Following major investment, coupled with development of existing staff, psychology at Middlesex University has evolved into a thriving research unit. The 44 academic staff (including six professors and two readers) in the Department of Psychology work predominantly within three research groups: Applied Health Psychology; Forensic Psychology; and Psychobiology.
The Unit of Assessment case studies are:
Summary: Pioneering research by Dr Bahman Baluch, Programme Leader in the Department of Psychology at Middlesex University, and Dr Maryam Danaye-Tousi (University of Guilan, Iran) on Farsi and the relationship between orthography and the process of learning to read, has made a significant contribution to the ways in which reading is taught in Iran throughout the curriculum.
Research on a common underlying deficit in dyslexia by Associate Professor in Psychology Dr Nicola Brunswick, which led to her appointment as Trustee of the British Dyslexia Association, has helped improve services for people with dyslexia in the UK.
Summary: Middlesex University's applied health psychology research on medically assisted reproduction has impacted in three areas. Firstly, all parental order reporters and accredited infertility counsellors in the UK are exposed to the research through standard professional training and practice materials. Secondly, research has informed Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA) policy on surrogacy and gamete donation. Thirdly, HFEA-commissioned research on elective single embryo transfer and stakeholder group membership has contributed to national guidelines, resulting in decreased numbers of embryos transferred in UK clinical practice, dramatically reducing multiple births and associated maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.
