Jastine Antolin has studied Psychology with us at undergraduate, Master’s and PhD level – who better to explain what we have to offer?
“It was during my second year of my BSc (Hons) Psychology degree at BU that I became aware of the Research Apprenticeship Scheme. Having spent many years working with people who have mental conditions and social communication difficulties, I am eager to understand atypical social behaviour.
“I applied as Research Assistant Volunteer for Dr Nicola Gregory on a project that examines the social attention of individuals with autistic and social anxiety traits. The research enhanced my knowledge about autism and social anxiety, which in turn strengthened my desire to study such conditions and find interventions for them.
The whole experience at BU has been such a positive one for me.
“As part of the research, I was trained in using eye-tracking equipment that provides an account of someone’s attention in a natural setting. I found the experience so enjoyable that I used eye tracking in my final year project to examine the patterns of visual and verbal bias in people with social anxiety traits.
“The whole experience at BU has been such a positive one for me that I returned to study my Master’s degree, and I’m now undertaking a PhD under the supervision of Dr Gregory. I enjoy being in an environment where I am learning and improving every day, and the chance to get involved in research as an undergraduate has had a big impact on my academic career.”