Alice started as a reader in the department in September. We caught up with Alice to get to know more about them better.
What drew you to the Psychology Department at Royal Holloway?
I have always considered Royal Holloway to be one of the top Psychology Departments in the UK. For example, in the last Research Excellence Framework Psychology at Royal Holloway was ranked 3rd in the UK. So far, my experiences in the department have exceeded expectations. For example, the rigorous training I have received in areas related to university administration and teaching has already taught me how to improve my practice and the thought and care given to the student experience is exemplary. My new colleagues have been incredibly kind and welcoming too.
What is your research area and current projects?
My research primarily focuses on sleep and mental health. When I started my PhD in 2000 there was limited research focused on this association. However, sleep difficulties were commonly reported by those experiencing mental health difficulties (in fact, insomnia and hypersomnia are both included as diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder). I wanted to understand more about how these associations played out over time (for example, did early sleep difficulties predict later mental health difficulties). I also wanted to understand the reasons for this overlap – so studied twins to understand the extent to which genetic and environmental factors explained these associations. One of the projects I am currently involved in aims to identify the questions we need to answer next. I am working on a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership to flag the top 10 unanswered research questions on mental health and the body clock which are most important to those with lived experience, carers and clinicians. These findings will likely impact my next projects in this area (as well as those of others we hope).
What motivated you to initiate you to study sleep and mental health?
The difference in daytime functioning, mood and feelings following a poor night’s sleep compared to a good one can be quite noteworthy. This is something I have been aware of since childhood. However, from a research perspective, my interest in this field only begun when I attended a lecture on sleep when I was an undergraduate. The psychologist pointed out that we spend a third of our lives asleep and that sleep impacts so many different aspects of our lives (learning, memory, mental health, emotional regulation etc). It should not be ignored.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to spend time with my family (including the cat, who we consider to be the head of the family) and to travel when I can. I also spend a lot of my life on the sides of a football pitch as both of my sons adore the sport and play it a lot. One son is a ballboy at Fulham Football club, so when I can, I will drop him off and stay to enjoy the match. What I don’t mention when I go there is that I am in fact an Arsenal fan (shhhhh)!
