The first blog in our series on global research is a conversation with Anna Rabinovich, a researcher at the University of Sussex who is making a significant impact internationally. A professor in social psychology and sustainability, Anna leads the REAL… Read more ..read more

By Aimee Cole Educational placement with the National Literacy Trust When I began my Psychology course at Sussex back in 2019, I wasn’t at all sure where I wanted my degree to take me. My interests were broad, ranging from psychopathology to sports psychology. I also had a keen interest in social justice and knew I wanted to work in a role where I felt I could make a positive contribution. I just couldn’t picture how these interests could culminate in an interesting and appropriate job role. Among this, I also experienced a lot of anxiety, and couldn’t imagine feeling confident in an unfamilia ..read more

In April this year, SARIC (Sussex Addiction Research and Intervention Centre) hosted a public panel as part of the British Neuroscience Association’s International Festival of Neuroscience 2023, discussing the need to bridge the gap between academia and the community regarding the study, prevention, and treatment of addictions.  In the spirit of starting an honest and open conversation on this issue, the panel was made up of a diverse range of experts:  Pablo Romero Sanchiz, clinical psychologist and lecturer at the University of Sussex; Becky Marshall, dual diagnosis nurse consultan ..read more

By Dr Gillian Sandstrom To mark Loneliness Awareness Week, Sussex Psychologist Gillian Sandstrom shares her research findings on the importance of connecting with strangers for our happiness and well-being. I talk to strangers.  Even on the Tube.  I have had loads of pleasant chats and, of course, a few awkward ones.  I’ve benefitted from some of these conversations, learning new things and getting helpful advice and recommendations.  Even when the conversations are just average, they add up, and make me feel more trust and less fear towards others.  Researc ..read more

By Anjali Das As part of World Autism Acceptance Week, Psychology graduate Anjali Das writes about her work placement with the ACoRNs team and the experiences that have influenced her future goals and passion for autism research. One year ago, when I finished my degree, I would have laughed in disbelief if you asked me where I would be now. I am writing this blog, as a BSc graduate in Psychology and Cognitive Science, in my office, where I work 9-5 on a salary, as a Graduate Associate for the Wellbeing Team at Sussex. I work alongside incredibly experienced, resilient, and inspiring adults, wh ..read more

By Kerry Moor We asked one of our current 2022-23 Psychology Professional placement students to tell us about their experience so far. Kerry is completing an internal research placement with the School of Psychology for the Sussex Centre for Research on Kindness. A Professional Placement year is completed between your second and final year of undergraduate study. Halfway through my second year, I had a sudden realisation that I needed a break from my Psychology degree. As a driven person, I wanted to redirect my life towards goals I wanted to achieve and things I wanted to learn, instead of be ..read more

By Louise Davidson According to Part Two of the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena Attack, one of the key problems with the response on the night was that the three emergency services failed to act as one team. Instead, the Police, Fire, and Ambulance Services were working as three separate teams. One aspect of the Manchester Arena Attack that distinguishes it from day-to-day emergencies (e.g., burglaries, small house fires, and heart attacks) is the required joint nature of the response by the Police, Fire, and Ambulance Service.  The Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Prin ..read more

By Professor Gillian Forrester image credit: David Stock (New Scientist) My research strives to understand how we became the upright walking, talking, tool-using great apes that we are today – both through the evolution of our species and through the development of infants. I study the behaviours and brains of both neuro-typically and non-neuro-typically developing children and our great ape relatives (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans) and aim to develop comparative research approaches that place human cognitive development within an evolutionary framework. My most recent project has both a d ..read more

September was World Alzheimer’s Month, an international event run by Alzheimer’s Disease International to spread awareness and challenge the stigmas that surround Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative neurological condition that is currently affecting more than 944,000 people in the UK and Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60-70% of these cases. Alzheimer’s is progressive and, currently, irreversible with treatment limited to alleviating the symptoms and delaying the progression of the disease. But it isn’t all doom and gloom! Research is currently being done a ..read more

In the Summer, I attended the 2022 annual conference of the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP). This took place over four days in a very sweaty Athens and was a pretty mad event, with over 850 delegates attending nine parallel sessions at a time. For me there were two standouts. The first was a ‘commemorating panel’ in honour of Jim Sidanius, of whom, I freely admit, I had never heard. However, with Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington of the LSE as chair I couldn’t miss it, and I now know that Sidanius was a giant of social psychology whose book, Social Dominance, changed her life ..read more