The School of Psychological Science is a vibrant, friendly, and exciting place to work and study in. We offer accredited undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses, and have a lively and productive community of PhD students and research staff.
About the school
Our Mission:
To deliver original, rigorous, and significant research into human cognition, emotion, and behaviour in order to advance the scientific discipline of psychology, and to provide outstanding, research-led teaching that equips our undergraduate and post-graduate students for a range of futures both within psychology and beyond.
Our Vision:
To be an internationally-recognised centre for research and teaching in psychological science.
To advance the discipline through the production of world-leading research, based on a strict adherence to ethical principles and a focus on replicability, and to apply that knowledge in the service of society.
To deliver excellent teaching that is evaluated and developed in partnership with our students in order to equip them for their future vocations.
To work collectively in a supportive environment that takes seriously issues of equality, diversity, and inclusivity, and which mentors and supports students and staff at all stages of their career development.
Reflecting the international focus of the University as a whole, our staff and students come from many countries, and we have numerous successful international research collaborations.
We are committed to ensuring equality and diversity within the School, and currently hold a Bronze Athena SWAN award.
We seek to provide an excellent educational experience to our students, supporting their development, and working alongside them to continually review and improve our teaching.
Our students benefit from being taught and supervised in an intellectually rich environment by staff who are working at the forefront of the discipline. Members of the School have won a number of awards for their research, highlighting their contribution to Psychology nationally and internationally.
Our research spans developmental, social, cognitive and biological psychology, neuropsychology, and vision science. It has applications in areas ranging from human performance, memory, and communication to addiction and neurological disease.
Members of the School engage actively with the public and other potential audiences to share our passion for Psychology and the findings of our work.
The School houses state of the art equipment for measuring eye movements, electrical brain activity, and locomotion.
We also meet regularly with our External Advisory Board to ensure that our teaching and research continues to stay up-to-date and has real-world relevance.
Head of School
Professor Michael Banissy is the current Head of School.
Did you know?
Psychological Science is one of five schools in the Faculty of Life Sciences.
Psychology at the University of Bristol was established in 1901 with the appointment of Conwy Lloyd Morgan, the first UK Professor of Psychology (and Ethics).
History of the school
From its early 20th century origins in the Faculty of Arts, to a Science that touches on far-reaching themes across the discipline, the history of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol (PDF, 308kB) can be traced back through the accomplishments of many renowned academics and their fascinating discoveries.