Dr Kimberley Hill, Associate Professor

Dr Kimberley Hill is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Psychology at The University of Northampton. Kimberley is a Chartered Psychologist and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Kimberley is also a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the highest designation bestowed by the Society, which was awarded in recognition of her significant contribution to the advancement of psychological knowledge and practice. She also holds a prestigious National Teaching Fellowship from AdvanceHE in recognition of her outstanding impact on student outcomes and the Higher Education teaching profession.

Kimberley was first awarded an Academic Excellence Scholarship for her First Class BSc (Hons) Psychology Degree from Oxford Brookes University. She later received the Postgraduate Taught Research Prize for her MRes Psychology degree jointly taught by Oxford Brookes and The University of Oxford.  Kimberley received a Studentship for her Psychology PhD and has since completed Postgraduate Certificates in both Academic Practice and Research Degree Supervision.

Following her role as a Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University, Kimberley joined the Psychology and Sociology Subject Group at the University of Northampton in 2014. Kimberley has extensive departmental and programme leadership experience and helped lead the department through an institutional move to active-blended learning.

Kimberley supervises undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral student projects (PhD and ProfDoc), provides module leadership and teaches across a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. Kimberley is dedicated to embedding applied, student-led activities to tackle societal issues and engaging students as partners in addressing societal issues. She has secured funding for a number of teaching and learning projects, while contributing to learning and teaching Advisory Boards.

Kimberley's work has great impact and she has been recognised and awarded for her teaching, research and collaborations with external partners to transform Higher Education practice and policy.  This includes her work in developing university policies and processes in relation to student wellbeing, safety and gender-based violence, developing curriculum-embedded consent education in schools and universities, while working with partners, organisations and charities to enhance practice. Further information about Kimberley's teaching and research can be found here: Dr Kimberley Hill | Staff Profile | University of Northampton

Dedicated to widening participation and increase access into education, Kimberley is adept in developing and coordinating courses for an international market. She has validated and led a number of successful Psychology programmes between the University of Northampton and global academic partners, while developing best practice partnership methods and processes.

Kimberley is dedicated to disseminating Psychological knowledge and increasing access into Science. As a National STEM Ambassador and Psychology STEM lead, Kimberley has spearheaded Psychology’s inclusion in the University STEM agenda, running events to enthuse thousands of young people about Psychology. To further enhance employability, Kimberley has previously run Psychology Alumni Panel Careers Events and other inspiring events involving local schools, FE and HE institutions to widen STEM participation. Kimberley engages students as partners and positive role models, working with students to hold Practical Experience of Research Days and Conferences for local teachers, school pupils and community groups.

Kimberley has created a number of mentoring schemes, both within and outside of the University to support educators, practitioners and researchers. This includes co-founding the European-wide EUSPR Early Career European Prevention Network, while working as a British Academy mentor. Kimberley has also Chaired a unique cross-University STEM Steering Group, as well as a Northampton and District A-Level Psychology (NAP) Teacher’s Group to support Psychology Teachers. 

Kimberley is an Associate Professor and co-lead for the Centre of Psychological Science’s Health, Education and Behaviour Change Research Group.

Her research expertise is in the area of:

• Promoting health and preventing health risk behaviours
• The perceptual control of social action, cognition and development in context
• Expertise in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research

Kimberley has published widely in the fields of prevention science, health, social and cognitive psychology, while contributing to national and international televised, radio and print media. Kimberley's work involves partnerships with external organisations and global educators, informing local, national and international practice and policy. She has been invited to provide global keynotes, advise on a number of national and international professional committees and boards, while coordinating conferences, mentoring schemes, development networks and training.

Further information about Kimberley’s research and publications can be found here: https://pure.northampton.ac.uk/en/persons/kimberley-hill

Kimberley is an experienced supervisor and examiner, with some of her recent PhD and Prof Doc students including:

• Elaine Williams - Psychology and Health: Exploration of the experience of peri menopausal women and the impact of Onobotulinum Toxin Type A facial injection on mood.
• Ana Pal - public perceptions of existing green spaces during the development of green social prescription programmes (advisor).
• Jane Wright - Psychology and Health: Evaluating the experiences of peer mentors for alcohol or drug addiction.
• Zak Baldwin - Psychology: An investigation into the effects of action video-games and gaming interfaces on visual selective attention and age-related cognitive decline.
• Iain Douglas - Psychology and Computing: Affordances within digital, virtual environments: the application of cues and nudges.   
• Dave Hill - Psychology and Policing: Systems in Policing Leadership 
• Honest Lugube - Psychology (completed - 2019): Ethnicity and Inequality in foster care: To what extent does the current mental health provision address the needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) children in foster care? 

Kimberley has extensive departmental, programme and module leadership experience. This includes professional body accreditations and subject reviews, curricula design, quality processes, benchmarking and more.

• Programme Leader: BSc Psychology (Single Honours).
• Previous Programme Leader roles: BSc Psychology (Joint Honours), Bsc Psychology and BSc Psychology & Counselling, TMC Academy Singapore; BSc Psychology, DEI Greece.
• Undergraduate Teaching: Introduction to Psychology; Psychology For Life; Conceptual and Historical Methods in Psychology; Social Psychology (Module Leader: 280 students); Cognitive Psychology; Health Psychology; Psychology dissertation supervisor; Personal Tutor. Previous: Psychology in Practice, Independent Practical Work, Research Methods and Data Analysis, Personality Psychology, Understanding the Social World.
• Postgraduate Teaching: Working With Schools and Communities: Child and Adolescent Mental Health; PG Dissertation and Doctoral Supervisor; Personal Tutor. Previous: Applied and Critical Social Psychology; Advanced Developmental Psychology; Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods, Advanced Research Methods. 

Psychology Leadership Team; Internal and External PhD Examiner; Health, Education and Behaviour Change Research Theme Co-Lead; Faculty of Health & Society Research Ethics Committee; Psychology Ethics Committee, Psychology STEM Lead; C@N-DO HEA Panel Assessor; Programme Validation Assessor; ARCG Group; Validation and Approval Panel Assessor.

Previous: International Partnership Lead; Risk Assessment and Approval Panel Member; Psychology STEM Team Leader Manager; Assessment and Feedback Working Group; Faculty Research Steering Group; Employability Working Group, I Heart Consent Week Lead;  Co-ordinator of The Northampton Area Psychology Teachers’ Group; Psychology Alumni Careers Event Lead; Chair of University STEM Steering Group, Awards Coordinator