Our seminars explore a wide selection of topics and feature guests from a range of different backgrounds.

All seminars take place in 10 West, Room 1.10 on our University of Bath campus at 12.15pm to 1.05pm, unless otherwise stated.

Upcoming seminars

Professor Ian Walker (University of Swansea)

Title: TBC
Date: 12 November 2025

Dr Emma Soneson (University of Oxford)

Title: Understanding the role of school-based mental health support within adolescents’ wider networks of care
Date: 19 November 2025

In this seminar, Dr Soneson will discuss the following research:

Over the past few decades, schools have come to be a cornerstone of the societal response to youth mental health difficulties. In the context of increasing prevalence alongside oversubscribed healthcare services, schools have taken an increasingly prominent role in mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention. Recent debate, however, has begun to question schools’ role in this area. In this talk, I will draw on insights from the OxWell Student Survey and wider literature to consider schools’ place in the wider landscape of youth mental health services and support. I will begin by presenting our ‘Interactional schema of child and adolescent public mental health’, which provides conceptual foundations for the talk. I will then share findings from nearly 25,000 adolescents to contextualise the role of schools within wider ‘networks of care’, examining both adolescents’ self-reported access to school mental health support and their perceptions of support received. I will then present new data from nearly 30,000 adolescents to examine the role of schools in greater depth, addressing important questions as to the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of school-based mental health support. I will conclude the talk with some reflections on the current state of school mental health alongside ideas of where the field might go next, before opening up for wider discussion.

Professor Louise Arseneault (King's College London)

Title: A gateway to thousands of datasets from across the world: The Atlas of Longitudinal Datasets
Date: 26 November 2025

In this seminar, Professor Arseneault will discuss the following research:

Longitudinal studies are a powerful research tool that have generated a wealth of opportunities to answer pressing questions about human health and society. However, data collected in longitudinal studies have often been underused despite the considerable investment that they represent and the research opportunities they offer, as they can be difficult to find and their data can be difficult to access. Improving the discoverability of longitudinal data is an essential step towards increasing the outreach and impact of these valuable data resources. The Atlas of Longitudinal Datasets is an interactive online platform that aims to maximise the uptake of longitudinal data by improving the discoverability of thousands of longitudinal datasets from around the world. The Atlas aims to offer a resource for users of longitudinal data when planning new research projects, as well as data custodians in maximising the discoverability of their data. The Atlas can also facilitate the development of collaborations and consortia and be a resource for funders in identifying gaps and areas for enrichment across the global landscape. This presentation will introduce the Atlas, share insight into how it has been developed, and showcase its use as a free-to-access tool for data users, data custodians, funders and the community.

Darja Wischerath (University of Bath)

Title: How conspiracy narratives enable violence
Date: 3 December 2025

In this seminar, Darja will discuss the following research:

Conspiracy narratives are ubiquitous in today’s information age, and some have been associated with violent events from harassment of healthcare workers to terrorist attacks. This talk explores how conspiracy narratives engage psychological needs, fuel emotions like anger and disgust, and reshape group norms, paving the pathway to radicalisation and violent action. Using digital trace data from YouTube, Parler, and Telegram, Darja Wischerath shows how spread of conspiracy narratives online can create the conditions for real-world harm.

Professor Mike Quayle (University of Limerick)

Title: TBC
Date: 10 December 2025

Professor Ayse Uskul (University of Sussex)

Title: TBC
Date: 4 February 2026

Sarah Bennett (King's College London)

Title: TBC
Date: 11 February 2026

Sarah Dance (University of Bath)

Title: TBC
Date: 18 February 2026

Dr Ali Khatibi Tabatabaei (University of Bath)

Title: TBC
Date: 25 February 2026

Bihui Jin (University of Bath)

Title: TBC
Date: 4 March 2026

Professor Quentin Huys (University College London (UCL))

Title: TBC
Date: 11 March 2026

Jamie Chapman (University of Bath)

Title: TBC
Date: 18 March 2026

Yu Shuang Gan (University of Bath)

Title: TBC
Date: 25 March 2026

Dr Mark Horowitz (University College London (UCL))

Title: TBC
Date: 15 April 2026

Dr Joanna McHugh Power (Maynooth University)

Title: TBC
Date: 22 April March 2026

Professor Gerben van Kleef (University of Amsterdam)

Title: TBC
Date: 29 April March 2026

Previous seminars

Dr Jon Roozenbeek (King's College London) — “Bad Bot” apocalypse: the online manipulation economy and how to disrupt it
[Dr Emily Rempel (University of Liverpool) — How to put trustworthiness into practice: Case Studies from the Liverpool City Region Civic Data Cooperative
Professor Tracey Wade (Flinders University) — Broadening our perspectives on early intervention in eating disorders
Dr Steve Westlake (University of Bath) — The power of leading by example on climate change
Professor Tim Smith, University of the Arts London — The attentional theory of cinematic continuity
Dr Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, University of Exeter — Children and Adolescent Mental Health: Public Health Aspects
Professor Ellen Townsend, University of Nottingham — Mental Health: Self harm
Professor Alison Heppenstall, University of Glasgow — Agent-Based Modeling for Understanding Urban Complexity
Dr Charles Ogunbode, University of Nottingham — Climate justice now! Examining public understanding of climate justice and the implications of climate justice beliefs for action and policy support

Department of Psychology seminars

We host experts in different areas of psychology, including academics and practitioners from around the world. View our upcoming seminars on this page.