PhD Alumni

Natalia Concha

Country: UK (originally from Colombia)
Current role: Research Fellow at ActEarly, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London
PhD completion year: 2019
PhD title: Elastic mothering: a psychosocial study of maternal trajectories in Colombia

Based at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health at Queen Mary University of London, I work as a Research Fellow in ActEarly, a multisectoral programme with UCL, University of York, local councils, schools and communities seeking to upstream interventions to tackle inequalities in child health. My social understanding of public health initiatives implementing community approaches is rooted in the enriching years I spent at PBS, first as a student, culminating in my PhD in Social Psychology, and then as a Research Officer in the Pathways to Reconciliation project, working with Professor Sandra Jovchelovitch.

Kevin Corti

Country: United States
Current role: Quantitative UX Researcher and UX Engineering Lead @ Google
PhD completion year: 2016
PhD title: Developing the cyranoid method of mediated interpersonal communication in a social psychological context: Applications in person perception, human-computer interaction, and first-person research

While finishing my PhD at LSE I was hired by Uber to work as a data scientist on their global safety team. I developed statistical models of risk in emerging markets and evaluated the efficacy of driver screening programs. I also worked with local operations teams to understand the causes of interpersonal and vehicle safety incidents in the context of market-specific infrastructural, cultural, and sociodemographic factors.

Following Uber, I joined Google as a quantitative user experience (UX) researcher and began to work more closely with product development teams and UX practitioners (e.g., UX designers). My individual research has at times focused on 1) consumer segmentation and market strategy; 2) causal inference from observational data; 3) user preference modeling; and 4) measurement scale development. I have managed multidisciplinary UX teams for several years and currently lead a team of specialized engineers who build research infrastructure and UX data platforms.

María Cecilia Dedios

Country: Colombia (originally from Perú)
Current role: Associate professor, School of Government, Los Andes University
PhD completion year: 2018
PhD title: Exploring the role of the youth group in adolescent development under contextual adversity: A comparative study of adolescents belonging to peacebuilding groups and gangs in Colombia

After completing my PhD at LSE, I joined Los Andes University as an Assistant Professor in the School of Government, delving into mental health and violence prevention research with a focus on populations facing contextual adversity. For the first few years after graduation, I remained connected to the vibrant PBS department as a Research Officer on the Pathways to Reconciliation study, working with my supervisor Professor Sandra Jovchelovitch. Advancing to the role of Associate Professor in 2022, my work at the School of Government intertwines research and policy impact, aligning with my aim of influencing policy decisions and contribute to a safer, healthier society through the lens of academia.  

Brett Heasman

Country: UK
Current role: Senior Lecturer in Psychology, York St. John University
PhD completion year: 2018
PhD title: Enabling autistic sociality: unrealised potentials in two-sided interactions

I was awarded the ESRC’s inaugural impact prize for Future Promise, as well as being awarded runner-up in Early Career impact. My postdoctoral work at UCL focussed on autism and employment through which I worked in collaboration with major banks, engineering and cybersecurity firms. At York St. John University I continue to research enabling environments for neurodivergent people, including focussing on neurodivergent intersubjectivity, flow states and participatory research.

Isidora Kourti

Country: UK (originally from Greece)
Current role: Lecturer in Management, Open University Business School
PhD completion year: 2013
PhD title: Between planned and emergent collaboration: Boundary activation and identity development in the psychosocial space of a Greek educational partnership

After completing an MSc and PhD at the LSE, I worked for four years as senior lecturer in Organisation Studies at the Regents' University London. Since 2017 I have been at the Business School at the Open University. My current research is located within the tradition of the social psychology of organisations and follows a processual and practice-based study of organisations and organising. Since the completion of my doctorate, I have been the principal investigator and co-investigator on several research projects exploring a range of organisational phenomena, such as inter-organisational and collaborative relations, identity development and organisational paradoxes. I have also conducted research in different contexts (across the UK, Europe and Africa) that aims to support organisations that work with underprivileged and disabled people.  

Sandra Obradović

Country: UK (originally from Sweden/Serbia)
Current role: Senior Lecturer in Psychology, The Open University
PhD completion year: 2018
PhD title: Continuity in times of change: The role of power, history and national identity in the process of supranational integration

After completing my PhD at the LSE I completed a two-year postdoctoral LSE Fellowship in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science. I joined The Open University in 2020 as a Lecturer in Psychology and have since continued working with the LSE through my role as research fellow at the Electoral Psychology Observatory (Department of Government) and contributing to teaching in PBS as a visiting fellow, notably to the MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology. In addition to teaching and research I also spend time doing research consultancies for various organizations, including the British Council, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the European Commission. 

Ai Yu

Country: UK (originally from China)
Job title and company: Associate Professor in Organisation Studies, University of Southampton 
PhD completion year: 2011
PhD title: Facilitating organisational change and innovation: activating Intellectual Capital within a learning paradigm

After completing my PhD, I took up a lectureship at the University of Bedfordshire, teaching organisational behaviour and research methods. I then joined the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at the LSE as an LSE Fellow, before moving to Goldsmiths, University of London for a permanent position. I am currently an Associate Professor in Organisation Studies at Southampton Business School, University of Southampton. I am a feminist and a keen reader of post-structuralist philosophies. I supervise doctoral students working on critical issues of gender/body/identity in work contexts and/or interested in the power/ethics/accountability of implementing technological programmes in socio-organisational settings.