Psychology PhD

University of Surrey

On our Psychology PhD, you'll contribute to research that’s focused on the application of psychology in the real world and train in advanced and innovative research methods. In your first year you’ll complete four compulsory training courses, covering quantitative and qualitative research methods, professional academic skills, and teaching and training. You’ll also familiarise yourself with relevant literature, create a research plan, develop your methodological and analytic skills, and complete your first study. Throughout your studies, you’ll gain a solid grounding in research methods and improve your communication skills to effectively convey your findings. You’ll collect and analyse data, complete a detailed literature review and then write your PhD thesis. Depending on your research project, data collection can take place in schools, hospitals, laboratories or online. Current students are researching topics including:
• Deficits in flexible thought in stroke aphasic patients
• How the natural environment, or representations of it, can be of benefit to individuals with mental health issues
• The role of positive and negative social support in weight loss maintenance
• Every day decision making and the role of heuristics
• If the pronouns ‘they/them’ can be used as genderless pronouns and what impact these may have on STEM subjects.