Dr Deborah Husbands
I am a Chartered Psychologist and Reader in Race and Sociocultural Psychology. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS). Additionally, I serve as the Outreach Coordinator for the School of Social Sciences.
I hold the position of Co-Chair of the University's Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee. I am also a founding member and Co-Chair of the University's BME Network, and I lead the Black History Year programme.
I earned a BSc (Hons) Psychology degree at the University of Westminster in 2009, graduating with 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, focusing on Black women and their constructions of identity and sense of belonging.
My research focuses on the experiences of marginalised people. I use qualitative research methods such as qualitative content analysis, thematic analysis, and IPA, along with critical race theories, to understand the construction of identity in higher education, ethnicity, race, and the meaning we attach to experiences. Using a pluralistic framework, I gain richer insight into retention, satisfaction, progression and awarding for underrepresented students.
I am the Co-Principal Investigator on a Social Research in Higher Education (SRHE) Scoping Award into impostorism in racially minoritised students. I am also the Co-Principal Investigator on a Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) funded research project that explores the effect and experience of the impostor phenomenon on academic performance, academic satisfaction and sense of belonging in underrepresented student groups, and I have published in this area.
I work collaboratively with students and universities on diverse projects to advance equity in higher education.
