Social Psychology Section

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 Committee 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) outlining the significance of the nominee’s contribution.
• Previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination.
• The award is made biannually.
• 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 by the candidate (for career stage)
• Candidate having an outstanding impact to the discipline (for career stage).
• Outstanding impact also is shown outside the discipline (e.g., policy, welfare, the general public, school) (for 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. 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 2022 Conference to receive the prize
• will receive one day complimentary registration, alongside UK travel expenses and one night accommodation

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., 1st author).   

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 and 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 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 an 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.

Judging process

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. 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 2022 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.

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

The award is made bi-annually.

Rules for bi-annual awards

• Nominations should be made by Section Committee 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) outlining the significance of the nominee’s contribution.
• Previous recipients of the award are not eligible for nomination.
• The award is made biannually.
• 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 by the candidate (for career stage)
• Candidate having an outstanding impact to the discipline (for career stage).
• Outstanding impact also is shown outside the discipline (e.g., policy, welfare, the general public, school) (for career stage)

Judging process

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. 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 give a talk at the 2021 Section conference
• will receive one day complimentary registration, alongside travel and one night accommodation

Distinguished Contribution Award

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)

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

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

The BPS 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.

Whilst 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 answer the following questions (each question is limited to 4,000 characters): 

1. Aims & objectives
2. Anticipated outcomes (e.g. publications; further research proposals; presentations; ‘impact’)
3. Costings (please be as detailed as possible)
4. Timeframe (including proposed start and end dates)
5. 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 1000 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. 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

1. Name
2. Title
3. Organisation/affiliation
4. BPS membership number 

Information should be included on the following (where each question is limited to 4000 characters)

1. Aims and objectives
2. Anticipated outcomes (e.g. publications; further research proposals; presentations; ‘impact’)
3. Costings (please be as detailed as possible)
4. Timeframe (including proposed start and end dates)
5. Work Planned (this section should include the details of the activities planned)

How to apply

Deadline: The deadline is 15 July 2022, 5pm

•  Application for 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.  

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

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

Bursary Applications are welcome for the 2022 Social Psychology Section Annual Conference.

The Section is offering bursaries to cover 1-day registration costs of the Social Psychology Section Annual Conference on 5 – 7 September 2022. This year we are offering:

• PhD student bursaries
• Early Career Researcher bursaries

Applications must be received by 5pm on Friday 29 July 2022.

Eligibility Criteria:

• You need to be a PhD Student or an Early Career Researcher (within 5 years of being awarded your PhD).
• Applications welcome from presenters and non-presenters
• You must be a member of the Social Psychology Section, as we will be covering the Section membership rate only for 1-day registration.

We strongly encourage applications from individuals with protected characteristics (for example, ethnicity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability, age, etc.). 

How your application will be reviewed:

1. Eligibility checks will be carried out by the BPS office. Ineligible submissions will not be sent out for review.
2. Your submission will be anonymised before sending to the panel. 
3. The panel, compromised of members of the Social Psychology Section committee, will review your application. Applications for PhD student bursaries and Early Career Researcher bursaries will be evaluated separately. Applications will be reviewed on the following criteria:

• Enthusiasm for attending and presenting at a Social Psychology Section Annual Conference.
• Reasons provided of benefits of attending.
• For Early Career Researchers, career level will also be taken into account within the scoring.

1. The highest rated submissions will receive bursaries. In the event of equal ratings, the panel will discuss and agree awards.

You will be informed of the outcome of your application in August 2022.

Apply for a bursary

Dr Mhairi Bowe is a Senior Lecturer in Social and Community Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. Mhairi’s research focuses on collective and place identities and how they link with health, well-being, and social processes, such as continuity, transition and marginalisation.

Mhairi has published in journals such as European Journal of Social Psychology, British Journal of Social Psychology, BMJ Open, and the Journal of Health Psychology and has been funded by the ESRC and NHS. Mhairi is Associate Lead of the Groups, Identities, and Health Research Group at NTU and her work is currently focused on social prescribing and community volunteering in relation to poverty, belonging, stigma, and COVID-19.

Mhairi works closely with third sector partners and has engaged in knowledge exchange with local authorities, the UN and UK Parliament. Mhairi has been a Committee Member and Chair Elect of the Social Section since September 2020. You can follow Mhairi on Twitter or learn more about her research on her university profile page and lab group website.

This position is vacant

Shelley McKeown Jones is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology in the School of Education at the University of Bristol. Her research focuses on applying social psychological theories to better understand and improve intergroup relations for youth in conflict and diverse settings. She has published numerous articles, a book and an edited volume, and has received Early Career BPS and APA awards for her contributions to social and peace psychology. Shelley is currently Chair of the Social Psychology Section (2019-2021), having previously served as an elected member of the Committee between 2015-19.

Shelley was inspired to apply to join the Committee following her winning of the Section’s Early Career Award in 2014. During her time on the Committee, she has taken on roles as book review editor and later as co-editor for Social Psychological Review as well as co-editor of our Section newsletter.

You can follow Shelley on Twitter (@Shelley_McKeown).

This position is vacant

Dr Daniel Jolley is a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University. Daniel’s main area of research is the psychology of conspiracy theories. In his research, he uses experimental methods to examine the social consequences of conspiracy theories. He has also tested tools to address the negative impacts of conspiracy theories. Daniel has co-authored articles in outlets such as PLoSONE, the British Journal of Psychology, the British Journal of Social Psychology and Political Psychology and has received funding from research bodies such as the British Academy.

Daniel has been a Committee Member for several years. He first joined as the Postgraduate Representative (2012 – 2014), followed by being elected as the Website Officer (2014 – 2016) and then Honorary Secretary (2016 – 2019). He was elected to a second-term as Honorary Secretary in 2019 for a further three years. Daniel has also been acting as Honorary Treasurer since 2017. 

Dr Fergus Neville is a lecturer in the School of Management at the University of St Andrews. His research examines group processes, including the roles of social identities and social norms in group influence, crowd behaviour and leadership. He is currently working on how to harness group processes to facilitate the public response to COVID-19, and how crowds react to perceived hostile threats. Fergus has authored articles in outlets including the European Journal of Social Psychology, PLOSONE, Social Personality & Psychology Compass, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations and the Journal of Community and Applied Psychology and has received funding from research bodies including the ESRC and Home Office.

Fergus has been a committee member since 2018, and is currently co-author of the monthly newsletter.

You can follow Fergus on Twitter or learn more about him on his website.

Dr Kimberley Hill is an Associate Professor and Deputy Psychology Lead at The University of Northampton. Kimberley’s main area of research is in Social, Cognitive and Health Psychology and she uses quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods to understand health promotion and health risk prevention in context. Kimberley’s most recent published and funded projects have focused on preventing sexual violence in new campus spaces and understanding alcohol misuse determinants in alcogenic environments.

Kimberley has been a Committee Member for the Social Psychology Section since 2015. She has also held positions on the Division of Health Psychology, the European Society for Prevention Research and The BPS Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee. As a National STEM Ambassador and member of WISE, Kimberley is dedicated for improving access into Science.

You can follow Kimberley on Twitter or learn more about her.

Dr Sara Vestergren is a lecturer in Social Psychology at University of Salford. Sara’s main research interest and area of expertise is collective action, more specifically participation in collective action (e.g., protest participation). In her research, Sara mainly uses qualitative methods such as ethnographic interviews and reflexive thematic analysis to explore psychological change through participation in collective action. She has, together with Prof. John Drury at University of Sussex, developed a theory of emergent and enduring change through participation in collective action.

Sara has been a committee member since 2020 and is currently one of the editors for the Social Section Newsletter.

You can follow Sara on Twitter.

Blerina is an Associate Professor in Social and Trauma Psychology and co-Lead of the Trauma, Social Isolation and Mental Health research group. 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.

Dr Sofia Stathi is Associate Professor of Social Psychology and the Lead for the Centre for Inequalities at the University of Greenwich. Sofia’s research focuses on intergroup relations, (challenging) prejudice, collective action, and social ideology. She uses predominantly quantitative methods to conduct basic and applied research that examines processes relating to majority-minority relations and social change. Sofia has co-authored a monograph and an edited volume on intergroup contact; has published various articles in outlets such as the European Journal of Social Psychology, the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology; and has received funding from research bodies such as the British Academy, the Economic and Social Research Council, and Catedra Real Madrid.

Sofia has been a Committee Member since 2020 and is currently an Events Officer.

You can follow Sofia on Twitter or learn more about her.

Dr Amena Amer is a Lecturer at the University of Greenwich. Her research interests focus on identity and belonging with an emphasis on experiences among minority and marginalised groups. More specifically, Amena is interested in understanding processes relevant to how we are identified by others and how this plays a role in shaping how we see ourselves, as well as the way multiple identities interact and intersect shaping how people are ‘seen’ or not seen, and how identities are negotiated through performative means as a result. Amena has published empirical papers in outlets including the European Journal of Social Psychology and Political Psychology.

Amena has previously worked in the third sector drawing connections between her academic research interests and its real-world application and impact. She has developed and facilitated workshops in schools and communities across the UK exploring issues of identity. She has also designed and delivered workshops for secondary school teachers on positionality and reflexivity.

Amena has been a Committee Member since September 2020. Her current role involves conference and event organising.

You can follow Amena on Twitter or learn more about her research on her university profile page.

Laura K Taylor (PhD) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at University College Dublin (UCD), and Reader at Queen’s University, Belfast. She earned a dual Ph.D. in Psychology and Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Laura's research applies a risk and resilience framework to examine the impact of political violence on children, families, and communities in Colombia, Croatia, Kosovo, Israel, Northern Ireland, Republic of North Macedonia, and Republic of Ireland, along with immigrant and refugee youth in the United States. She focuses on constructive responses to adveresity, such as prosocial and helping behaviors. Laura has published over 60 peer-reviewed articles in Child Development, British Journal of Social Psychology, and Journal of Peace Studies, among others.

You can follow Laura on Twitter or her website, or the Helping Kids! lab.

Bio to follow

Annayah Prosser is an ESRC funded PhD student at the University of Bath, and the postgraduate representative on the committee . Her work examines how moralised practice identities (e.g. vegan, cyclist, zero-waster) can help or hinder societal transitions towards more sustainable futures. She is an interdisciplinary and mixed methods researcher with an interest in methodological innovations.

Annayah previously worked at the University of Oxford and Yale University, where she organised fieldwork exploring how transformative experiences can lead to expanded moral concern for others. Her work has been published in the British Journal of Social Psychology, and the Journal of Social Issues.

Bio to follow

• 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: 

1. The Award for Distinguished Contribution to Social Psychology
2. The Early Career (PhD) Award
3. The Mid-Career Award

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:

1. become a member of the Social Psychology Section
2. opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address

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.

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.