Dr Deborah Husbands
I am a Chartered Psychologist and Reader in Psychology (Race and Sociocultural Psychology). I am also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS). In addition, I am the Outreach Coordinator for the School of Social Sciences and created Psych4Schools, an initiative that encourages secondary school students to engage with Psychology as an applied subject through mini-lectures and workshops.
I am a founding member and Co-Chair of the university's BME Network and am the Lead for the Black History Year Steering Group. I am a member of The Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee.
I completed a BSc (Hons) Psychology degree at the University of Westminster in 2009, graduating with a First-Class Honours. In 2012, I was awarded the Elizabeth de Lowernthal Prize for Excellence for the best portfolio submission on the PGCHE course. I completed a PhD in October 2019 in the area of Black and Minority Ethnic psychology student experiences in higher education with a focus on Black women and their constructions of identity and sense of belonging.
My research focus is on the experiences of minoritised people. I use qualitative research methods (qualitative content analysis, thematic analysis, IPA) and critical race theories to understand constructions of identity in higher education, ethnicity, race and the meaning we attach to experiences. Using a pluralistic framework, I gain richer insight into retention, progression and awarding for under-represented students.
I am a Co-Principal Investigator on a Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) funded research project exploring the effect and experience of the impostor phenomenon on academic performance, academic satisfaction and sense of belonging in under-represented student groups.
I work collaboratively with students and several universities on diverse projects to advance equity in higher education.
