Dr Jenny Davison

Overview

Jenny Davison is a Lecturer in Psychology within the School of Psychology at Ulster University.  Jenny is a British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Jenny completed her PhD in the area of Health Psychology at Ulster University in 2013.  Since then she has worked as a Research Fellow at both Ulster University and Queens University Belfast before returning to the School of Psychology at Ulster in 2019.

Research Focus

Jenny’s primary focus is on child and adolescent health and wellbeing.

Research Interests

Jenny has extensive experience conducting both quantitative and qualitative research.

Ervine, J., Fleming, P. and Davison, J. (2022-2024). The Weatherbies app development and evaluation. Funder: Future Screens NI.

Davison, J., McLaughlin, M and Simms, V (2020-2023). Testing the feasibility of including young people experiencing intellectual disability in health and wellbeing research. Funder: Baily Thomas Charitable Foundation.

Connolly, P., Kee, F., Dunne, L., Davison, J. and Lloyd, K. (2014-2018). Wellbeing in Schools Survey (WiSe). Funder: Public Health Agency/COEPHNI

Simpson, L., Giles, M., McLaughlin, M., Dunwoody, L., Davison, J. and Doherty, J. (2016-2020). Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to determine attitudes and knowledge of e-cigarette use in a sample of Northern Irish young people (11-16yrs) and their parents. Funder: Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke.

Miller, S., Davison, J. & Thurston, A. (2014-2016). A randomised controlled trail of Engaging parents through text messaging.Funder: Education Endowment Foundation.

Macdonald, G., Perra, O., Grant, L. and Davison, J. (2012-2014). A randomised controlled trial of the Barnardo’s Ready to Learn programme. Funder: Atlantic Philanthropies.

Hargie, O., Somerville, I., Davison, J. and Mitchell, D. (2012-2014). Social Exclusion and Sport in Northern Ireland. Funder: OFMDFM.

Stewart-Knox, B., Share, M. and Davison, J. (2011-2013). A needs assessment of young people not in education, employment or training: a nutritional perspective. Funder: Safefood.

Teaching

Jenny is the module coordinator of PSY131 ‘Introduction to Psychology’ on the BSc (Hons) Psychology degree, and also PSY718 ‘Individual Perspectives in Health Psychology’ on the MSc in Health Psychology.  Jenny holds the role of ‘Year Two Tutor’ on our UG programme.

Research Supervision

Jenny supervises MSc research dissertation students on the Health Psychology Course, and UG students on the BSc (Hons) Psychology course.

Current PhD students

Oisin Cleary: The impact of younger stroke, (2020-2023)

Hannah Brown: Predictors of health and wellbeing among children and young people: establishing the Wellbeing in Northern Ireland Schools (WiNIS) study, (2021-2024)

Samantha Royston-Woods: The Wellbeing in Northern Ireland Schools (WiNIS) study: understanding predictors of health and wellbeing among primary school aged children, (2023-2026).

Administrative Roles and Memberships

Jenny is a British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Personal Information

Favourite quote is: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think” (Albert Einstein).

Research Opportunities