr8 or msg) can tell us about the relative contribution of phonology and orthography to visual word recognition in both adults and developmental populations.

Through my membership of the Language Research Group, I am involved in a public engagement project which aims to facilitate evidence-based practice in the classroom with particular emphasis on literacy.

Zoe Walkington

Senior Lecturer

I am a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam and joined the department in 2005 from Liverpool Hope University. I mainly teach forensic psychology to third year psychology students, and postgraduate students on our MSc in Forensic Psychology, however I also get involved in some non-forensic undergraduate teaching too.

I am particularly interested in the psychology of investigations and I really enjoy teaching through police simulations, so students get a feel for how psychology is applied in the real world.

I am currently studying for a PhD at Liverpool University. My PhD focuses on interpersonal effectiveness in police interviewing and I am interested in all areas of police interviewing, both from the suspect and the witness side.

I am a member of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group. I am also involved with various police forces providing consultancy services on the topic of investigative interviewing, and I provide regular training inputs to the police on how to interview suspects effectively.

Dr Maddy Arden

Principal lecturer

I gained my BSc and PhD in psychology from the University of Leeds before taking up my first lectureship in psychology at Kingston University where I gained a PgCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. I joined Sheffield Hallam University as a lecturer in 2000 and helped to establish health psychology in the undergraduate curriculum. I also led the development of our online MSc Health Psychology.

In 2009 I was appointed as the research and scholarship leader for the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Politics and the Research Excellence Framework (REF) Unit of Assessment co-ordinator for psychology. I also lead the Health Psychology Research Group.

I am a chartered psychologist and a health psychologist. I am an accredited stage 2 supervisor for health psychology and the external examiner for the MSc. Health Psychology at Coventry University.

My research interests and publications focus on the development and evaluation of health behaviour change interventions. My work focuses on a broad range of health behaviours including smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and diet.

I am currently researching the utility of a theory-based intervention to reduce alcohol consumption. I am also investigating how mothers make decisions about infant feeding and weaning.

Dr Claudine Bowyer-Crane

Senior Lecturer

I gained my BSc Psychology at the University of York and remained at York to complete my PhD. After I had completed my PhD, I continued to work with the Centre for Reading and Language at York as a research fellow. I also took the post as research tutor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Hull.

I joined the team at Sheffield Hallam in 2008 and teach mainly developmental psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Broadly speaking my research interests are in the field of children’s reading and language development.

I am particularly interested in the processes involved in reading comprehension and the problems that children can face in this area.

My PhD looked at the relationship between inference generation and reading comprehension in children, but in recent years my focus has been mainly on devising and evaluating interventions for children at risk of literacy problems, which has been incredibly rewarding.

I have acted as a consultant on a project developing a suite of reading comprehension tests and have just wrote a book with colleagues from the University of York and the University of Warwick describing our intervention work.

Working jointly with colleagues from Sheffield Hallam University, I am currently putting together some resources for teachers and teaching assistants which we hope to launch later in the year.

Dr Joe Hinds

Lecturer

Following a BA in Social Psychology and a masters in psychological research methods (MRes), I gained my DPhil from the University of Sussex. Whilst at Sussex I was employed as a graduate teaching associate and as a researcher at the Teaching and Learning Development Unit at Sussex. Since then I have been employed as a visiting lecturer at the University of East London, teaching on their MA in Positive Psychology, and more recently here at Sheffield Hallam University.

I have two main areas of responsibility at Sheffield Hallam. I am co-course director on the MSc in Health Psychology and co-module leader for undergraduate social psychology. I also teach on a number of other courses including quantitative (QMS) and advanced qualitative research methods and interpretative phenomenological analysis (a qualitative approach I employ in my own research and which is used extensively in health psychology research).

My teaching overlaps with the main areas of my research interests and expertise. Within a mixed methods and applied framework, I investigate how the physical environment (particularly the natural environment in its many varied forms) may positively affect well-being and pro-environmental attitudes, values, identity and behaviours. I am also interested in the structure and constituents of well-being including the more personally meaningful humanistic approaches to our understanding of emotional wellbeing.

As well as contributing to a number of interdisciplinary projects including conservation biology, geography and psychotherapy, I have provided consultancy to a number of groups and individuals including national and local media outlets.

Dr Lisa Reidy

Senior Lecturer

I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. During this time I was fortunate enough to be involved with a research project investigating special abilities in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For example, my doctoral research involved individuals who could calculate the day of the week for people's birthdays - a very unusual ability!

After my PhD, I pursued my interest in autism and was involved in research projects investigating the genetic basis of ASD and the proposed link between MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine and ASD.

I joined the psychology team at Sheffield Hallam University in 2004. Since then I have engaged in collaborative research with Sheffield Hallam University's Autism Centre on a recent intervention study evaluating the use of communication aids by children with Autism.

My teaching reflects my interest in typical and atypical development. I enjoy teaching on undergraduate developmental psychology modules, particularly in relation to social and emotional development. I am especially proud of our new MSc Developmental Psychology award which allows students to strengthen their understanding of development and progress towards careers in fields such as educational psychology.

Will Reader

Lecturer

I have been working as an academic psychologist for nearly 20 years and have taught a wide range of topics, from abnormal psychology through research methods to cognitive and developmental psychology.

I love psychology because it seems to me to sum up what humans are all about. Only a human could be so baffled by its own behaviour that it sets up an academic discipline to reduce the level of bafflement. Over a hundred years on and we’re still baffled, although perhaps less so than we were.

Bafflement really is important in teaching. I try to get students to be surprised by their own behaviour. When you ask students what they think is an interesting psychological question they tend to focus on things such as 'what causes depression?' or 'why are some people shy?'. They seldom focus on what I see are the really surprising questions such as 'why do we have friends?' or 'how do children manage to learn complex grammar before they can tie their shoelaces?' I think that this is because we are so familiar with our own behaviour we only tend to focus on the differences, not the things that we all do.

One of my general interests is in understanding the relationship between evolution and psychology. Humans are animals and animals evolved and I see no reason to doubt that the brain, just like the hands, heart and liver, evolved to achieve specific goals. I think we need to take evolution seriously but not fall into simplistic models of behaviour that state that certain behaviour are 'hard wired'. Many non-human animals are subtle, and their behaviour guided by many interacting factors. I think humans, if anything, will be subtler still.

In order to help me and others understand all this stuff I wrote a textbook with Lance Workman on evolutionary psychology. Currently we are starting to write the third edition so we must be doing something right.

Finally a word about my research. I am interested in applying evolutionary theory to the study of morality and in particular the use of technology such as social media technologies (Twitter, Facebook and the like). Many people see these are trivial and pointless. But given that so many people spend so much time using them I doubt that it is trivial. Rule number one; whenever you see an animal spending a lot of time doing something, assume it must be important, even if you can’t immediately see why.

Dr Jim Morgan

Senior Lecturer

I gained my MSc Human Factors and PhD Psychology from the University of Leeds before becoming a lecturer in psychology at Leeds Metropolitan University. I joined Sheffield Hallam University as a lecturer in psychology in late 2007, where I have taught a range of topics, including research methods, social psychology, and organisational psychology.

I am a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors.

I have held a few different of roles during my time at Sheffield Hallam University, in 2008 I was appointed course leader for the MSc Corporate Management Psychology. In 2010 I coordinated the design of a new MSc Organisational Psychology which I will also course lead.

My research and scholarly activity is closely related to my teaching, and I am most interested in finding ways to help organisations improve their effectiveness while maintaining or improving employee health and wellbeing. I am also interested in the factors that influence risky decision-making and performance at work, particularly in safety-critical environments.

Dr Wissam Magadley

Senior lecturer

I studied for my BSc (Hons) Psychology at the University of Northumbria at Newcastle, MSc in Occupational Psychology at the University of Nottingham and PhD at the Institute of Work Psychology, University of Sheffield. In September 2006 I joined the psychology department at Sheffield Hallam University.

My teaching mainly focuses on organisational psychology and organisational behaviour and I lead modules on the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The major focus of my research is on creativity and innovation at work. I am interested in the antecedents of creativity and innovation and new ways of enhancing innovation in organisations. I had a leading role in a research project investigating the effectiveness of Innovation Centres funded by the former Department of Trade and Industry. I am also part of a joint research project working with researchers from the University of Sheffield and University of Leeds investigating the impact of TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) training on innovation in Rolls-Royce. In September 2009 I became a qualified TRIZ instructor.

I am involved in consultancy work and I am a leading member of the Department's Psychology Innovations – a consultancy group that offers creativity and innovation workshops.

I am a member of the BPS Division of Occupational Psychology and an associate member of the European Association of Work and Organisational Psychology (EAWOP).

Dr David Reynolds

Principal lecturer

On completing my PhD in 1997 at the University of Dundee I undertook a post-doctoral position at the University of Sussex. In 2000 I then went on to work with Unilever research and development at Port Sunlight before taking up my first faculty position at the University of Chester in 2004.

I commenced working at Sheffield Hallam University in March 2010. My teaching has in the past focused in the areas of cognitive psychology and biological psychology, at all levels including Masters.

My research interests have been quite varied spanning memory and language research, olfaction and most recently in the field of health psychology examining perfectionism and worry.

Dr Lynne Barker

Senior Lecturer

I completed my PhD Cognitive Neuroscience in 2004 at the University of Sheffield. I have worked here at Sheffield Hallam since 2006 where I gained a PgCert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. My undergraduate teaching focuses on clinical, neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, subjects that I thoroughly enjoy. I led the development of our MSc Applied Cognitive Neuroscience course and the neuropsychology undergraduate module. I am course leader and teach several modules on the MSc Applied Cognitive Neuroscience postgraduate course. I am passionate about teaching and research in the broad domain of neuroscience.

My research focuses on understanding cognitive functions impaired after frontal brain injury. In particular I am interested in how the brain processes information implicitly outside of conscious awareness and how these processes contribute to complex behaviour. My recent work also focuses on long-term outcome after brain injury sustained before late adolescence, and whether outcome is worse for people who sustain early injury compared to adult injury.

Alongside my interest in neuropathology, I am also interested in the ways that nutrition might affect cognitive function such as memory, attention for example, in positive and negative ways, and whether fad diets in particular adversely affect functions of the brain.

Dr Penny Furness

Senior Lecturer

After an MSc in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam, I completed a PhD at Nottingham University. My doctoral research was an exploration of psychosocial adaptation to facially disfiguring injury and surgery (in survivors and loved ones). This was inspired by 10 years' registered nursing experience on a burns and reconstructive surgery ward.

As a graduate student I taught behavioural sciences and research methods to medical students and dieticians at Nottingham University. After my PhD, given my background in nursing, I taught psychology to nursing students, first at Sheffield University and then at Sheffield Hallam. I made the move to the Psychology department at Hallam in January 2012.

Since my doctorate, I have been involved in a number of collaborative projects with academic and healthcare practice colleagues in both Sheffield and Nottingham in the field of health / health psychology / health education. Examples include exploration of health professionals' attitudes to medically unexplained symptoms in children, evaluation of interprofessional learning initiatives for student health professionals, enhancement of nursing students' training in moving and handling skills, and the development and trial of novel interventions to promote healthy lifestyles for obese pregnant women. My expertise lies primarily in qualitative methodologies / methods, such as grounded theory, thematic and interpretative approaches.

As a specialist in social psychology, my current / future research plans include the use of discourse analysis approaches to investigate the representation of marginalised social groups, the study of social media for self-presentation, an exploration of 'tea drinking' as a social phenomenon, and further work into the social psychology of appearance. I will be supervising undergraduate and postgraduate student projects in both social and health psychology.

Dr Sue McHale

Senior Lecturer

I gained my PhD from the University of Plymouth in 1994 and since 1995 I have been a senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. I teach undergraduate and postgraduate courses, mainly about biopsychology and cognitive neuroscience. At undergraduate level I teach final year option modules on addictive behaviours and on neuropsychology, as well as specialist modules in neuropsychopharmacology at postgraduate level.

I am the co-author of two books Coping with Alopecia, and Understanding Traumatic stress, published by Sheldon press

My research interest is in dopamine mediated reward mechanisms with a particular focus on eating behaviour and illegal drug use, particularly in relation to stress. I am currently researching the long-term effects of cannabis use on higher order cognitive functioning for example, decision making. I am also conducting experimental studies into the concept of craving and addiction in relation to overeating and obesity.

I am also interested in how stress, and in particular traumatic stress, impacts on behaviours. This has resulted in some interesting research, which I have conducted with a colleague at Nottingham University, looking at the psychological sequelae of hair loss following a traumatic event.

Dr Diarmuid Verrier

Lecturer

I gained my degree and PhD from the National University of Ireland, Galway, and joined the team at Sheffield Hallam University in 2010. Most of my teaching is based on modules about research methods and statistics, personality, and health psychology.

I've taught statistics to psychology students for a while, and I'm aware of how daunting statistics can seem when faced for the first time. Every year, I do my best to turn something that might be perceived as difficult and pointless into something approachable and sensible.

My research interests encompass the intersection between normal and abnormal personality, in particular a personality trait called schizotypy that is related to schizophrenia. Over the years, I've looked at all sorts of correlates of schizotypy, including cognitive performance, physiological reactivity, a tendency to use complementary medicine, and engagement with alternative religions and spirituality.

Most of this work is relevant to the teaching I do on modules that deal with personality and the differences that exist between people on fundamental aspects of human behaviour, emotion, and thinking. Another strand of this work has led me to have an interest in physiological responses to psychological factors, particularly in relation to cardiovascular measures such as blood pressure. This aspect of my work has led to me running a module on the way biological systems can interact with psychological processes to determine health outcomes.

Dr. Lynne Spackman

Lecturer

I did my undergraduate degree in psychology and chemistry at the University of Alberta, Canada before moving to the United Kingdom where I completed a MSc and a PhD in neuroscience from University College London.

I am a registered clinical physiologist and spent 10 years working and doing research in various NHS trusts, including Moorfields Eye Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children. In 2008 I moved into full-time academia and started working at Sheffield Hallam University where I primarily teach areas involving cognition and neuroscience.

In most of my research I combine behavioural and electrophysiological techniques to try and measure the neurophysiology underlying certain behaviours and perceptions. I am interested in multisensory integration and how we combine the inputs from our senses in order to understand the world, particularly factors that occur prior to consciousness. I am also interested in how multisensory inputs shape our perceptions and emotions, from detecting threats to choosing a painting for your wall.

Dr David Bowles

Senior lecturer

I have held a lectureship at Sheffield Hallam University since 2006. As part of the individual differences team the main focus of my teaching and research is on the differential psychology of personality and intelligence. My area tends towards the abnormal – much of my research involves personality disorder, and I co-lead the clinical psychology module for third year students. I also lead individual differences modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Other aspects of my teaching include research methods and statistics, and study skills and academic development to both undergraduate and postgraduate psychology students.

I am very pleased to be the first year tutor for psychology, charged with the welcoming and inducting of new students to the course, and managing their transition to university life. This means I get to indulge my passion for pastoral and academic support, which can be very rewarding and interesting, not to mention challenging.

My research interests include the negative ways in which certain individuals interpret social situations. I am particularly interested in how negative perceptions relate to certain forms of personality disorder, and to attachment insecurity. Beyond these associations, I am interested in designing priming procedures that change these negative social appraisals. In one of my PhD studies, for example, I showed that exposing individuals with borderline personality disorder features to words related to attachment security (e.g., warmth, love, nurturing) stopped them making catastrophic interpretations of their partners’ behaviours.

In addition to those interests I also aim to develop interventions to help people in certain life transitions, such as becoming a mother for the first time, or receiving a terminal illness diagnosis. These interventions are based on self-determination theory, central to which is the notion that we must be intrinsically motivated to engage in healthy behaviours, and that our well-being is at risk if we do not have our basic psychological needs (to feel competent, autonomous and connected to other people) satisfied.

Dr Rachel Marsden

Lecturer

I gained my BSc in psychology from the University of Lincoln in 2002. After working as a social care worker and then an assistant neuropsychologist I came to Sheffield Hallam University to undertake a PhD in psychology, specifically related to autism and diet. I joined the psychology department at Sheffield Hallam as a lecturer in 2009 and have since completed a PgCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.

I currently teach across both undergraduate and post graduate levels in the areas of biopsychology and health psychology and developmental psychology.

My research and scholarly activity has investigated the nutritional status and the effect of dietary interventions on cognition and behaviour in children with autism spectrum disorders.  I am currently looking at mealtime behaviour and food preferences in children with and without autism and the use of complementary and alternative medicines administered by parents of children with autism.  Other research interests include health psychology, biopsychology and neuropsychology.