Profile
Hannah Slack
Hi there! I can't wait to hear from you!
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About Me:
I’m a research psychologist at King’s College London. I love crochet, painting, gaming, and belly dancing!
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- I am 27 and live just outside of Nottingham.
- I love all things arts and crafts: crochet, cross-stitch, painting, you name it – I’ll give it a go! Here’s a picture of a turtle I crocheted:
- I love animals; even insects – I’ve held a tarantula twice!
- I’ve been solo-skydiving (i.e., there’s not an instructor with you; you have to fly your way down on your own!).
- I’ve recently gotten into anime. For my birthday, my friend bought Tanjiro’s sword for me (a fake sword, of course).
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My pronouns are:
she/her
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My Work:
I’m a researcher at King’s College London. My research looks at loneliness, social connection, and sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate students as they move from high school to university.
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I’m a researcher at King’s College London. My research looks at loneliness, social connection, and sense of belonging in first-year undergraduate students as they move from high school to university.
In my role, I have created a measurement scale (like a questionnaire) that’s designed to capture students expectations for their social life at university. In addition, I’m currently running a survey that looks at how students’ social life changes over time as they start university and how that might affect their risk of feeling lonely. It’s my goal to help all university students feel like they belong.
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My Typical Day:
I tend to work from home. I get to work at 9am, where I often spend the first 30-minutes answering emails and handling any admin tasks. The rest of the day tends to consist of working with data, reading the latest research in my area, and keeping contact with our student and research advisors. I tend to end the day between 5-6pm.
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Read more
I tend to work from home. I get to work at 9am, where I often spend the first 30-minutes answering emails and handling any admin tasks. The rest of the day tends to consist of:
- Working with questionnaire data; I write computer code in R and run statistical tests on the data to try and find patterns in the data.
- Reading the latest research in my area; it’s good to stay up-to-date on what other researchers are finding out about student mental health.
- Keeping contact with our student and research advisors: We are lucky to work with some fab undergraduate students who are both helping to share our survey with other students and guide our work.
I tend to end the day between 5-6pm.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Throughout my career, I’ve been involved in various mentoring initiative. I think that these are invaluable, as they can break misconceptions about what kind of person works in STEM. I want to create a mentoring initiative that matches secondary school pupils with a mentor working in the STEM field.
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Education:
- The University of Nottingham- age 18-26.
- Tuxford Academy – age 11-18
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Qualifications:
- In my GCSEs, I got A*s-As and one B.
- I got 3 A’s at A-level, I studied: Psychology, English Literature, and Sociology.
- I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience.
- I have a Master’s degree in Psychology Research Methods.
- I have a PhD in Psychology.
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Work History:
During my PhD, I led seminars (small group classes) and lab demonstrations (bigger, computer-based classes). I also marked coursework reports.
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Current Job:
I’m a postdoctoral research associate at King’s College London. I mainly work with number data. I also co-manage a group of student advisors that help guide all of the work that my team does.
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Employer:
King’s College London.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Creative, nature-loving psychologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
Genuinely, I wanted to be a research psychologist. I'm living my dream!
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Nah, I was pretty quiet.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
A doggy daycare worker or a National Trust park keeper.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I like rock and metal music. My favourite band at the minute would be Queens of the Stone Age, but Fall Out Boy will always be my comfort band.
What's your favourite food?
Curry
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
To continue to have good health, to continue to be happy...and maybe to be able to fly.
Tell us a joke.
Do you want to hear a song about a tortilla? Actually, it's more of a wrap.
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