New generation of psychology experts convene for PsyPAG 2018

Here’s how a group of psychology postgraduates earned the right to stage the prestigious annual PsyPAG conference, attended by 200 researchers

TWO hundred up-and-coming experts in psychology from around the UK convened at the University of Huddersfield for a four-day event that featured keynote presentations, presentations and workshops on a wide range of subjects that included crime, social justice, mental health, memory and the development of young minds. 

The event was the 33rd annual conference of PsyPAG. Funded by the Research Board of the British Psychological Society, it is the national organisation for all UK psychology postgraduates. 

PsyPAG 2018 Conference Committee

In order to bring the event to the University of Huddersfield, a highly-detailed 43-page bid was drawn up by a special PsyPAG 2018 Conference Committee (pictured below left to right)- Lauran Easton, Michaela Polomska, Abbie Halliday, conference Chair Becky Scott, Matthew Pears, Conference vice-chair Donna Elliott, Tianna Myers and Tim Dlamini.

It was an exhaustive process, but led to a highly-successful conference that attracted some 200 delegates who are studying for Master’s degrees, Trainee Routes or PhDs in areas of psychology. 

The conference included 21 themed sessions at which panels of postgraduate psychologists presented a total of 76 papers describing their research. They included several University of Huddersfield PhD candidates, such as conference committee Chair Becky Scott and vice chair Donna Elliott, who contributed to a session on inclusivity and diversity on psychology.There was also a 50-strong poster presentation and one prize winner was University of Huddersfield PhD researcher Greg Best, dealing with the use of persuasion in confidence trickster scams. 

Keynote speakers

The PsyPAG conference also featured keynote addresses from three University of Huddersfield professors – Viv Burr on social constructionism; Nigel King, on human responses to their environment; and Daniel Boduszek on psychopathy. There was also a keynote from Dr Claire Wilson, of the University of West Scotland, dealing with the psychology of education and life after the PhD. 

There were social events, including a conference dinner at the John Smith’s Stadium, and special workshops, such as a psychogeography “walkshop” organised by the University of Huddersfield’s Dr Alex Bridger.

PsyPAG awards

A sequence of PsyPAG prizes were presented – the Rising Researcher Award to Tamsyn Hawken of the University of Bath; the Master’s Award to Athina Tripli, of the University of Derby; the Undergraduate Award to Bethan Elliott of Cardiff Metropolitan University; and the Dart-P Award to Michael Scott Evans of Cardiff University. 

Conference delegates were impressed by the organisation and the facilities at the University of Huddersfield and gave excellent feedback, said Becky Scott. She and fellow organisers were shadowed by the team from Sheffield Hallam University who will be responsible for the 2019 event and now Becky will provide support as they make sure that their edition of PsyPAG lives up to the Huddersfield conference.