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Psychology news archive

 
May 2012
IPS Civic Awards
The inaugural IPS Civic Awards were held on Tuesday 1st May to recognise the varied and impressive contributions by staff and students in Psychology at Leeds and beyond. Congratulations to all of the nominees and to the winners in the eight categories.
 
April 2012
Leeds International Research Scholarship in Psychology available for 2012.
 
The Institute has received a Partnership award.
Partnership Award presentation Both the University and the Students' Union are promoting "The Partnership", developed by students and staff to describe the mutual expectations of each other as part of the University community.
 
Russ Hutter to join journal editorial board
The journal Self and Identity has appointed Dr Russ Hutter to the editorial board from 2013.
 
March 2012
John Rodgers has been appointed as Chair of the Graduate Board's Group on Higher Doctorates.
 
Associate Editor position for Rhiannon Turner
Dr Rhiannon Turner has been appointed as an associate editor at the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Published since 1971, Journal of Applied Social Psychology is a monthly publication devoted to applications of experimental behavioral science research to problems of society (e.g., intergroup relations, organizational and leadership psychology, perceptions of war and natural hazards, and health and wellbeing).
 
February 2012
In-school breakfast breakdown
Is politicians' least favorite meal school children's most important? Katie Adolpus's work gets a mention on 'scienceline'.
 
Medical Research Council Doctoral Training Centre Studentships
The Institute welcomes enquiries in regard to two studentships which are offered on the basis of competition to strong applicants. Topics are (1) Glucose control, incidence of hypoglycaemia and cognitive function, and (2) Using self-generated validity to reduce smoking initiation in adolescents.
 
John Rodgers is a Top Reviewer again
John Rodgers has been recognised as a Top Reviewer in 2011 by the international journal Neuropharmacology. This follows similar awards in 2010 (Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Behavior) and 2007 (Behavioural Brain Research).
 
New Facebook page for Psychology
The newly launched 'A Question of Psych' Facebook page is building a good community of Leeds undergraduate Psychology students across all levels. Join the group, ask your questions and contribute to discussions about Psychology at Leeds.
 
January 2012
Women and the maths problem
Women's underachievement in maths may not be due to their poor self-image in the subject, a new report suggests. Researcher Dr Gijsbert Stoet at the University of Leeds says that the so-called "stereotype threat" theory - which holds that women perform worse than men because they expect to do badly - does not stand up to scrutiny.
 
Prize for Intergroup Relations Research
Dr Rhiannon Turner and her collaborator Professor Richard Crisp (University of Kent) have been awarded the 2011 Gordon Allport Intergroup Relations Prize from the Society for Psychological Study for Social Issues (SPSSI). The prize was received for a paper entitled 'Cognitive adaptation to the experience of social and cultural diversity' which was published in Psychological Bulletin.
 
Mid-lane driving helps older adults stay safe
It's official: older adults are naturally inclined to drive in the middle of the road, leaving the younger generation to cut corners. This tendency to sit mid-lane is an in-built safety mechanism that helps pensioners stay safe behind the wheel, according to researchers at the University of Leeds. (Daily Telegraph article, Guardian article).
 
November 2011
Award for best nutrition presentation
Members of the Human Nutrition research group have won an award for a presentation at the 11th European Nutrition Conference in October 2011.
 
October 2011
China scholarships available
Up to 10 China Scholarship Council-University of Leeds Scholarships are available for high quality international students studying or working at certain Chinese Universities, who will be commencing PhD research study from Session 2012/2013.
 
John Rodgers has co-directed an international workshop
The workshop, entitled The Obese Species, was held at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily, October 21-26 2011.
 
Careers Event: Volunteering Talk
On October 12th the Leeds University Union Psychology Society (LUU PSYCSOC) organised a careers event regarding "Volunteering Work and Work Experience".
 
September 2011
Academician status for Daryl O'Connor
Dr Daryl O'Connor has been elected an Academician by the Academy of Social Sciences for his significant contribution to the Social Sciences.
 
June 2011
ESRC Studentship
Professor Louise Dye and Dr Clare Lawton have been successful in obtaining an ESRC Advanced Quantitative Methods PhD studentship. Kyriaki Myrissa who recently successfully defended her MSc from this department will take up this award shortly.
 
Visiting Fellowship for Marion Hetherington
Professor Marion Hetherington has been awarded a prestigious fellowship to work at Queensland University of Technology for 6 weeks beginning on July 14th and ending August 29th 2011. Professor Hetherington co-supervised a PhD student, Peta Hood, and collaborated with Professor Lynne Daniels and Dr Neil King, both based at the IHBI (Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation); giving talks and writing grants.
 
May 2011
Two awards for Psychology teachers
In the LUU Student Choice Awards for 2011, Gina Koutsopoulou has won the category 'Developing the future: The personal tutor who has helped with building skills and finding employment', and Jennifer Hallam has won the category 'Postgraduate teacher of the year'.
 
Leeds scientists ask: Can grape juice make you alert?
Yorkshire Evening Post article about a Human Appetite Research Unit study on the effects of grape juice.
 
April 2011
Aging Successfully: Older Adult Open Day
On 13-14 April 2011, the Institute's aging research team opened its doors to older adults across Yorkshire.
 
Leeds memory expert on Radio 3's Night Waves
Dr Catriona Morrison in conversation with Joshua Foer, author of 'Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything', and Rana Mitter on Radio 3's Night Waves, 5th April 2011.
 
Leeds Memory Group features on File on Four on Radio 4: Memory on Trial
Do we understand enough about how memory works to properly assess evidence in sex abuse cases when allegations date back decades? Can juries make decisions based on their common sense in complex cases?
 
March 2011
Level 3 Project Poster Conference
On 25 March 2011 our final year students put on a poster conference to present their projects.
 
February 2011
Appetite researchers begin work on EU FP7 project 'Full4Health'
Dr Graham Finlayson and Prof John Blundell have been awarded €402k from the EU as part of €9m Framework Seven Programme collaborative project 'Full4Health'.
 
January 2011
Health: Science of slimming
Researchers in Leeds are trying to find out more about reasons for snacking and other relationships between the mind and appetite.
 
Appeal for new year slimmers to join research
Women wanting to lose weight in 2011 are being sought by researchers looking into which of two healthy diets is the best at improving health. A team at the Human Appetite Research Unit at the University of Leeds are running a study comparing the effects of the 12-week plans on body weight, body composition and appetite control.
 
December 2010
'Top Reviewer' award and reappointment for John Rodgers
Professor John Rodgers has been awarded 'Top Reviewer 2009-2010' for exceptional contribution to the quality of the international journal Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. He has also been re-appointed for a further 3 years to the Editorial Board of the international journal Physiology & Behavior. He has served continuously in this capacity since 1997.
 
October 2010
PhD student Ian Flatters has won a prestigious British Engineering Excellence Award for his work on designing a new shoulder replacement.
 
"Motor Development in Children", a conference and Festschrift in honour of Professor David Sugden, 23 Oct 2010.
 
September 2010
The annual Greater Yorkshire Memory (GYM) meeting was held at the Institute on December 16th 2010.
 
John Rodgers has been appointed to the Review Editorial Board of Frontiers in Psychopharmacology, a speciality section of the new open-access journal Frontiers in Psychiatry.
 
August 2010
Mark Conner and Daryl O'Connor appointed new Editors-in-Chief of Psychology & Health from 1 January, 2011.
 
An EU funded MPhil/PhD studentship is available on determining factors and critical periods in food habit formation and breaking in early childhood.
 
A PhD studentship is available on the effect of breakfast on academic and cognitive performance and behaviour in primary and secondary schoolchildren.
 
July 2010
Mark Conner has been awarded the inaugural DHP Award for Outstanding Contribution to Research by the BPS Division of Health Psychology.
 
Research boost from cerebral palsy charity
Developmental research at Leeds has had a major boost thanks to the generosity of Aberdeen and District Cerebral Palsy Association.
 
PhD studentship available on the associations between the clinical work environment and the relationship with patient safety incidents.
 
June 2010
Two PhD studentships available on the effect of breakfast on schoolchildren's performance, and on the effects of diet and/or exercise interventions on cognitive function and quality of life in overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
 
Summer studentship success for 11 undergraduates
 
May 2010
Peter Gardner is one of ten individual winners in the I Love My Personal Tutor awards organised by Leeds University Union.
 
John Rodgers has accepted an invitation to join the editorial board of the international journal, Neuropeptides.
 
Leeds Women's Wellbeing Study launched [poster] [details].
 
April 2010
"Exercise increases pupils' mental age" - an article by Mark Mon-Williams in The Times.
 
Colin Hendrie has an article in Italy's "La Stampa" newspaper, on depression as an evolutionary adaptation.
 
February 2010
Reema Sirriyeh and colleagues have published a study on teenagers and exercise.
 
Leeds psychologists examine the link between internet addiction and depression
 
November 2010
What makes psychology and geography graduates the most employable?
Experts at the Guardian explain why they think geography and psychology graduates are least likely to be unemployed.
 
December 2009
Catriona Morrison featured as a keynote speaker at the recent BPS London Lectures.
 
November 2009
Psychologists from Leeds on menu at inaugural Ilkley Science Festival.
 
Colin Hendrie features in a Daily Mail article: How to woo a man.
 
20-
Pedagogical research by Drs Mitch Waterman and
Siobhan Hugh-Jones highlighted in Peter Mandelson's 'Higher Ambition' report (page 72).
 
November 2009
Fiona Jones features in a Times article: Take it from an expert: stress psychologist.
 
Colin Hendrie features in a Daily Mail article: The unromantic truth about why we kiss - to spread germs.
 
October 2009
Richard Wilkie has been awarded £17.7k from Remedi (Rehabilitation of Driving after Stroke).
 
September 2009
Alex Schaefer has been awarded £385,359 (FEC) from the BBSRC for a project on the interactions between emotion and memory.
 
August 2009
Psychology foundation course with The Lifelong Learning Centre.
 
Rhiannon Turner has been awarded £307k (FEC) from the ESRC for a project on reducing prejudice via indirect intergroup contact.
 
July 2009
PhD studentship available on nutrition of older adults.
 
June 2009
4-year PhD studentship available on the potential for milk components to alter cognitive performance under stress.
 
May 2009
Nine Summer-studentships funded by the EPS, BPS, Wellcome Trust and Nuffield Foundation.
 
BBSRC funded PhD studentship available on food hedonics and obesity.
 
PhD studentship available on nutrition in infancy.
 
April 2009
Louise Dye appeared on Professor Regan's Nursery (BBC2) talking about the effects of breakfast on cognitive performance in children.
 
Catriona Morrison & Martin Conway are part of BBC1 The ONE Show's memory week, from 20 April. Take part in the biggest ever memory study at www.thebigmemoryshare.com.
 
March 2009
Daryl O'Connor, Mark Conner & Rebecca Lawton have been awarded a Worldwide Universities Network grant to support collaboration with colleagues at the Universities of Illinois and Indiana.
 
Gijsbert Stoet is to appear in a documentary film about the drug ketamine.
 
Wilkie, Burke, Mon-Williams et al. have been awarded an MRC CASE PhD Studentship (£67k).
 
Increasing Physical Activity: a workplace intervention
'AME for Activity' is a recently completed BUPA-funded project on health and the workplace. This important UK-first trial, led by Dr Rebecca Lawton, aimed to promote good health by making people aware of the benefits of physical activity.
 
20-
Colin Lever has been awarded £393.5k
(FEC) from the BBSRC for a project on spatial coding and memory.
 
February 2009
Cancer Research UK Race for Life 2009
 
January 2009
RAE2008 - Leeds ranked 11th out of 76.
 
Richard Wilkie and Melanie Burke have been awarded an Integrated Products Manufacturing Knowledge Transfer Network SPARK Award.
 
December 2008
Rhiannon Turner has won the SPSP Robert B. Cialdini Award.
 
November 2008
Take part in Conway and Morrison's collaboration with the Wellcome Trust on memories of war.
 
Russell Hutter and Rhiannon Turner have been awarded £194,603 (FEC) from ESRC for a project entitled 'The prejudice reducing properties of social category combinations', to start in March 2009.
 
October 2008
John Blundell and Graham Finlayson have been awarded £665,693 (FEC) from BBSRC for a project entitled 'Drivers of eating behaviour during chronic overconsumption'.
 
June 2008
Rhiannon Turner has received a BPS Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research Contributions to Psychology.
 
Psychology Ladies Race for Life 2008.
 
May 2008
Take part in Martin Conway and Catriona Morrison's Magical Memory Tour.
 
March 2008
Brain Awareness Week (March 10-16).
 
December 2007
Ben Morris wins Tai Chi gold.
 
November 2007
Gina Koutsopoulou wins Tang Soo Do gold in world championships.
 
September 2007
Catriona Morrison talks to the BBC about a study on yawning.
 
Psychology postgraduates are football champions.