This fellowship opportunity took Nicole to the US, where she began her research into the Coaching Boys into Men program, an initiative by the Futures Without Violence organization. This initiative aims to empower sports coaches to engage with young male athletes, fostering healthy relationships, mental health practices, and dismantling the harmful stereotype that equates violence with strength. 

Why did you study psychology at Queen’s?

“Since a child I was always curious and intrigued by human behaviour. Later in life I became interested in different cultural experiences and how these shaped individual differences. I am not satisfied with simple answers to general questions in life and my inquisitive nature has no doubt bugged some people along the way! I want to know the how and why, and I suppose these experiences drove my passion to further my education and decided a career in psychology was my calling. 

I chose to study psychology at Queen’s University because of their research reputation and connections with various institutions across the globe. “

How did your previous studies at Queen’s help with your research?

“I did both undergraduate (BSc Psychology, 2020) and Masters (Applied Developmental Psychology, 2021) in Queen’s. In my final year of my UG, I was able to consolidate my knowledge by choosing modules in political psychology and the psychology of gender, for instance. These topics further deepened my understanding of the inequalities that exist in our society. The psychology of gender module allowed me to explore the concepts of femininity and masculinity across cultures and the influences of those concepts on health, behaviour, interpersonal relationships and psychological processes. With a lifelong interest in the intergenerational transmission of trauma from the Troubles conflict, the political psychology module further expanded my knowledge and theoretical underpinnings and consequences of political behaviour and motivations. Furthermore, in my Masters, I had the opportunity to learn more about childhood adversities (from poverty to abuse) and intergenerational trauma (from parental exposure to war and trauma, to epigenetics). 

I feel I was able to use the knowledge gained from both my UG & PG degrees to apply to the Churchill Fellowship to address misogyny and violence against women. Having an overall understanding of trauma and the links between it and violence, I felt that I could possibly undertake the fellowship and apply my skills and knowledge to the topics at hand. I have since completed my Churchill Fellowship experience and I visited five cities across the USA. My hopes are to work with the NI Executive and incorporate the program (Coaching Boys into Men) into the Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy.”

Nicole now begins a PhD at Queen's University Belfast, exploring social identities and intergenerational trauma in the context of Northern Ireland's Troubles. Her PhD title is “How the trauma of the NI Troubles Conflict has impacted social identities”. 

Why have you returned to Queen’s for your PhD?

“I have developed great relationships among the research community in the School of Psychology and wanted to continue working with them. Both my PhD supervisors (Dr Gülseli Baysu  and Dr Donncha Hanna) have outstanding records in the fields of political and social psychology, and psychotraumatology, as well as having a strong aptitude for statistical analyses. 

I believe the PhD project we will be working on will address many important issues and raise awareness on the detrimental long-term consequences of the NI Troubles conflict. Although some progress has been made since the Good Friday Agreement, conflict in NI is far from resolved. Polarised identities (such as religious affiliation and national identity) have played a central role in perpetuating the Troubles. Furthermore, issues such as suicide, addictions, paramilitarism, sectarianism, deprivation, and social inequalities remain and further research to explore the responses of intergenerational trauma is very much required. “

In NI, the femicide rate is among the highest in Europe with no specified strategy to address it. While acknowledging the role of intergenerational trauma, Nicole emphasizes the importance of addressing broader factors like early socialization and male role modelling to tackle misogyny and violence against women. Nicole hopes to introduce this evidence-based violence prevention program where it can make a transformative impact on local communities, men, and women.

To learn more about our PGR opportunities visit: https://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/psy/Research/PostgraduateResearch/