Congratulations to the winners of the Technical Support in Psychological Research Awards

The Research Award recognises the role that technicians play in supporting psychology research. This year, the award was presented to James Alvarez from the University of Sussex. 

James is a software engineer who holds a PhD in cognitive psychology. He leads the software team at Sussex University and has over 10 years' experience building software solutions for academic research across several disciplines. He's particularly motivated by the potential that software has for helping bring about positive change in the world through science and research.

On receiving the award, James said:

"I'm thrilled to receive the BPS/ATSiP Technical Support in Psychological Research Award. This recognition really highlights the crucial role that technicians and software developers can play in helping psychological research. What has made this role particularly fulfilling is how we've been able to support researchers in reaching more participants, by aiming to make taking part in research both fun​ and accessible.

"This would not have been possible without the tremendous support of my colleagues in the psychology department, who took a chance on transforming a temporary position into a permanent technical unit. I look forward to continuing to support and advance psychological research through my work at Sussex, and I hope our model of specialised technical support can inspire other institutions in their research endeavours".

The Teaching Award recognises the key role that technicians play in supporting the learning experience of students in psychology departments. This year, the Teaching Award was presented to Glen Pennington from Liverpool Hope University. 

Glen graduated as a mature student with a first-class honours degree from Liverpool Hope University in 2000. She went on to complete a PhD in Psychology while working full time at Liverpool John Moores University. In 2014, Glen rejoined Liverpool Hope, this time as a member of staff and she felt like she was 'back home'. Her role as Professional Tutor and Lab Manager was a perfect fit in terms of her experience, skills, knowledge and interests. 

Glen has a passion for working with students and is committed to helping them develop competence in psychology and confidence in themselves. She's designed lab-based course blocks in research methods and guides for designing experiments for research. As a part of her role, she supports students to become autonomous learners and researchers, and with gentle guidance helps them to adopt a self-determined, reflexive approach to their studies. 

On winning the award, Glen said:

"I am thrilled to have won the BPS and ATSiP Technical Support in Psychological Teaching Award and am very grateful to Professor Caroline Wakefield and Dr Catherine Thompson for nominating me.   

"This award is a great opportunity to showcase the fact that technical support is a vital element in the ecosystem of the School of Psychology. I am fortunate to work with great people who value my efforts, staff and students alike. There's a great satisfaction in watching students come into their first year feeling apprehensive, spending three years with us and leaving with a good degree, and a lot more confidence in themselves. I'm very happy to be a part of that process."