I am a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the School of Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast. I completed my PhD in 2013 at Humboldt University Berlin and as a fellow of the International Max Planck Research School on the Life Course (IMPRS LIFE), where I worked on forgiveness, revenge and justice following transgressions in interpersonal relationships. Prior to joining QUB in April 2022, I was a Senior Researcher within the Biological Personality Psychology group at the University of Göttingen.

As a psychological scientist, I am fascinated by the complex interplay of personality and social relationships. I study how people navigate these relationships in everyday life and in relation to how they see themselves and others. As such, my research programme cuts across the psychology of interpersonal relationships, personality psychology, and psychological assessment/psychometrics.

I have worked on the conceptualization and measurement of narcissism as a personality trait and its consequences in interpersonal relationships, and the effects of steroid hormones on motivation and behavior, in particular in the context of ovulatory cycle effects and hormonal contraception. Employing prospective longitudinal designs and multi-national survey data, my latest work has centred on ideal partner preferences and the role of these preferences for relationship development and wellbeing. I also have an emerging programme of research centring on non-normative life and relationship choices and I currently study how people navigate communication around those choices. 

On the methodological side, I put an emphasis on research that is robust, transparent, and highly collaborative in nature. Employing state-of-the-art study frameworks such as the open source software formr, I am particularly passionate about the dissemination of research designs for the study of close relationships.  

Prospective PhD candidates looking for specific research opportunities with me are advised to consult my QUB supervisor profile and check out the section "Current Research Opportunities".