Members of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)

Research interests and contact details of our members.

We welcome diverse disciplines, methodologies, experiences and backgrounds in our Centre membership.

Co-Directors

Name	Key research interests
Professor Diana Harcourt Co-Director	Psychosocial impact of visible difference, in particular changes to appearance as a result of cancer treatment Women’s experiences of breast reconstruction following mastectomy Psychosocial impact of changes to appearance due to chemotherapy on breast cancer Adolescent cancer patients’ experiences of changes to appearance

Staff

Name	Key research interests
Dr Latika Ahuja Research Fellow	Women's mental health globally Prevention and early intervention of common mental health problems and eating disorders Mental health in low and middle-income countries
Dr Issy Bray Senior Lecturer in Public Health	Mental health Happiness Suicide
Mahira Budhraja Research Associate	Women’s health and wellbeing Women and minority sexual and reproductive health
Dr Alex Clarke Visiting Professor	Visible difference Cosmetic procedures Health professional training Psychological care of people with appearance concerns
Bruna Oliveira Costa Research Associate	Health psychology Appearance and visible difference
Dr Nadia Craddock Research Fellow	Big business and body image Colourism and skin tone ideals
Professor Phillippa Diedrichs Professor of Psychology	Body image Influence of the mass media and advertising on body image School interventions to promote positive body image Health psychology
Dr Catrin Griffiths Senior Research Fellow	Health psychology Visible Difference Development of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for use in Burn Care
Dr Kirsty Garbett Research Fellow	Body image interventions Cosmetic procedures Health psychology
Dr Caterina Gentili Research Fellow in Applied Statistics	Psychology research methods Research on the interaction of body image issues and other psychological, behavioural, and physical factors Leading data analyses across the DSEP projects
Dr Ella Guest Research Fellow	Health psychology; visible difference The psychosocial impact of living with a burn injury Breast reconstruction
Dr Emma Halliwell Associate Professor of Psychology	Sociocultural influences on body image concerns
Farheen Hasan Research Associate	Body image Cross-cultural factors Health behaviours (e.g. smoking, alcohol use).
Sharon Haywood Research Associate	Body image Body image interventions Weight stigma
Dr Liz Jenkinson Senior Lecturer of Psychology	Health psychology Appearance research and visible difference The effectiveness of psychological interventions
Dr Helena Lewis-Smith Senior Research Fellow	Body image; particularly among women with breast cancer and within the general population Development of psychosocial interventions to improve body image Health psychology
Dr Tim Moss Associate Professor of Health Psychology	Adjustment to disfigurement Health behaviour change Measurement of appearance adjustment
Dr Nicole Paraskeva Senior Research Fellow	Body image interventions Plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery Health psychology
Dr Jade Parnell Research Fellow	Appearance-based stigma and body image in young children Promoting inclusive and diverse education practice Supporting those with an appearance-altering condition
Christine Ramsey-Wade Senior Lecturer: Counselling Psychology	Cognitive-behavioural therapies Mindfulness-based stress reduction Creative and expressive therapies
Professor Emerita Nichola Rumsey	Psychological aspects of cosmetic procedures Development of training in the psychological care of people with appearance concerns Social reintegration of people following appearance-altering trauma
Rachel Samuels Research Administrator
Dr Kat Schneider Research Fellow	Body image Exercise psychology Psychological well-being
Dr Amy Slater Associate Professor	Young people’s body image and a particular interest in the role of the internet and social media
Harriet Smith Research Associate	Positive body image Intervention development Health psychology and the role of body image in chronic health conditions.
Dr Nicola Stock Associate Professor	The psychological and social impact of appearance-altering conditions Psychological support for individuals born with craniofacial conditions and their families.
Aline Tinoco Research Associate	Women's health particularly nutrition Health at every size, non-diet approaches Weight stigma, body image and disordered eating
Rosie Thomas Research Administrator
Dr Maia Thornton Research Fellow	Visible difference Support for families Intervention development
Dr Pippa Tollow Research Fellow	Patient experiences of treatment Clinician-patient communication Health psychology
Dr Heidi Williamson Associate Professor	Health psychology Visible differences / disfigurement, particularly among young people with cancer and women with breast cancer Developing interventions to support young people distressed by altered appearance
Dr Fabio Zucchelli Research Fellow	Mindfulness-based interventions (including Acceptance Commitment Therapy) Visible difference Male body image Social psychology

Current PhD students

Name	Title of PhD
Beth Herring	Body image and men with breast cancer
Christia Huntington	Online support for people affected by burns injuries
Kieran Moulton	Exploring the psychosocial motivations and experiences of individuals who undergo decorative tattooing as a method of scar camouflage and/or decoration in the UK

Completed PhD students

Name	Title of PhD	Supervisors
Dr Laura Armstrong-James	Paediatric and young people's psychosocial adjustment to burn injuries	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey, Dr Heidi Williamson, Dr Julia Cadogan
Dr Jenny Barke	Young people’s experiences of visible differences associated with genetic/inherited conditions	Professor Diana Harcourt
Dr Alyson Bessell	Facing up to visible difference: The design and evaluation of a new computer-based psychosocial intervention	Dr Tim Moss, Professor Nichola Rumsey, Professor Diana Harcourt
Dr Heather Brant	Psychosocial and ethical issues around visible difference associated with genetic conditions	Professor Diana Harcourt
Dr Nadia Craddock	Big business and body image	Professor Phillippa Diedrichs, Dr Emma Halliwell, Dr Fiona Spotswood, Meaghan Ramsey
Dr Emma Dures	Psychosocial impact of Epidermylosis Bullosa (EB)	Professor Nichola Rumsey, Marianna Morris, Dr Kate Gleeson
Dr Fiona Fox	An exploration of online peer support for young people with chronic skin conditions	Marianne Morris, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Caterina Gentili	Body image, appearance and physical activity after diagnosis of prostate cancer	Professor Diana Harcourt, Dr Stuart McLean, Dr Lucy McGeagh, Professor Amit Bahl, Professor Raj Persad
Dr Nikki Hayfield	Bisexual women’s visual identities: A feminist mixed-methods exploration	Dr Victoria Clarke, Dr Emma Halliwell, Professor Nichola Rumsey, Dr Helen Malson
Dr Jennifer Heath	Peer support for parents of people affected by burn injuries	Professor Diana Harcourt, Dr Heidi Williamson, Lisa Williams
Dr Caroline Huxley	An exploration of the sociocultural influences affecting lesbian and bisexual women’s body image	Dr Emma Halliwell, Dr Victoria Clarke, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Sue Jackson	The psychosocial importance of eyes and the impact of strabismus on adults	Professor Nichola Rumsey, Marianne Morris, Richard Harrad
Dr Fiona Kennedy	The psychosocial impact and perception of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Helena Lewis-Smith	Psychosocial support for appearance-related concerns amongst people living with a visible difference: exploring the	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey, Professor Phillippa Diedrichs
Dr Emily Lovegrove	Adolescents, appearance and anti-bullying strategies	Professor Nichola Rumsey, Keith Postlethwaite
Sabrina Meechem	The impact of social media on adolescent health and wellbeing	Dr Amy Slater, Dr Emma Halliwell, Dr Issy Bray, Dr Yvette Morey
Dr Jade Parnell	Promoting acceptance of appearance diversity in primary school-age children	Dr Amy Slater, Dr Heidi Williamson, Dr Fay Lewis
Dr Geeta Patel	Black Minority Ethnic (BME) women's experiences following breast cancer diagnosis	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey, Habib Naqvi
Dr Melissa Pilkington	Psychosocial interventions to support women affected by hair loss due to chemotherapy treatment	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Matthew Ridley	Redefining resilience in the context of cleft lip and/or palate: Using adult data to inform the development of an intervention to promote positive outcomes	Professor Nichola Rumsey, Dr Amy Slater
Dr Ben Rosser	Cognitive information processing biases and appearance adjustment: The role of the appearance self-schema	Dr Tim Moss, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Nick Sharratt	The impact of appearance concerns on intimacy in people with disfigurement	Professor Nichola Rumsey, Dr Tim Moss, Dr Elizabeth Jenkinson
Dr Irmgard Tischner	A critical psychological investigation of obesity	Dr Helen Malson, Dr Emma Halliwell, Professor Nichola Rumsey
Dr Maia Thornton	Promoting positive psychological adjustment in parents and carers of children and young people with an appearance-altering condition or injury	Dr Heidi Williamson, Prof Diana Harcourt, Dr Toity Deave, Dr James Kiff
Dr Daisy Townsend	Exploring the role of cognitive, physical and social variables between body image and appearance concerns and physical activity participation	Dr James Byron Daniel, Dr Emma Halliwell, Professor Diana Harcourt
Dr Melissa Wallace	The psychosocial impact of conditions altering appearance during adolescence	Professor Diana Harcourt, Professor Nichola Rumsey

Visiting staff (previous)

Name	Year	From
Dr Jessia Alleva	September 2016–October 2017	University of Masstricht, Netherlands
Dr Kristin Billaud-Feragen	September 2012–September 2013	Statped, Norway
Tara De Paoli (PhD student)	October 2016-January 2017	University of Melbourne, Australia
Jasmine Fardouly	February 2013- July 2013
Professor Susan Paxton	September-November 2013	LaTrobe University, Melbourne
Dr Lina Ricciardelli	October 2011–November 2011	Deakin University, Melbourne
Professor David Sánchez-Carracedo	May–June 2018	Univeristat Autonoma de Barcelona
Dr Zali Yager	November 2011-November 2012	LaTrobe University, Melbourne

Honorary members

Name	Honorary Award
Dr Jessica Alleva Maastricht University, the Netherlands	CAR Honorary Research Fellow
Dr Julia Cadogan University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust	CAR Honorary Research Fellow
Dr Alex Clarke	UWE Bristol Doctor of Science
Dr James Partridge	UWE Bristol Doctor of Science
Professor Martin Persson Kristianstad University, Sweden	CAR Honorary Research Fellow
Dr Rosanna Preston	UWE Bristol Doctor of Science

Members of the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR)

Co-Directors

Staff

Current PhD students

Completed PhD students

Visiting staff (previous)

Honorary members

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