Award-winning people in the School of Psychology
We are proud of our staff and students, many of whom have won awards for their work and achievements in teaching and research.
Sarah Cassidy's autism research
In July 2019, Sarah Cassidy received an award from the leading UK autism charity Autistica, recognising her dedication to the meaningful involvement of autistic people and their families in setting the priorities for future autism research, policy and practice. The award recognised Sarah’s work to ensure that future suicide in autism research focuses on the priorities of autistic people and those who support them.
Sarah led an international consultation with over 1000 autistic people and their allies to identify the top 10 research and policy priorities to prevent suicide in autistic people. Sarah also worked in partnership with autistic people to design the first research study to explore why autistic people might be at more risk of suicide, and what can be done to prevent this. Sarah's work has meant that awareness of suicide in autistic people is now recognised internationally, with research funding and public policy rapidly growing to reflect the priorities and needs of those affected.
In January 2020, Sarah won the National Autistic Society's prestigious Autism Professionals Awards, in the most impactful researcher category. Sarah also received the University’s 2019 'Rising Star Award - Policy Impact' for her work.
Lauren Marsh's Vice Chancellor's Medal
Lauren Marsh was awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Medal in recognition of her tremendous efforts in creating and delivering the Autism Social Network for the benefit of autistic students and those with other neurodiverse profiles attending the University of Nottingham.
Ellen Townsend's public engagement initiative
Ellen was nominated for Best Public Engagement Initiative at the University’s Policy Impact and Public Engagement Awards for Café Connect. This initiative has set up a place to interact and engage with the public to generate new ideas for future research. These awards aim to recognise the excellent work by researchers and academics.
Early Career Award for Dr Chris Madan
Dr Chris Madan has been awarded an Early Career Award from the Psychonomic Society. The award regognises young scientists who have made excellent scientific contributions to the field of cognitive psychology.
The sheer volume of Dr Madan’s contribution to the field so early in his career is astounding, but even more impressive is the breadth and depth of his contributions. He has substantially impacted his primary field of human memory by demonstrating the roles of motivation, emotion, and salience, and he has built connections between intersecting fields of research within and beyond psychology. His empirical, methodological, and theoretical advances will shape the future of psychology.
Marcia L. Spetch, University of Alberta, Canada
'Excellence in Research or Innovation' Award for Lucy Cragg and colleagues
Lucy Cragg and her colleagues in the PRISM team, led by Professor Samantha Johnson (University of Leicester), were recently awarded a British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) Gopi Menon Award for ‘Excellence in Research or Innovation’ for the development of their PRISM e-learning resource for education professionals. The awards are given for excellence and contribution to patient and family care in the field of Perinatal Medicine.
Kah Meng (Joshua) Khoo (PhD student)
Kah Meng (Joshua) Khoo was recognised for delivering the best 3-minute thesis presentation at the ASEAN Emerging Researchers Conference in July 2019. He also was ranked 2nd place for best oral presentation.