Profile
Nora Vyas
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About Me:
I am an Associate Professor in psychology and chartered psychologist. I am passionate about talking about mental health and influence of meditation on wellbeing. I am interested in what areas of the brain ‘light up’ when completing memory/attention tasks? Why is sleep important for wellness? What is the impact of mental health on an individual and how does it differ from physical conditions? How can we end mental health stigma? Can meditation improve wellbeing? I lead the instagram page @mentalhealth_connect. I enjoy photography, keeping fit, and travelling!
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I live in North West London, and work at Kingston University as an Associate Professor in psychology. I’m a Fulbright Scholar, Winston Churchill Fellow, and Lindmann Trust Fellow. I love my job and find it very rewarding, especially when I see students’ progress from year 1 of university to the final year when they graduate with a Psychology degree!
I’m a veggie, love to cook and, like most people, I love pizza and chips (great combination!) but only have these on “cheat days”. I’m a fitness fanatic. I’ve been part of Bootcamp which runs several times a week in the evenings which keeps me fit while juggling work and family life. In my free time, I like spending time with my family and friends, dining out, watching sports. My passion is practicing mindfulness, nature photography, and travelling. I’ve been whale watching in Alaska, San Diego, San Francisco and Tenerife! I’m also leading an Instagram page: @mentalhealth_connect
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My pronouns are:
She / her
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My Work:
Associate Professor in psychology – I’m interested in mental health in children/adolescence, how the brain works when we do everyday tasks, how mindfulness can help memory.
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I lead a module on our BSc (Hons) psychology degree titled: Mental Health and Brain Function. I teach at undergraduate and postgraduate level in child/adolescent and adult mental health, health psychology, and clinical/cognitive neuroscience. I am an award-winning STEM leader.
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My Typical Day:
I’m an early riser – love to plan before the day starts! I teach abnormal psychology to University students, supervise research projects which lead to publications in Journals. I enjoy presenting novel research at international conferences! Below is a photo (photo taken after an informal chat with guest speaker Professor Buchsbaum, UCSD so numbers are small) of a Mental Health Awareness Day event at Kingston University which I organised. It would be great to have school children attend these sessions – all free!
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My job involves teaching university students about the symptoms, causes and treatments of specific psychological conditions such as anxiety disorders, psychosis, eating disorders. Mental health is equally important as physical health! I am passionate about disseminating research within the community through free online events and more wider community focused events on health, wellbeing, and
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What I'd do with the prize money:
Contributing travel expenses for School students to visit us at the Department of Psychology at Kingston University to check out our sophisticated psychology simulators. Students will also be involved in conducting research (as a research assistant) over the summer with us!
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Education:
Northwood College, Northwood (GCSEs: English Literature/Language, Combined Science, Maths, Drama, History, Geography)
Haydon School, Northwood (A-levels: Economics, Psychology, English Language)
City University London (BSc Hons in Psychology)
Institute of Psychiatry, psychology and neuroscience (PhD in Psychiatry): IOPPN
Post-doctoral Fellowships
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Washington DC, USA (Fulbright fellowship: UK-US Fulbright Scholarship and Lindemann Trust scholarship: English Speaking Union).
University of California, San Diego (Churchill Fellow: Winston Churchill Memorial Trust)
University of Kyoto, Churchill Fellow
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Qualifications:
1997-1999: GCSEs, Northwood College, Northwood.
1999-2001: A-levels, Haydon School, Northwood. Economics, English Language, Psychology.
2001-2004: BSc (Hons) Psychology, City University London, Northampton Square.
2004-2008: PhD Psychiatry, King’s College London (University of London).
2009: Member and Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society (BPS)
2011: Chartered Scientist and Associate Fellow, BPS
2012: Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice (Teaching qualification), King’s College London.
2012: Associate Fellow, Higher Education Academy (HEA)
2012: Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCertHE; Teaching qualification), Middlesex University
2013-2014: Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (RSA)
2013-2018: Fellow, HEA
2018- current: Senior Fellow, HEA
Obtaining my PhD enabled me to formally enter ‘academia’ as a Lecturer. This position entails teaching university students, research (and grant writing to obtain funds for larger projects), and supervising undergraduate and postgraduate (Masters) students on new research projects. The teaching qualifications is a great way to demonstrate that you have the ability to teach as a high standard. These qualifications typically require senior colleagues to ‘observe’ you when you teach, and provide feedback on teaching delivery. This feedback can be used to improve subsequent sessions.
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Work History:
- 2003-2004: Research Worker, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (led to being offered a fully-funded PhD!)
- 2004-2008: PhD student, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
- 2008-2009: Post-doc researcher, Cardiff University
- 2008-2009: Visiting Lecturer (6 months), City University (lecturer and module leader – Abnormal Psychology)
- 2009-2010: Clinical Research Officer, Birmingham and Solihull NHS Trust
- 2010-2011: Fulbright Scholar, National Institutes of Health, Washington DC, USA
- 2011-2012: Lindemann Trust Fellow, National Institutes of Health, Washington DC, USA (alongside working at Middlesex University, as shown below)
- 2011-2012: Senior Lecturer in psychology, Middlesex University
- 2012-2013: Lecturer in Psychology, Kingston University London
- 2013-2016: Senior Lecturer in psychology, Kingston University London
- 2016-2018: Associate Professor TEL Faculty Champion, Kingston University London (secondment)
- 2018-2019: Senior Lecturer in Psychology (0.5FTE) and Associate Professor TEL Faculty Champion (0.5 FTE), Kingston University London
- 2019- current: Associate Professor (full) in psychology, Kingston University London
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Coaching- clinical researcher
What did you want to be after you left school?
Psychologist
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Never been in trouble. Always known for my smile as a kid growing up. Its' always good to have a laugh with friends!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Taylor Shift, Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran
What's your favourite food?
Pizza and Fries (although this is usually my cheat meal!)
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Special powers to bring peace/harmony to the World, end poverty and illness.
Tell us a joke.
Not much of a joker, but I work out other people's problems.
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