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- School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Health Staff Profiles
- Dr Melanie Haughton
Dr Melanie Haughton is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the School of Humanities, Social Sciences and Health, University of Wollongong in Dubai. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from Lancaster University. Her academic practice is grounded in critical psychology, with a strong focus on connecting psychological theory to students’ lived experiences. She adopts a collaborative and discussion-led pedagogical approach, fostering critical engagement, debate, and co-operative learning within the classroom.
Dr Haughton’s research is primarily qualitative, drawing on mixed methods approaches to explore adolescence and identity formation, with particular attention to the role of family in shaping developmental trajectories. Her work further examines identity threats and the ways in which language and lived experience inform the construction of personal narratives, psychosocial wellbeing, and decision-making processes. She also engages with research on social representations in the media and the formation of attitudes, situated within broader perspectives in developmental, social, and critical psychology.
Prior to joining UOWD, Dr Haughton was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Derby, where she also served as Programme Leader for the MRes in Psychology. She has taught extensively across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, delivering modules in Qualitative Research, Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Perspectives in Psychology, and Investigation and Analysis. She has supervised a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects and has contributed to doctoral supervision.
In addition to her teaching and research, Dr Haughton has played an active role in supporting the academic research environment, serving as an Early Career Researcher Representative for both the Professoriate and the University Research and Innovation Committee, contributing to institutional research development and early career researcher advocacy.
- PhD in Social Psychology from Lancaster University
- MSc in Social Psychology from Lancaster University
- PGCE in Post curriculum education from Huddersfield University
- BSc (Hons) in Psychology from Staffordshire University
- Basson, R., & Haughton, M. (2025). Shaking off the invisibility cloak in Alcohol Use Disorder: a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of stigma and negotiating identity in abstinence. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2025.2467668
- Haughton, M., Vione, K.C., & Hughes, Z. (2025). ‘One of the greatest injustices of our time’: The impact of social representations of modern slavery in the UK—A mixed methods approach. British Journal of Social Psychology, 64(1). DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12824
- Haughton, M., & Walton, C. (2024). Gender, deprivation, and identity: Research-informed practical implications. Psychology of Women and Equalities Review, 7(2), 52-61.
- Quah, A., Haughton, M., & Kotera, Y. (2024). Investigating the relationship between nature exposure, nature connectedness and wellbeing in individuals with cancer. International Journal of Spa and Wellness. DOI:10.1080/24721735.2024.2398313
- Haughton, M., & Frith, H. (2023). ‘Can you give it to someone else?’ Remunerating people who participate in research. Psychology of Women and Equalities Review, 6(2), 35-40.
- Wickens, E., & Haughton, M. (2023). Social constructs of feminine identities in social media: a thematic analysis. Psychology of Women and Equalities Review, 6(1), 20-31.
- Griffiths, S., & Haughton, M. (2021). UK Black Hair Matters: A thematic analysis exploring Afro-Caribbean women’s hair as representations of the socially constructed knowledge of identity and identity threats. Psychology of Women and Equalities Review, 4(2), 17-30
- Simpson, F., Haughton, M., & Van Gordon, W. (2021). An Identity Process Theory Account of the Impact of Boarding School on Sense of Self and Mental Health: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20, 2116–2133
Conferences
- POWES July 2019 – Research and ethical implications of exploring the identities of young women living in a deprived seaside town
- POWES July 2023 – Mothering during an economic crisis – psychosocial implications, preliminary findings
Media output
- University of Derby Magazine (Issue 11) Why are we obsessed with true crime? https://www.derby.ac.uk/magazine/issue-11/why-are-we-so-obsessed-with-true-crime/
- Dazed (2022). Why do people romanticise serial killers? https://www.dazeddigital.com/film-tv/article/57102/1/why-do-people-romanticise-serial-killers-monster-jeffrey-dahmer-story
Internal grant from University of Derby - Working mums negotiating their dual roles during an economic crisis and the influence on financial decision-making.
- Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) at British Psychological Society
- BPS membership
- FHEA Fellowship
- Review board/commissioning editor: POWES section of BPS
- AGORA editor - POWES
- QAA membership
- PSYC120: Critical Thinking and Communication Skills in Psychology
- PSYC122: Foundations in Psychology B
- PSYC231: Personality
- PSYC241: Developmental & Social Psychology
- PSYC251: Psychopathology
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