Profile
James Bartlett
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About Me:
I have just moved from Coventry to Glasgow đ´ó §ó ˘ó łó Łó ´ó ż. I teach statistics and biology applied to human behaviour. Outside of work, I am a huge ice hockey fan đ and learn German đŠđŞ. I love spending time outdoors đ but look forward to returning home to my cat Walter đ.
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I grew up in a small former mining village called Mansfield Woodhouse in the East Midlands. After nine years of living in Coventry to complete my undergraduate and PhD in Psychology, I have just moved to Glasgow, Scotland.
I’m a huge hockey fan. I watch and occasionally play ice hockey. Since I was 13, I have played field hockey. I have loads of hobbies which means I struggle to find time for them all. I try and improve my German and spend as much time outdoors I can. One of the main benefits of Scotland is you have so many places to enjoy walking!
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For my PhD, I wanted to understand why some people smoke every day while others would smoke a couple of times per week. I focused on the neuroscience side to see whether smokers would have different responses in their brain when completing tasks.
I used something called EEG (electroencephalography) which is the funny cap I am wearing in one my photos. EEG uses small patches which detect the electrical activity your brain creates. I got people to complete tasks where they have to try and resist pressing a button. When people have to resist, you can detect this activity in their brain using EEG. I wanted to see if this activity was different between lighter and heavier smokers, but I did not find very much!
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My Typical Day:
I’m an early bird, so I get the train at 7 to get into work at 8. I am most productive in the morning, so I try to write early before I start my more boring tasks. Throughout the day, I could be teaching, chatting with other lecturers, or meeting with students to discuss their projects. Around 5, I get the train home to play hockey and spend time with my partner.
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One of the best parts about being a university lecturer is you have a lot of freedom. Unless I have a class to teach or a meeting to attend, I can organise my own day. This means I do not have a typical day with the same routine. I normally work from home two days per week and from the university three days per week.
The one constant is starting the day with a large pot of coffee. I treat myself to fancy coffee for the morning and try to drink less the rest of the day.
Most of my research does not require any equipment, so my work might look quite boring as I am just sat in front of my computer.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would organise public workshops to explain how science really works. For example, how researchers publish their work in academic journals and how we try to avoid releasing bad research.
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Education:
GCSEs and A Levels: The Manor Academy, Mansfield Woodhouse, England
Undergraduate and postgraduate degrees: Coventry University, England
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Qualifications:
GCSE: Completed 10 subjects grade A-C
A-levels (I didn’t do very well…): Psychology (B); Biology (C); Physics (D); English Literature (D)
BSc Psychology (undergraduate): 1st class
PhD Psychology (I technically started as a master’s student, but it converted to a PhD at the end of my first year)
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Work History:
- Volunteer for Coventry Mind – mental health charity
- Wetherspoons pub
- Aldi supermarket
- Hourly paid lecturer at Coventry University
- Psychology technician at Arden University (I helped people create experiments and use statistics)
- Psychology lecturer at Arden University
- Psychology lecturer at the University of Glasgow
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Current Job:
Psychology lecturer at the University of Glasgow
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
hockey-loving psychologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
Honestly, I did not know. I knew I wanted to go to university, but I did not know what specific job I wanted to do afterwards.
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I was never interested in school until I was around 14 or 15. Before that, I got into a few fights and just wanted to spend my time skateboarding.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Metallica
What's your favourite food?
Pizza
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Never have to worry about money; live in the middle of nowhere by a lake; be good at every sport I tried!
Tell us a joke.
Nerdy grammar joke: *knock knock*; "Who's there?"; "to"; "to who?"; "to whom...".
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