Psychology

Overview

The Department of Psychology is home to internationally-renowned experts in psychology and exceptional facilities for practical and theoretical research – 100% of our research impact in the area of psychology, psychiatry and neurosciences was rated as outstanding or very considerable in terms of reach and and significance in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).

Our fundamental and applied research reflects the broad scope of psychological study, exploring topics including child development of social skills, eye witness testimony, the evolution of primate facial expressions and factors affecting drug use.

Our researchers are addressing important issues in society, whether helping law enforcement agencies prosecute, developing methods to improve wellbeing and quality of life, supporting animal conservation and welfare initiatives, or unpacking the basics of psychological functioning – and as a postgraduate researcher, you'll play your part in transforming our expertise into action.

Support and facilities

When you join us, you'll be supported by our Graduate School, alongside your assigned supervisory team, who'll help you get the most from our facilities. The Graduate School will help you become part of our thriving, collaborative research community, and help grow your skills as a researcher through the Graduate School Development Programme, which offers training, workshops and events.

You can use our specialised laboratories for conducting research, including spaces in which to study human movement, eye movement, psychophysiology, visual and auditory perception, primate behaviour, infant development, and autism. You can also access our virtual reality labs, mock police interview suite, digital analysis and video editing suite, photo booth and applied cognition lab.

By using our research facilities as a postgraduate research student, you'll experience many techniques used in contemporary psychological research and practice.

What can a postgraduate research degree do for my career?

Once you complete your postgraduate research degree at the University of Portsmouth , you'll be a highly-skilled researcher with the knowledge and skills to make an impact in many different industries.

Your postgraduate research qualification demonstrates to potential employers that you're an intelligent, capable and motivated person, with provable abilities and experience in critical thinking, problem-solving, project management, communication, leadership and creativity.