We’re now looking for new Student Committee members to represent psychology undergraduates across the country.

By joining the Student Committee you’ll have the chance to raise student voices within the society and make sure that our members are getting what they need from being part of the BPS.

What will you gain from being a committee member?

• Be part of an amazing team of passionate students
• Represent over 18,000 student members of the BPS
• Get the chance to network with students across different universities
• Enhance your CV – let employers know that you are a committed student of psychology through volunteering with us
• Connect with the European Federation of Psychology Student’s Association (EFPSA)
• Help to shape the events run by the society for undergraduates including the annual student conferences, seminars, networking events and more
• Have the chance to edit Psych Talk our student magazine - perfect if you want to develop your writing and editorial skills
• Work with the BPS team and get inside knowledge of how the Marketing, Communications, Knowledge and Insight, and Events functions work

What roles do we have available?

• Chair Elect (6 months Chair Elect going into 1 Year Chair from August 2021)
• EFPSA representative x 2 (18 months, until August 2022)
• Wales Representative (18 months, until August 2022)
• Communications Officer (18 months, until August 2022)
• Social Media Officer  (18 months, until August 2022)
• Events Officer  (18 months, until August 2022)
• Diversity and Inclusion Lead  (18 months, until August 2022)
• Universities and Societies Lead (18 months, until August 2022)
• Mental Health Advocate  (18 months, until August 2022)

Chair Elect

The Chair elect should:

• Shadow the Chair's actions, meetings, discussions and teleconferences as appropriate;
• Take over supportive administration tasks when asked for etc.;
• Take over the role of the Chair closer to the end of the academic year where the current Chair is still available for questions/supervision.
• To attend meetings if Chair cannot attend

Then moving into Chair role:

• To attend the BPS Education & Training Board meetings
• To attend BPS Standing Conference Committee meetings.
• Organise and oversee the committee's yearly outline of events and plans;
• Chair and organise regular committee meetings and do related admin work;
• Represent the student committee and student members at events and meetings;
• Delegate tasks to committee members, student reps and volunteers;
• Be the first line of contact with other national psychology stakeholders;
• Introduce the Chair Elect to their future responsibilities.

EFPSA Representative

The representative should:

• Liaise between the BPS and the European Federation of Psychology Students Associations (EFPSA);
• Vote on behalf of the BPS in General Assemblies (GAs) and E-Voting’s held by EFPSA;
• Meet with and attend key EFPSA events (Congress and Joint Executive Board &
• Member Representatives Meeting) during the mandate (max. 2 per mandate);
• Promote services and events covered by both the BPS and EFPSA to psychology students in the UK.

Wales Representative

The Wales representatives should:

• Liaise with stakeholders (i.e. Wales branch of the BPS and psychology departments of local universities);
• Promote awareness of the BPS student committee through student event hosting and attending;
• Support other members of the committee when events are being organised within their region of responsibility, i.e., Wales

Applications have now closed.

Want to apply for more than one position?

That’s fine, just submit a separate form for each application.

These roles will start in March 2021, and successful applicants will be expected to attend the first meeting of the committee in late March/ early April via Zoom.

The deadline for applications is 10 March 2021.

Eduard Margarit is currently studying Psychology and Counselling at Abertay University and working as an Honorary Psychologist for NHS. He has a keen interest in neuropsychology and abnormal psychology, and his current goal is to be a Chartered Neuropsychologist.

He previously graduated from London Metropolitan with a BA in Fashion Marketing and Business Management. However, four years after his graduation, Eduard decided to return to his humanistic interest and study psychology.

Eduard joined the committee with the hope that he can create more academic and social opportunities for all the psychology students across the UK. He feels that a stronger sense of community can be achieved by the current committee and therefore enhance the student experience.

As Chair, Eduard also sits on the BPS Standing Conference Committee and is Member Organisation President of the EFPSA (European Federation of Psychology Students Associations) where his duties involve representing the psychology undergraduate students in the U.K.

Email: [email protected]

Tweet: @BPSStudentChair

Nikita Shepherdson studies BSc Psychology with Clinical Psychology at Teesside University.

Prior to her studies, Nikita has worked in various NHS mental health settings. Throughout her first year of university, Nikita worked as a research assistant and is currently undertaking a systematic review. She is also co-developing a mentoring model for undergraduate students in conjunction with a local mental health trust.

Nikita aspires to be a Chartered Clinical Psychologist; her interests lie in neuropsychology, trauma informed care and positive psychology. Nikita has completed a specialisation in Positive Psychology with the founder of the approach.

Throughout her second year, Nikita looks forward to continuing with her hobby of musical theatre, gaining further research experience and joining the student committee in the role of the Chair Elect. She values the student voice and has a keen focus on extracurricular activities. Nikita hopes to create more opportunities for students beyond the lecture theatre.

Alice Sims is a third year Psychology student at the University of Greenwich.

Alice has a particular interest in the field of clinical psychology and mental health and aspires to continue her studies and gain a clinical psychology doctorate.

She recently completed a work experience placement at a trauma specialist private clinical practice and has since had an interest in research concerning the impact of trauma and adversity on individual’s psychological wellbeing. She is currently focused on exploring and researching anxiety disorders, particularly PTSD, for her final year project.

Alice hopes to gain good experience as the deputy chair and looks forward to working alongside other student members. She strives to support the chair well and help committee and student members any way she can. She looks forward to learning more about the BPS and supporting the exciting events and work of the committee.

Grace Child is progressing into her final year at Manchester Metropolitan University where she is studying an Undergraduate degree in Psychology.

In her spare time Grace volunteers as a ChildLine Counsellor which includes listening to young people's worries around abuse, bullying, relationships, or self-harm. Grace also volunteers with Mind as a Befriender which entails supporting individuals with mental health diagnoses to engage in activities as a part of their recovery. Grace’s future interests include pursuing further study and experience within the field of Clinical Psychology.

As a member of the committee, Grace aims to raise awareness and support around inclusion and racism, as well as increase communication with local psychology departments through events.

Hannah Whitfield is a final-year psychology student at the University of St Andrews. She aspires to become a qualified political psychologist. She has a keen interest in the psychology of voting, specifically research into why people vote the way they do in elections and the extent to which party affiliation impacts an individual’s vote.

As an ordinary member of the committee, Hannah aims to help create inclusive events that allow members to diversify their knowledge and understanding of psychology and provide good opportunities for members to network with other students across the UK. She also aims to increase student engagement with the BPS by supporting the work of other committee members and promoting events and membership within her academic community.

Junie Wee is a second-year Economics and Psychology student at the University of St Andrews, where he also serves as a student ambassador and the Secretary of the United Nations Association St Andrews. He is currently a member of the EFPSA Executive Board, and the National Coordinator for the EFPSA’s “Mind the Mind” campaign to help combat the stigma of mental disorders in the UK.

He is interested in social and evolutionary psychology, and he is intending to pursue a clinical psychology route. He is working towards gaining research experience to help him gain more exposure to different areas in psychology and develop his research skills.

He hopes to further promote BPS’s work, and its importance to our students and our society. He believes that adapting to the needs of our students and encouraging a greater student participation are crucial in creating a truly enriching experience for students.

Sophie Worrall is currently a 3rd year student at the University of Derby Online Learning. This program makes it possible for her to determine the rate at which she studies as well as having flexibility of hours, while still gaining Graduate Based Chartership with the BPS.

Sophie’s overall aspiration in psychology is to become a clinical psychologist. So far, she has been involved in writing a published research project about revenge pornography, attending BPS Midlands and North-West Conferences, and also Liverpool Aspiring Psychologists Group meetings which she describes as rewarding.

This year, Sophie hopes to raise awareness of EFPSA’s Mind the Mind (MtM) campaign and collate a group of volunteers to take this psychoeducation into schools and groups across the UK.

Position currently vacant.

Position currently vacant.

Juhi Waeerkar is an undergraduate psychology student at King’s College London.

Before attending King’s College she was finishing an associate degree with courses in business-related subjects, however after stumbling across Robert Sapolsky’s lecture series on YouTube (as well as a few inspirational TedTalks, including Suzana Herculano-Houzel’s amazing brains being turned into a soup talk) she became fascinated with the world of neuroscience and psychology.

Based on her background, as you can imagine, she hopes to study the neuropsychology of entrepreneurship and, as a student ambassador for the Entrepreneurship Institute at King’s, she hopes to learn more and to work alongside her colleagues to help bring light to the amazing work being submitted to our editors.

Email: [email protected]

Sarah-Jayne Collett is a 2nd year undergraduate Psychology with Counselling mature student at The Open University. This provides her the flexibility to study and work part time.

Before attending university, she was living in China teaching English and before that working in Cyprus painting wall murals with the children at the Youth Club.

Sarah-Jayne grew up in a military household which instigated her interest in how war affected the families and what support was there for those deployed and the families at home. With this experience she realised her aspiration is to be an Art Psychotherapist combining both her creative attributes and desire to help people therapeutically.

Sarah-Jayne wants to contribute to the awareness of the student committee and try to make it an integral part of Psychology students’ journey throughout their development. She also looks forward to being part of this team and part of the future of Psychology.

Suzy Crowson is in the second year of a psychology conversion course specialising in mental health at the University of Edinburgh, and hopes to work in the field of clinical psychology.

She has an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Exeter, and feels that psychology can enhance one’s understanding of a person, much like a work of literature.

Suzy has pursued the link between narrative, emotions and psychological wellbeing in her studies, and applied this to an understanding of mental disorders in her work as a mental health support worker.

Having reviewed literature within neuropsychology and developmental psychology, she is interested in projects that reach across traditional professional and disciplinary boundaries.

Suzy is excited to showcase student work in PsychTalk in order to produce an inspiring publication that is engaged with life and psychology in a changing world. Within the role, she hopes to encourage and facilitate student input.

Rachel Verity is a final-year undergraduate psychology student at the University of Liverpool. Alongside her studies, she works as a home carer and volunteers weekly at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital on the elderly patients’ ward.

Inspired by her background in elderly care, Rachel is hoping to become a clinical psychologist after graduating. Subsequently, she will be studying the self-identity of experts by experience in clinical psychology trainees as part of her final year project.

Upon joining the Psych-Talk editorial team, she is looking forward to reading through different perspectives conveyed in articles, aiming to promote diversity within the magazine.

Grace Clements is in the final year of her undergraduate degree at Ulster University, which she has been completing part-time over the last six years. She chose to do part-time because Grace was diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and so while it has been challenging, it has made completing her degree doable.

This will be her second year in the role of Northern Ireland Representative, and she has also been her university’s undergraduate representative for the Northern Ireland branch of the BPS for the past five years.

Over the next year, Grace will be completing her final dissertation project looking at individuals with ME and their experiences with healthcare professionals and plans to then go on to do the Health Psychology MSc and to research how to positively impact the lives of individuals with ME.

She looks forward to connecting with fellow psychology students through her role as Northern Ireland Representative, as well as enhancing the student experience of BPS members.

Vincent Waters is a mature student in his second year at Glasgow Caledonian University. After a long career in business, and some politics, he returned to higher education to study psychology, and particularly enjoys research into health, forensics and psycholinguistics.

He plans to continue as a postgraduate and is currently working for some researchers on their active investigations and would, ultimately, like to undertake a research doctorate.

Vincent hopes to use his two years as the Scottish student representative to foster strong links between undergraduate psychology students across Scotland and create more opportunities for them to engage with postgraduates and Chartered Psychologists.

Position currently vacant.

Tanya Shrader is a third year PhD researcher at Staffordshire University studying the dark side of conspiracy theories. The aim of her research is to investigate the role of conspiracy theory beliefs in the harmful conduct towards people based on their group membership (e.g. immigrants in the UK).

Tanya has been a psychology student advocate at Staffordshire University since 2014 and advises prospective students at undergraduate and postgraduate open events. This has afforded her insight into the views, expectations and challenges faced by students, including barriers they may face while studying.

As a mature student, she has been able to share her experiences and offer practical advice and reassurance that there are no barriers to university education which cannot be overcome with the appropriate support. Tanya also teaches Introduction to Research Methods and is a research assistant on the Research Impact team for REF2021.