About
Title of PhD: The effects of sucrose detection thresholds on children’s diet and weight
Supervisor: Dr Jackie Blissett
I do multidisciplinary research on dietary preferences and factors affecting weight in children. I am looking at both physiological and environmental determinants of diet and weight.
Qualifications
BSc (Hons) Psychology
MSc Systems biology of Brain and Behaviour
Biography
I have a First Class BSc in Psychology from the University of Sunderland and a First Class MSc in Systems Biology of Brain and Behaviour from the Bielefeld University (Germany). My BSc dissertation was a cross-cultural study on the relationship between maternal bonding and eating psychopathology. My MSc thesis project was carried out in the field of Evolutionary Biology, and was looking at the environmental influences on risk taking behaviours in non-hypothetical situations (supervised by Prof Klaus Reinhold).
I worked for a year as a Research Assistant on a project investigating the effects of sucrose detection threshold on motivation and learning in honey bees, which later inspired my PhD research projects. I then worked for a year as a Research Associate on a project looking at the effects of weaning time on acceptance of fruit and vegetables in infants. I have been also a Research Associate in a study looking at the effects of parental prompting behaviours on children’s acceptance of new fruits.
Research
Research interests
Sensory sensitivity; Sucrose detection thresholds; Children’s dietary preferences; Children’s weight; Otitis media; Fruit and vegetables consumption
Other activities
I have been a Teaching Assistant in Research Methods for over 2 years. As a Lead Teaching Assistant for the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham I designed and delivered a 6 week course for the Postgraduate students called ‘Teaching Skills for the PG International Students’.