How long have you worked at the Uni? What does your role involve?
I started here as a Prize Fellow in 2013, which was research only. That moved into a lectureship role in 2015 so it now comprises of a mixture of research, administration and teaching. I have an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant at the moment and am juggling that with other research projects and impact-related activities. I’m also unit co-ordinator for a final-year undergraduate psychology module called Forensic Psychology.
What would you most like to achieve while at the University?
I’m passionate about carrying out experimentally robust and theoretically-driven research that has a tangible impact on the lives of autistic people.
Can you tell us a bit more about your research?
My research focuses on autism, with a particular focus on cognition and translating theory on autism into practice. Much of this work centres around the criminal justice system. Autistic people are more likely to encounter the criminal justice system but their experiences and outcomes are quite negative. It’s interesting, both practically (for obvious reasons), but also theoretically, because the differences in the way that autistic people think and perceive the world around them means that they need different techniques and adaptations specifically for them. For example, in police interviewing, we’ve got some really good interviewing techniques which are psychologically-informed based on the way we know memory works alongside social communication techniques such as rapport and the use of open questions. But these were developed with neurotypical people in mind; for autistic people, these techniques don’t work because they have differences in social communication and cognition. So a lot of my research has looked at how we can adapt interview techniques to support autistic people better to get better evidence from them.
Name one thing that makes you feel proud to work at the University of Bath?
I have some really awesome colleagues who are very supportive of one another. I’m also always amazed at the breadth and depth of amazing work people do across a wide range of really important areas – not just in terms of research but also in teaching and initiatives for the greater good of the department (and university more broadly).
What piece of advice would you like to give to a student?
It’s a cliché but I think it would be to enjoy the University experience. Your mental health is so much more important than the grades that you get. It’s a discreet era in your lives which is going to be over really quickly and become a distant memory. It’s important to focus on the friendships, relationships, the ‘other stuff’, and learning for learning’s sake; not just grade chasing all the time.
Who was your most influential teacher/educator, and why?
I’d probably say my science teacher Mr James, but I’m not sure he’d say the same about me!
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I used to show ponies when I was a kid and I always thought I’d want to make a living out of it when I grew up. I was really naughty at school – I nearly got thrown out so showing ponies was probably my only option at that age! I didn’t really have an interest in studies until I did my A Levels. I completely failed the first year of psychology and had to retake, and I basically crammed in all the stuff I’d missed. I revised really hard and got a great mark and then I was hooked. I ended up doing psychology at undergraduate too. My mum’s a psychologist… I think I’m slowly turning into her!
What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger?
You can actually be more productive if you slow down. I still need to take heed of that now though because I probably still bolt through things a bit quickly!
What was your first job?
My first job was stocktaking. We used to get picked up by minibus in the evening, drive 100 miles away and end up in a big store somewhere. We had these guns that we used to scan everything. One time I got food poisoning, but I didn’t start feeling sick until I got there. I can’t remember what store it was but there were showroom beds there and all I could do was lay down because I couldn’t get home until the mini bus was ready to leave. I think that was the last time I went to that job!
Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?
I love Cambodia, it’s a really magical place that’s steeped in history. The food is amazing and the people are really inspiring. I’d love to go back!
What’s your favourite book or album and why?
Probably We Need To Talk About Kevin. I read it over 15 years ago but it just sticks out in my mind because it’s such a compelling read. It raises some interesting questions about nature versus nurture. It’s about a boy called Kevin, his parents and his upbringing – leaving the reader to wonder what it was that led him to commit a high school massacre. It was made into a film as well.
When are you happiest?
I’m happiest when I’m with my husband, James, and my two-year old son, Oscar. And when I’m on a horse!
Which one superpower would you like to possess?
To slow down time because it goes too fast!
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I used to be a cameleer (someone who works with camels). I spent 4 weeks walking across the Simpson Desert in Australia. I spent about a year and a half out there. I started working with horses on a ranch that had camels too, and they kept trying to push me into working with them. Initially I thought were smelly and a bit weird, but I got quite into it! Then I met a really interesting guy who was sponsored by Australian Geographic who did lots of expeditions across Australia. He’d even walked from Byron Bay on the East Coast to Coral Bay on the West Coast – which is about 5,000 kms. He did it on his own with 3 camels – nothing else! I got to know him and I asked if I could go and work with him and we ended up doing the expedition across the desert with 18 camels to carry our stuff. It was character building to say the least!
Tell us your favourite joke
A man walks into a bar…
Ouch.