What is your role and what does it involve?
I am Professor of Interdisciplinary Psychology and Head of UCL Arts and Sciences, which is the home of new wave liberal arts and sciences degrees, one of the first of its kind in the world! Our programmes combine arts, humanities, including arts practice, with social sciences and the sciences, providing a truly interdisciplinary education. I am proud to be part of a department that delivers a truly interdisciplinary education and research for the 21st century, in the form of a number of flagship courses, namely the Bachelor of Arts & Sciences, the Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts & Humanities, the Masters of Arts and Sciences in Creative Health and our interdisciplinary PhD programme. As Head I oversee the running of the department, which is the fastest growing department in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and is based across Bloomsbury and UCL East. In addition to this, I undertake research with a focus on wellbeing, eclectic resilience (including resistance and defiance) and coproduction, working collaboratively with members from a range of disadvantaged, displaced and marginalised communities (such as young care leavers, refugees/migrants, as well as members from minority ethnic communities).How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?
I have been at UCL for three and a half years, starting as Deputy Head and taking on the role of Head of Department in September 2024. Previously, I held posts as Reader in Childhood Studies and Director of Postgraduate Studies, as well as Associate Head Research & Innovation, Research Fellow, Lecturer and Tutor at various universities, including the University of Portsmouth, the University of Bath, Goldsmiths University of London and the University of Mannheim.What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
Two things in particular. Firstly, when I completed my impact case study for REF2021 I realised that one particularly impactful event stood out for me. It was also something that I could not include in my case study, because it only affected one person and one school. Let me explain this: As part of REF impact cases studies, researchers are required to provide evidence of the impact of their research. In my case, this was my research centred on coproducing new understandings and interventions around mental health and wellbeing working collaboratively with care experienced young people, new mothers with mental health issues and members from minority ethnic communities and related charities and organisations. I was able to show that the research had significant impact, e.g. by changing uptake of mental health support among young care leavers in Hampshire from 16% to 60%, as well as young people living in supported accommodation in Scotland. Yet, what I was most proud of was the EDI work that I collaborated on with the lead of the Race Equality Council in the South-West of England, working with a mixed-race girl who had been suspended from school due to ’aggressive behaviour’. Working extensively with the girl in question and the school that had suspended her, we were able to show that what was described by the school as ’aggressive behaviour’ was in fact a child (she was only 12) who resisted the racist bullying that she had experienced since primary school. The school lacked EDI training and understanding, and we were able to support the girl and educate the school and get her education back on track. REF impact is centred on ’big numbers’ of impact and as such this was not included in my REF case study.Second, I was able to include the experiences of the above child and others in my new book "Revisiting Childhood Resilience Through Marginalised and Displaced Voices. Perspectives from the past and present", due to be published with UCL Press in Feb 2025. If you’d like to attend the book launch you can sign up via this link !
Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?
I am working on a funding bid with a focus on ’counter-voices of resilience’, working with amazing scholars from across the world. This is an interdisciplinary project bringing together knowledge from the arts, humanities and (social) sciences, as a way of making sense of resilience in light of child migration, placing children’s voices, memories and stories from at the centre. Furthermore, I am coediting a book on Transdisciplinary Experiments: Research, Teaching and Institutionalisation with colleagues from Hong Kong Universities.In addition to this, I am looking forward to getting more settled into my new role as Head of department, after a hectic first term, and spending time at the different campuses (UCL East and Bloomsbury) and working collaboratively with colleagues when it comes to developing the identity of the department. We have made a good start with this already, but we will also soon be launching our research site, showcasing the exciting research and innovation projects that colleagues across my department are involved in.
What is your favourite album, film and novel?
Album: I am not an album person and like a mix of music, from Focus, Boney M (I was a big fan as a five-year-old in the late 70s when they were at the height of their fame, and still am!), to Aretha Franklin, Crowded House, Queen, and more recently Weyes Blood.For ’film’ and ’novel’: I enjoy psychological thrillers, such as Get Out and The Shining. When it comes to novels: One of my favourite novels is the psychological thriller Het Gouden Ei (The Golden Egg, by Tim Krabbe) which I first read as part of my Dutch Literature exam, whilst at Secondary School. It has always stayed with me. It was published as The Vanishing in English speaking countries.
What is your favourite joke (pre-watershed)?
I have no jokes - I have some funny anecdotes, but they are mostly at the expense of the people I love, so will keep them to myself!Who would be your dream dinner guests?
Some years ago, I was lucky enough to get funding from the Wellcome Trust for a study on mental health in childhood, drawing on archives from The Children’s Society in London. As part of this, I spent several days in the Children’s Society archives reading case files of children who were taken into care between 1881 and 1920; children with horrible personal circumstances who were found wandering the streets, some of whom were eventually shipped to Canada, often against their will. Their behaviours, desires, wishes and family background are described in the case files, but not engaged with, and some case files include newspaper clippings of stories of suicide, which is where the case file ends in some situations. I studied 150 case files, both at the archives in London and in Canada (the latter in relation to the children who were sent to Canada). I would like to invite those children for dinner! This may sound odd, especially in light of the question being about ’dream dinner guests’, but there is still so much wrong with how we engage (or don’t engage!) with marginalised and displaced children in society and I would like to ask them what we can do better and not repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again!What advice would you give your younger self?
The same advice I now give my daughter: know who you are, like yourself, and take setbacks in your stride!What would it surprise people to know about you?
I enjoy belly-dancing (taught by my Lebanese friend) and Morris dancing in my free time, and also very much enjoy performing in public and can often be seen performing at festivals and events (when I have time..)!What is your favourite place?
I came to the UK in the later 90s to embark on a Master’s and PhD at the University of Bath. The city of Bath, its history and architecture, remains one of my favourite places.- University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT (0) 20 7679 2000
