Chair of Psychology Dept. ethics committee

Member of the University research ethics panel (REP)

Dr Alexander Taylor is a Chartered Psychologist & Associate Fellow with the British Psychology Society and a Fellow of the Higher education academy, with a PhD in Psychology from the University of Reading, a MSc honours degree in Neuroscience from the University of Manchester, and a first-class BSc honours degree in Human Biology and Psychology from Staffordshire University. I have experience and expertise in research of, as well as clinical and teaching experience in: affective neuroscience, cognition, ageing, Alzheimer’s, mental health, neuroimaging, psychophysiology, immune markers, neuropsychology and research methods. The main themes of my research is focused on older adults emotional and physical health in the context of emotional and cognition interactions in relation to psychological and neural models and theories.

Current research areas: Consequences of induced anxiety on cognitive and motor functioning; Impact of Kombucha and prebiotics on cognitive, stress and emotional control in healthy individuals (Innovate UK funding); Well being in nature.

Research roles have included: A studying focusing on cognitive development in deaf children and the impact upon neural connections in key neural correlates using fNIRS to assess neural activity; Another relates to work involving the youth justice services, accessing the success of a summer arts project of reducing subsequent offending behaviour. At the Institute for Stroke and Dementia (ISD) in Munich, my research focused on multimodal imaging (EEG-fMRI combined) of human brain changes in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease; Next I undertook a project at the University of Southampton measuring the effect of drugs which target acid sensing ion channels (ASICs) that may reduce anxiety, achieved by using the CO2 challenge to induce the anxiety in healthy volunteers (EOG, immune markers and behavioural).

Throughout my research roles I have gained valuable teaching experience in areas of biological psychology, neuropsychology, cognition, research methods and other core psychology areas. I am currently completing the UKPSF accredited PCGTHE qualification to formalise the standard and experience of my teaching.