Social Psychology Section
The Social Psychology Section was founded in 1940 and is now a thriving community of social psychologists. It receives financial support from the society and it is represented on major BPS committees and at BPS conferences.
About
The inaugural meeting was held on 06 April 1940 under the Chairmanship of Professor Morris Ginsberg.
The foundation and initial meetings are listed in the first (1948) volume of the Quarterly Bulletin of The British Psychological Society and later volumes include reports from the section up until the point where the BPS started publishing its annual reports as a separate volume in 1955.
In the current socio-political context of education and research funding cuts, where disciplines compete for the recognition of their societal and academic value, it is more important than ever that social psychology has a strong and distinctive voice.
Contact us
Any queries regarding the Social Psychology Section should be sent to [email protected].
You can also follow us on Twitter at @socialpsychUK or on Facebook.
Our aims
The Social Psychology Section aims to:
- encourage and promote social psychological research
- facilitate contact and communication between social psychologists
- impact positively upon social psychology globally
- publish a refereed publication, the Social Psychological Review
- represent the interests of UK social psychologists within the British Psychological Society and more widely,
- support activities such as workshops and conferences
The section is run by an elected committee. We always welcome any additional help from members.
Achieving our aims:
The Social Psychological section aims to meet the objectives through the following activities:
- an Annual Social Psychology section conference
- establishing awards for a recent PhD, Mid-Career and Distinguished Contribution to Social Psychology
- offering pump-priming funds for such events
- responding to consultation documents and/or initiatives relevant to the development of social psychology; for example, the ESRC Psychology Benchmarking Exercise and Nomination of REF Panel Members
- supporting policy-relevant meetings with government and non-government organisations
- supporting seminars, workshops, and other conferences organised by members of the section
Mission statement
To promote the development and understanding of Social Psychology in the UK via:
- an annual section scientific conference
- disseminating news and views about social psychology and social psychologists through the Section's publication: the Social Psychological Review
- encouraging and helping to support visits to the U.K. by distinguished overseas social psychologists
- encouraging postgraduate participation by postgraduate students through subsidies at Section Annual Conferences and other meetings of the Section
- fostering links with other sections
- other scientific meetings, research seminars and workshops as can be arranged
- participating in other appropriate BPS bodies which further the development of psychology in general and social psychology in particular
- Section-sponsored symposia at the BPS Annual Conference
Previous events and presentations
2021
Social Psychology Conference 2021
Wednesday 25th August - Friday 27th August 2021
Location: Online
Social psychology is a vast and diverse field full of research that offers important and unique perspectives on the social aspects of human and animal behaviour. Our 2021 conference will showcase the wide-ranging theories, methods and practices that our discipline has to offer. Embracing our theme of inclusivity, we will adopt a single-stream format that will maximise engagement and celebration of all things social psychology.
We welcome papers, posters and symposia submissions from all areas of social psychology and are keen to represent the full breadth of topics and methods that social psychology comprises. We particularly encourage submissions from under-represented groups, scholars at risk and research projects that have a strong interdisciplinary angle.
Through our 2021 conference, we aim to not only showcase the very best of social psychological research through our keynotes and presentations but to also facilitate a culture where social psychologists across all career stages can learn from one another and develop exciting new collaborations. We therefore strongly encourage symposia submissions that bring together presenters from different career stages and that foreground the work of those earlier in their careers.
2020
Online (due to COVID-19)
2019
Park Inn by Radisson, York
2018
Keele University, Keele
2017
Hilton Brighton Metropole, Brighton
2016
Mercure Holland House, Cardiff
2015
Palace Hotel, Manchester (joint conference with the Developmental Psychology Section)
2014
Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury
2013
University of Exeter, Exeter
News
Events
Guidelines
Useful links and resources for Social Psychologists
Social Psychological Review
A collection of papers that make significant and original contributions to the field of social psychology.
Latest articles - Social Psychological Review
- Periodicals
Turning a BPS symposium into a safe and hopeful space for challenging social inequalities within and outside our communities - Social Psychological Review
Volume: 26 Issue: 2
Date of Publication: 01-12-2024
Author(s): Leyla De Amicis, Lynette Camilleri, Özden Melis Uluğ, Catriona Shelly, Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir
- Periodicals
Notes from the 2024 campaign trail - Social Psychological Review
Volume: 26 Issue: 2
Date of Publication: 01-12-2024
Author(s): Matthew Cantwell McCormick
- Periodicals
Protest, power, and psychological resistance: Navigating political despair in precarious times - Social Psychological Review
Volume: 26 Issue: 2
Date of Publication: 01-12-2024
Author(s): Shrehan Lynch
- Periodicals
The potential role of visible solidarity in mitigating minority stress in subscribers to a theory of generalised prejudice - Social Psychological Review
Volume: 26 Issue: 2
Date of Publication: 01-12-2024
Author(s): Drew Simms
- Periodicals
Bridging disciplines, crossing cultures: An interdisciplinary journey in social psychology - Social Psychological Review
Volume: 26 Issue: 2
Date of Publication: 01-12-2024
Author(s): Kayden J. Schumacher
Awards
Award for Distinguished Contribution to Social Psychology
Deadline: 26 May 2024
The award is given in recognition of a distinguished contribution to research in social psychology over the duration of one's career.
Typically, nominees will have had a sustained career in social psychology that has resulted in a body of scholarship that has led to a significant change in understanding of a social psychological phenomenon.
Recipients may be of any nationality but must currently be working in a UK institution at the time of nomination. The award is made bi-annually.
Rules for bi-annual awards:
- Nominations should be made by Section Members only; although, nominees do not need to be Section members.
- The nominee must be working at a UK institution at the time of nomination.
- Nominations should be accompanied by a brief supporting statement (approx. 500 words maximum) outlining the significance of the nominee's contribution.
- Previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination and neither are self-nominators.
- The award is made biannually (next award in 2024).
- The Section Committee reserves the right not to make an award in any given year if it judges this to be appropriate.
The nominee will be judged on meeting the following:
- Outstanding theoretical/empirical contributions;
- Outstanding impact to the discipline;
- Outstanding impact also shown outside the discipline (e.g., policy, welfare, the general public, school);
- Citizenship within the discipline (e.g., mentoring, supervision, contributions to BPS etc.).
The Award winner
- will be invited to the 2024 SPS Conference to receive an award trophy
- will receive one day complimentary 2024 Conference registration, alongside UK travel expenses and one night accommodation
How to apply
All nominations must be made online.
Nominations will close at midnight on 26 May 2024.
Judging process
Awards will be judged by a panel within the Social Psychology Section Committee.
Early Career Award - NOW CLOSED
The award is given in recognition of outstanding research in social psychology by an early-career scholar and is determined by the submission of a single published paper where the nominee has led that piece of research (e.g., first author) and a supporting nomination statement.
Self-nominations are accepted for this award.
This award is made annually.
Criteria
- Early Career is defined to scholars awarded their doctorate within 5 years of successful completion of the viva voce examination and any required corrections. We encourage nominations to reflect the diversity of social psychology including under-represented groups and will consider periods of leave (e.g., parental leave) in our consideration of eligibility.
- Nominations should be accompanied by a supporting statement outlining the significance of the nominee's contribution to research and associated activity more broadly as well as in the submitted paper.. This may be from any individual who is able to comment on the contribution of the nominee, such as a supervisor, colleague, or External Examiner of their Ph.D. Self-nominations are also welcome.
- Nominators must themselves be Section members, although nominees do not need to be Section members (unless they are self-nominating).
- Nominators should seek the consent of the nominee before nomination (if not a self-nomination)
- Papers in press and published online in advance of final publication are counted as published for the purpose of the award (pre-prints will not be considered). The only criteria are that the work has been conducted during the PhD itself, or within 5 years of the nominee receiving their doctorate.
- Previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination.
- Recipients may be of any nationality but must have studied for their Ph.D or currently be working in a UK institution.
Guidance for nominations
You will need the following information:
Nominee (self-nominations are accepted):
- Name (and Title)
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Contact email address
Nominator (if not a self-nomination):
- Name (and Title)
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
A supporting statement outlining the significance of the nominee's contribution to research more broadly as well as in the submitted paper.
The paper
This should be a typeset copy of the published paper (in PDF format). If a typeset copy (i.e. the final published version or page proofs) is not available, then the nominee should include notification of the article's acceptance with the manuscript in a word or combined PDF file.
How to apply
This award is now closed
Judging process
The nominee will be judged based on the chosen paper and a combination of the following additional criteria:
- Outstanding theoretical/empirical contributions by the candidate (for career stage)
- Outstanding impact within the discipline (commensurate with career stage).
- Outstanding impact shown outside the discipline (e.g., policy, welfare, the general public, school) (commensurate with career stage)
Please note: nominees do not need to meet all criteria.
The award will be judged by the Section Committee. Committee members will declare any conflict of interests prior to participating in the decision making process and those with conflicts will be excluded from voting The Committee's decision is final.
The Section Committee reserves the right not to make an award in any given year if it judges this to be appropriate.
The Award winner:
- will receive a prize and be invited to the 2025 Section Conference to receive the prize
- will receive one day complimentary registration, alongside UK travel expenses and one night accommodation for an in-person conference.
Mid-Career Award - NOW OPEN
Deadline: 18 May 2025
The award is given in recognition of outstanding research in social psychology by a mid-career scholar. Indicators of outstanding research might include: contribution to theory development, methodological innovation, and/or contribution to society (e.g., policy or practice).
Recipients may be of any nationality but must be working in a UK institution at the time of nomination. Mid-Career is defined loosely and might typically apply to scholars awarded their doctorate between 5 and 20 years ago. Self-nominations are accepted for this award.
The award is made bi-annually.
Rules for bi-annual awards
- Nominations should be made by Section Members only; although, nominees do not need to be Section members. Section Members can submit recommendations to Committee Members to consider.
- Nominations should be accompanied by a brief supporting statement (approx. 500 words maximum) outlining the significance of the nominee's contribution.
- Nominators should seek the consent of the nominee before nomination (if not a self-nomination)
- Previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination.
- The award is made biannually (next award 2025).
- Recipients may be of any nationality but must have studied for their Ph.D or currently be working in a UK institution.
- The Section Committee reserves the right not to make an award in any given year if it judges this to be appropriate.
Guidance for nominations
You will need the following information.
Nominee (self-nominations are accepted):
- Name (and Title)
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
- Contact email address
- Nominator (if not a self-nomination)
- Name (and Title)
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number (if applicable)
A supporting statement outlining the significance of the nominee's contribution to research more broadly
Judging process
The nominee will be judged on meeting the following:
- Outstanding theoretical/empirical contributions by the candidate (for career stage)
- Candidate having an outstanding impact to the discipline (commensurate with career stage).
- Outstanding impact also is shown outside the discipline (e.g., policy, welfare, the general public, school) (commensurate with career stage)
- Citizenship within the discipline (e.g., mentoring, supervision, contribution to BPS etc.) (commensurate with career stage)
The award will be judged by the Section Committee. Committee members must declare any conflict of interests prior to participating in the decision making process. Any committee members with conflicts will be excluded from voting. The Committee's decision is final.
The Section Committee reserves the right not to make an award in any given year if it judges this to be appropriate.
How to apply
Nominations must be made online.
The award deadline is midnight on Sunday 18 May 2025.
The Award winner:
- will receive a prize and be invited to give a talk at the 2025 Section conference
- will receive one day complimentary registration, alongside travel and one night accommodation
Current and Previous Award Winners
Distinguished Contribution Award
2024: Professor Stefania Paolini
2022: Professor Steve Reicher
2020: Professor Sonia Livingstone
2018: Prof Constantine Sedikides
2016: Prof Rupert Brown
2014: Professor Catherine Campbell
2012: Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell
2010: Professor Michael Billig
Early Career Award (PhD Award)
2024: Dr Geetha Reddy
2023: Dr Evangelos Ntontis
2022: Dr Anne Templeton
2021: Dr Paul Hanel
2020: Dr Julie Van de Vyver
2019: Dr Nils Reimer
2018: Dr Amanda Williams
2017: Non awarded
2016: Non awarded
2015: Non awarded
2014: Dr Shelley McKeown-Jones
2013: Dr Steve Kirkwood
2012: Dr Annelies Vredeveldt
2011: Dr David Novelli
Mid-Career Award
2023: Dr Blerina Kellezi
2021: Prof Michelle Ryan
2019: Prof John Drury
2017: Dr Tim Wildschut
2015: Professor David De Cremer
2013: Professor Richard Crisp
2011: Professor Liz Stokoe
Pump-Priming and Dissemination Fund
The Social Psychology Section awards small grants for the purpose of pump priming and dissemination.
The aim of these grants is to enable Section members to conduct research studies or organise events that may lead to a larger research project or similar outcome, or the further dissemination of work already conducted.
Funds may be requested for the purposes of activities such as primary research activities (e.g., the payment of research assistances or participant remuneration), the development of a network of potential research collaborators, the organization of workshops, or the organization of public engagement events. Applicants are encouraged to seek matched funding wherever possible, although it is not a requirement that proposals include matched funding.
While there is no theme for this call, the committee will favour applications that prioritize global challenges and those that have an interdisciplinary dimension, alongside focusing on the current campaigns of the BPS.
Criteria
Applications must answer the following questions (each question is limited to 4,000 characters):
- Aims & objectives
- Anticipated outcomes (e.g. publications; further research proposals; presentations; 'impact')
- Costings (please be as detailed as possible)
- Timeframe (including proposed start and end dates)
- Work Planned (this section should include the details of the activities planned)
For events, applicants are free to decide whether to charge a delegate fee, or to use the funds to make the event free to delegates. A clear justification for this decision must be provided in the proposal.
If charging a fee, applicants should bear in mind that different fees can be charged for different grades of Section membership (e.g. full members; postgraduate members; non-members).
If costs are to be recovered through delegate fees, the Section would ordinarily expect to be reimbursed up to a maximum of the sum awarded.
Eligible costs include any costs associated with the project, with two major exceptions:
- The Section does not cover costs associated with academic staff time or replacement teaching costs.
- The Section does not cover institutional overheads.
Grant holders are expected to provide a report of around 1,000 words (suitable for publication in Social Psychological Review and on the Section's website), together with a final budgetary report, within three months of the end of the funding period.
Grant holders must be members of the British Psychological Society, Social Psychology Section (although non-Section members can be co-applicants).
The maximum grant available under this scheme is £1000 per applicant, however, we anticipate most projects will be budgeted for £500 with a strong justification if applicants wish to request the full amount. For example, the application involves both research and dissemination activities. The duration of projects funded under the scheme is typically no longer than 12 months. Funds must be invoiced to the BPS by year end
Guidance for nominations
You will need the following information:
- Nominee name
- Title
- Organisation/affiliation
- BPS membership number
Information should be included on the following (where each question is limited to 4,000 characters):
- Aims and objectives
- Anticipated outcomes (e.g. publications; further research proposals; presentations; 'impact')
- Costings (please be as detailed as possible)
- Timeframe (including proposed start and end dates)
- Work Planned (this section should include the details of the activities planned)
How to apply
The deadline for applications is 31 July 2024.
Submit an application for the Pump Priming Dissemination Fund
Judging process
- Committee members must declare any conflicts of interest before participating in the decision-making process.
- An Awarding Sub-Committee will review all applications. The Committee's decision is final.
- The number and level of awards made in any one year may vary.
- The Committee will assess the applications on originality and potential contribution to knowledge, value for money, and outputs and dissemination.
Previous Pump-Priming Find Recipients
2024
Principal Investigator: Dr Philippa Carr
Affiliation: University of the West of England
Title of project: Exploring how low paid health and social care workers in the UK talk about the cost of living crisis
Principal Investigator: Dr Leyla De Amicis
Affiliation: University of Glasgow
Title of project: 'Decolonise yourself': Pilot study to develop a toolkit supporting social psychologists to reflect on research & teaching.
Principal Investigator: Dr Alex Barker
Affiliation: University of Derby
Title of project: Social identity processes in the effects of alcohol branding: A literature review
2023
Principal Investigator: Annabel D. Roberts
Affiliation: Keele University
Title of Project: Picturing Equality: a Critical Qualitative Challenge to the Inequalities Faced by Transgender & Gender Expansive People in the UK
Principal Investigator: Dr Annayah Prosser
Affiliation: School of Management, University of Bath
Title of Project: How do people engage with the 'Climate Stripes'?: Investigating the role of a key climate visual for education, activism and global climate action
Principal Investigator: Anthony Gifford
Affiliation: Nottingham Trent University
Title of Project: Psychosocial predictors of HIV PrEP usage among UK based Men who have sex with Men
Principal Investigator: Dr Rosslyn Kerr
Affiliation: Bradford Institute for Health Research
Title of project: Pilot project to explore how madrassas can be used to deliver 'after-school club' activities for early adolescents
2022
Principal Investigator: Dr Sara Vestergren
Affiliation: Keele University
Principal Investigator: Dr Fergus Neville
Affiliation: University of St. Andrews
Principal Investigator: Dr Blerina Kellezi
Affiliation: Nottingham Trent University
Principal Investigator: Dr Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir
Affiliation: The Open University
2021
Principal Investigator: Mhairi Bowe
University: Nottingham Trent University
Title of project: Whose history is it anyway? An experimental exploration of the impact of nostalgia contents and national identity threat on political preferences
Principal Investigator: Anastasia Rousaki
University: Nottingham Trent University
Title of project: Adolescent sexting and consent; a discursive approach.
Principal Investigator: Melissa Pavetich
University: University of Greenwich
Title of project: Socio-Political Attitudes between Right- and Left-Wing Partisans
Principal Investigator: Moon Halder
University: Nottingham Trent University
Title of project: The impact of COVID on the social skills of children: A Qualitative study
2020
Principal Investigator: Madeleine Pownall
University: University of Leeds
Title of project: The effects of women's performance motivation on susceptibility to the 'baby brain' stereotype in pregnancy
Principal Investigator: Yasemin Acar
University: University of Dundee
Title of project: Resistance from generation to generation: The case of Saturday Mothers in Istanbul.
Principal Investigator: Meredith Schertzinger
University: University of St. Andrews
Title of project: Exploring the Power of Group Identity and Communication on Psychological Need Fulfilment
Principal Investigator: Bogdana Huma
University: York St John University
Title of project: 'Unresponded' persuasian in broadcast adversarial political debates
Principal Investigator: Clifford Stevenson
University: Nottingham Trent University
Title of project: Exploring Financial Distress and Suicidal Behaviour During COVID-19
Chair: Dr Sara Vestergren
Dr Sara Vestergren is a lecturer in Social Psychology at Keele University. Sara’s main research interest and area of expertise is crowds, collective behaviour, collective action and the environmental movement, more specifically participation in crowds and collective action (e.g., protest participation, queue to the late Queen’s lying-in-state).
In her research, Sara mainly uses qualitative methods such as ethnographic interviews and thematic analysis to explore psychological change through participation in crowds and collective actions. She has co-developed a theory of emergent and enduring change through participation in collective action.
Sara is the current Chair for BPS Social Psychology Section.
You can follow Sara on X/Twitter
Chair Elect: Vacant
Honorary Treasurer: Dr Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir
Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir is a postdoctoral researcher at the Open University and a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Her research examines social identity dynamics and intergroup relations underlying prosocial attitudes and behaviours. She usually prefers to study these topics using comparative designs in the contexts of migration and academia.
She is also interested in the conceptualisation and contextualisation of prosocial behaviour in social psychology and is working towards building a theoretical framework that offers a more nuanced understanding of this concept.
In her second line of research, she studies meta-science and looks at the ways in which intergroup power dynamics as well as research and teaching practices influence the production of scientific knowledge.
She has published empirical papers in several outlets, including the British Journal of Psychology, PLoS ONE, and Nature Human Behaviour, and received funding from several organisations, including the British Psychological Society, the European Association of Social Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues.
She has been elected in 2022 to serve as a Social Psychology Section Committee Member for three years. She will be working on the section’s programme of events.
You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn, or learn more about her on her website.
Honorary Secretary: Dr Rosslyn Kerr
Dr Rosslyn Kerr is a Research Fellow with Born in Bradford (since 2021), a longitudinal research programme based at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Rosslyn completed her PhD at University of Dundee in 2022 and her research focuses broadly on matters of social inclusion and belonging. In her PhD, this took a focus on organisational belonging, and the way this is communicated through organisational practices.
Rosslyn’s current research has a focus on youth resilience through provision of community-based activities to provide support for young people against the harms of exploitation, drugs and violence.
Rosslyn uses qualitative research methods and is interested in how creative methods such as creative and artistic expressions can be used in research.
Rosslyn joined the committee in 2023 and is currently the secretary.
SPR Editor: Jodi Odgers
Jodi completed his Honours in Psychology in 2014 with a moral philosophy research experiment exploring the impact of differing philosophical arguments on charitable giving. Upon completion of his degree, he embarked on a teaching adventure in South Korea for almost nine years. While there, he was fascinated by how different Korean culture was to his own, and made connections with expats from all over the world. All of this deepened his interest in social psychology and the impact of culture on people’s lives.
Jodi completed an MSc in Applied Neuroscience from King’s College London in 2023 with research into the comparative efficacy of mindfulness-based intervention and cognitive-based therapy.
Jodi is currently working to support victims of domestic abuse in the UK, and is open to work on research projects in social psychology, mindfulness, neuroscience, comic books, domestic abuse, or a wide range of other topics.
Jodi joined the Committee in 2023 and is currently on the editorial panel for the Section’s academic journal, Social Psychology Review. If you would like to potentially submit a piece for an upcoming issue of the review or connect for any other reason, feel free to reach out via LinkedIn, Bluesky, or email.
SPR Editor: Kayden Schumacher
Kayden Schumacher is an enthusiastic PhD scholar, researcher, lecturer and school counsellor, with passion, curiosity and a diverse educational background. Kayden is motivated to make a difference, specifically involving gender, sexuality and feminism in education, research, and social sciences.
Kayden is currently working on a studentship in the Centre for Global Learning at Coventry University, in the United Kingdom with research focusing on transgender and gender diverse students’ and educators’ experiences in the English education system.
As a BPS Social Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Relationship Diversity Committees, an AtGender Board member, "Sexualities and Gender" Special Interest Group Convenor for the British Educational Research Association, and a PGR Representative, Kayden has aimed to make an impact within education and gender studies based on democratic process and collaboration.
Kayden has taught psychology undergraduate and graduate students about gender and sexuality, worked as a school counsellor across all levels within the Midwestern, USA, was a dual-sport NCAA athlete and is a proudly married transgender and sexually fluid person. Kayden hopes to use holistic and participatory research methods to inform policy, practice, and perspectives globally to create more inclusive environments.
Events: Dr Merve Ozturk
Merve is currently completing her PhD at Durham University. Her research focuses on investigating the effectiveness of indirect intergroup contact in fostering prosociality. Her other academic interests are prejudice, privilege awareness, collective action, arts engagement, and meta-science. She primarily employs experimental and cross-sectional methods to advance our understanding of these subjects. Beyond expanding theoretical knowledge, Merve is committed to developing impactful interventions aimed at fostering positive societal change.
Events: Dr Leyla De Amicis
Dr Leyla De Amicis is a Lecturer in Education, in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, where she teaches and leads several psychology courses (e.g., Individual Differences, Psychology of Adult Learning, Psychology of Environmental Sustainability) in several MSc programmes (e.g., Psychological studies/Psychology-online/Sustainable Futures), adding social psychology key elements (her passion!).
Leyla has an honours degree in Psychology from the University of Padua and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Sussex. She worked as researcher on national (e.g., Welcome Trust) and international (e.g. Erasmus +) projects at different Universities (GCU, Trinty College Dublin, UWS, University of Edinburgh) on various topics across different areas of Psychology (developmental, social, clinical). She was an Associate Tutor/Temporary lecturer at several Universities in the UK (e.g. University of Sussex, CCC, Kingston University), also teaching in many areas of Psychology. Leyla also worked and volunteered in non -academic settings, e.g., non-profit organisations for children and people with disabilities and/or affected by challenging living circumstances (Barnardo’s, A.N.F.F.A.S) in different countries (Italy, UK, Bosnia, Nepal and Costa Rica).
Leyla’s main research interests consist in preventing and/or contrasting prejudice (e.g., solidarity- based action), discrimination and bullying among children and adults, considering both majorities and minority groups’ perspectives. While publishing in these areas, Leyla has also developed a strong interest in climate change action and she has presented research and run public engagement activities on meat consumption reduction, vegans and non- vegans relationships and nature connectedness, supported by ESRC IAA grants and at ESRC Social Sciences Festivals. Her scholarship focus is on decolonising academia and she received a BPS priming pumping grant to carry out some work on this area. She also focuses on the inclusion of social and environmental sustainability in higher education.
Leyla is an ad-hoc events committee member of the BPS Social Psychology Section and has been a BPS member since 2012.
Events: Dr Selin Tekin
Dr. Selin Tekin, Karabük University & University of New York Tirana, Department of Psychology.
Dr. Selin Tekin completed her undergraduate studies in the Department of Psychology at Ankara University, her master’s degree in Community and Social Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMASS Lowell), with Dr Urmitapa Dutta, and her PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex, with Prof. John Drury. In 2021, she had the opportunity to work as a postdoctoral researcher, with Prof. Steve Reicher, at the University of St Andrews. She continues to teach in psychology departments at Karabük University and University of New York Tirana while pursuing her research.
Her work generally focuses on understanding and explaining solidarity strategies among individuals and groups from a community- and people-centered perspective. Specifically, she investigates how people in disaster settings share a social identity and the stages communities go through to overcome the impacts of a disaster. She is particularly specialized in data collection within an ethnographic framework, including participatory observation.
Following the earthquake that struck on February 6, 2023, she volunteered in the field with various non-governmental organizations and supported volunteers deployed to the field through weekly orientation meetings organized by the Turkish Psychological Association. She is also the principle investigator of a 3-year project which is funded by Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. Today she will mainly talk about her current project about the support strategies in the aftermath of this earthquake.
Newsletter: Dr Mioara Cristea
Dr Mioara Cristea is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology at Heriot-Watt University.
Mioara's research focuses on conspiracy beliefs and collective actions, far-right narratives and group polarization, and social norms and behavioural change. Mioara became SPS Committee Member in 2022 and is currently working on the SPS Monthly Newsletter.
Mioara has published in journals such as Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, Journal of Social and Political Psychology, Journal of Social and Cross-cultural Psychogy, and Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology.
Mioara is a member of the Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences at Heriot-Watt University and an associate member of the Research Lab on Social Psychology and Interdisciplinary studies "Adrian Neculau" at the University of Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Iasi, Romania).
Her recent work has explored trust in government, mistrust in science, conspiracy beliefs, and prosocial behaviours during COVID-19.
You can follow Mhairi on Twitter (@MioCristea) and Google Scholar or learn more about her research on her university profile and lab group pages.
Newsletter: Dr Carina Hoerst
Dr Carina Hoerst works as a Senior Behavioural Scientist in the Blood Safety, Hepatitis, STIs and HIV (BSHSH) division at the UK Health Security Agency.
In this role, she evaluates interventions to eliminate Hepatitis C (HCV) as well as examines accounts of patients that recently acquired HIV. Both projects are embedded in a broader examination of HCV and HIV stigma.
Carina received a PhD in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex in 2023. In her PhD research, she examined the role of perceptions of power in right-wing collective action using the social identity approach. She has expertise in mixed methods, particularly in experimental and thematic analyses. Carina has published in a broad range of outlets, including academic journals such as Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy and the Journal of Social and Political Psychology.
Carina is passionate about an academic and non-academic research community that fosters and acknowledges learning, cooperation, interdisciplinary and equity, and that promotes respectful togetherness.
In her role as a SPS committee member, Carina will be working on the newsletter.
You can follow Carina on Twitter (X) or BlueSky or learn more about her here.
Social Media: Dr Jaysan Charlesford
Dr. Jaysan Charlesford is an Assistant Professor at Plymouth University.
He is currently working on Social Media and Communications for the BPS Social Psychology Section.
Previously, Dr. Charlesford held two postdoctoral researcher positions: one at the University of Bristol examining the effects of classroom diversity and the second at Plymouth University exploring the gradient of local oral health inequalities.
Dr. Charlesford's primary research interests are in prejudice and prejudice-reduction. Presently, he is considering these topics through the lens of intergroup contact theory and intergroup climate.
Specifically, he is exploring the differential effects of individuals' perceptions of their personal contact with members of different groups and their perceptions of how ingroup ("us") and outgroup ("them") typically interact in society.
His wider research interests include intergroup relations more generally, including the sociopolitical antecedents of prejudice (e.g., political identity and ideology), institutional inequality, and the effects of diversity in various organisations.
You can learn more about his research on his university profile page.
Social Media: Dr Alex Hunt
Alex Hunt is a PhD candidate based at Heriot-Watt University's Centre of Applied Behavioral Sciences.
For his research, Alexander uses discursive and rhetorical approaches to social psychology to analyse political discourse and ideology.
Alexander's PhD project explores parliamentary debates where politicians discussed the possibility of a second referendum on the United Kingdom's status as a member of the European Union.
By exploring these debates, Alexander seeks to highlight how political speakers align their positions with norms of democracy to reduce the implication that their positions are motivated by party interest.
Alexander joined the Social Psychology Section as the postgraduate representative in 2022.
You can follow Alexander on Twitter (@Alex_Hunt1995).
Social Media: Dr Blerina Kellezi
Blerina is an Associate Professor in Social and Trauma Psychology and co-Lead of the Trauma, Social Isolation and Mental Health research group at NTU.
Blerina teaches in a range of modules: Psychological Wellbeing, Trauma, Theory and Applications, Social Psychology and supervises undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and Forensic Doctorate students.
Blerina's research investigates how people collectively deal with and are affected by extreme life events from illness and accidents to war, torture and immigration detention.
This includes the interplay between Social Cure and Social Curse analysis of war, dictatorship, transitional justice, immigration detention, social prescribing, and vocational rehabilitation.
Blerina has been a committee member since 2020, and is currently co-editor of SPR.
You can learn more about Blerina here.
Conference/SPR: Nathaniel Schermerhorn
Dr. Nathaniel Schermerhorn is a Lecturer of Psychology at the University of Essex.
His research program aims to better understand the various ways – both purposefully and inadvertently – that we maintain the existing status quo. Toward that end, he takes an interdisciplinary approach using psychological, feminist, and social theories with a variety of methods and analytical techniques. He examines the maintenance of the status quo at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels as well as the interconnections between these levels.
His existing research has examined the creation, maintenance, and reinforcement of the exiting status quo as a consequences of (1) the internalization of the culturally idealized form of masculinity, (2) threats to social identity, and (3) social practices, or everyday attitudes and behaviours. He completed his PhD at the Pennsylvania State University.
Nathaniel joined the committee in 2023. You can follow him on Twitter or ResearchGate.
Conference representative: Professor Shelley McKeown Jones
Shelley McKeown Jones, PhD, is Professor of Social Psychology in the Department of Experimental Psychology and a Tutorial Fellow in Experimental Psychology at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on applying social psychological theories to better understand and improve intergroup relations, particularly for youth growing up in conflict and diverse settings. She has led a series of funded research projects, including from the ESRC, exploring the factors that influence youth intergroup contact engagement and their everyday interaction experiences, including in England and in Northern Ireland.
She is currently Co-Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Social Psychology and has held previous positions including as Chair of the BPS Social Psychology Section and Governing Council member of the International Society of Political Psychology. Shelley has published numerous articles exploring intergroup contact and positive youth development, a book on identity, segregation and peacebuilding in Northern Ireland and an edited volume on social identity, peace and conflict. She has received BPS and APA Early Career Awards for the contributions of her research to social and peace psychology.
Shelley is co-opted on to the committee for 2024-25 as co-organiser for the 2025 BPS Social Psychology Section annual conference, to be held at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford in September 2025.
QMiP Representative: Philippa Carr
Dr Philippa Carr is a Senior Lecturer in Qualitative Research Methods at UWE Bristol. She teaches Social Psychology and Qualitative Research Methods at postgraduate and undergraduate level. Philippa is a lead for the Identities, Subjectivities and Inequalities research theme (https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/centres-and-groups/social-science/research-themes/identities-subjectivities-and-inequalities) in the Social Sciences Research Group.
Her research explores how wealth inequality is presented in the media. Philippa has explored how the super-rich use talk about psychological concepts to legitimise extreme wealth in television broadcasts. She is interested in how people account for practices such as inheritance and tax avoidance that impede social mobility.
Philippa is the Qualitative Methods in Psychology section representative on the Social Psychology section committee. She is also a committee member of the BPS West Midlands branch.
You can follow her on Twitter (@discursivephil) or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Join
- Apply to join the section (students, affiliates, e-subscribers)
- Apply to join the section (graduate, chartered, and in-training members)
Membership of the Social Psychology Section is only open to members of the British Psychological Society.
If you are not already a member, you can join the Section at the same time as applying for membership of the society.
Benefits of belonging
Benefits of Social Psychology Section Membership
- Alerting members to opportunities for contributing to policy consultation calls issued by UK government departments.
- Discounted registration for the Section's Annual Conference.
- Free registration at Section-sponsored workshops.
- News and updates via the Section's e-mail list. 20% discount on purchases from the Cambridge University Press online store.
- Responding to consultation documents and/or initiatives relevant to the development of social psychology (for example, the ESRC Psychology Benchmarking Exercise and Nomination of REF Panel Members).
- Social Psychological Review, the Section's peer-reviewed periodical, which is published twice a year and free electronic access to back issues via the Society's online shop.
- The opportunity to bid for research funding under the Section's pump-priming scheme.
The Section has also established the following awards:
- The Award for Distinguished Contribution to Social Psychology
- The Early Career (PhD) Award
- The Mid-Career Award
Member Announcement Email List
The Social Psychology Section uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues.
By becoming a member of the Section you are automatically added to the announcement list.
To receive these emails you will need to:
- become a member of the Social Psychology Section
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These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.
If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.
To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'Social Psychology Section announcement email' in the subject line.
Getting involved with the Social Psychology Section Committee
The Social Psychology Section relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Section is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.
Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or students members, and together form an open and inclusive community.