Profile
Olly Robertson
My CV
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Qualifications:
- 5 GCSEs at A-C grade (English, Maths, Science, Drama, & French)
- National Diploma in Performing Arts (Merit)
- I learnt that many skills in drama can be used in research, such as when I have to present my work to other scientists or when I have to deceive participants in a study.
- Doing drama helped improve my confidence and gave me skills in creative thinking, which is really useful for teaching!
- BSc in Psychology with Japanese
- I discovered that I love language and love understanding why people are the way they are, even when looking at our cultures it seems like we come from different planets.
- Learning another language and living in another country taught me team working skills and how to use pieces of information to solve problems.
- Diploma in Advanced Japanese
- I just love Japan. That’s what I learnt!
- MSc in Language Sciences (specialism in Neuroscience and Communication)
- My passion for language and psychology continued at masters level, where I spent a lot of time working with and helping people with brain injury. At this time I really wanted to work clinically and I wanted to help people get better after a stroke or head injury.
- PhD in Psychology
- I had the opportunity to take a research based doctorate (rather than clinical doctorate) and here I fell in love with experiments and learning. I learnt that I have lots of questions about the world and that I can help answer them (and help answer the questions my friends have too!).
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Work History:
- 2006-2008 – Shop Assistant (Jessops, Woolworths, local shop)
- 2008-2010 – Sandwich Artist, Subway
- 2011-2012 – English Teacher in Japan
- 2013 – 2014 – Worked various roles in a Students’ Union
- 2014 -2015 – Oxfam Events Manager
- 2014 – 2016 – Assistant Psychologist
- 2017 – 2019 – Lecturer in Psychology
- 2019 – now – Researcher in Psychology
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Current Job:
I am part of a team who has designed an app to help parents and children manage stress and mental health problems which have started because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Our hypothesis is that if parents access and use the app, they can use the new information to support their families wellbeing. We monitor the wellbeing of families every month and then make recommendations to the government and other public bodies on how to help families and children/young people.
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About Me:
I am a swearing specialist and emotion psychologist. I am currently working on a project which helps children and young people overcome mental health difficulties which have occurred due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
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Read more
Hi everyone! I’m Olly (she/her/hers) and I live in Oxford with my husband and cat, Artemis (see photo below).
I love to read – both books and graphic novels. I’m currently enjoying Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (and the associated tv series on Netflix!) and the current Cat Woman series by Ram V. My other favourites are Wonder Woman, The Anthropocene Reviewed, and sci-fi books.
I have lived in Japan, Nepal, and the Netherlands, and I can speak Japanese and (a little) Dutch.
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Read more
I do a lot of different things in my job! But I have three main research areas: swearing, emotion, and child & young peoples’ mental health.
Swearing
I investigate how and why swearing is useful to is in our daily lives. Swearing has a bad reputation. But I always wondered why we would continue to do something that is supposed to be 100% bad for us. It turns out that there are many ways in which swearing is good for you, such as improving your heart health and reducing pain. I research the effects of swearing in many languages, including Japanese.
Emotion
We all have emotions and we all know what emotions are. They’re those feelings we have inside of us that occur in response to things that are important to us. We currently don’t know a lot about emotions, so I explore how people understand and experience emotions in their daily lives. I also look at how people change their emotions and how we change our facial expressions to make people do what we want.
Child & Young Peoples’ Mental Health
I am part of a team who has designed an app to help parents and children manage stress and mental health problems which have started because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Our hypothesis is that if parents access and use the app, they can use the new information to support their families wellbeing. We monitor the wellbeing of families every month and then make recommendations to the government and other public bodies on how to help families and children/young people.
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My Typical Day:
Every day at work is different! Some days I will write my thoughts and my scientific results so that I can share them with other scientists. Some days I will go into the laboratory and run experiments on people. Some days I will teach all day and work with brilliant students. I love that no day is the same!
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would create a job for a young person to work on one of my projects with me for a few weeks. I want to give someone the opportunity to get skills in psychology and help them on their journey in to science.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
book-loving, sweary psychologist
What did you want to be after you left school?
Actor (but I am not a good actor!)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
I was very forgetful and often forgot my P.E. kit, homework, or pencil case!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
I don't have a favourite singer or band, but I am listening to the Eurovision songs on repeat at the moment.
What's your favourite food?
I love all Mexican food!
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1. to travel with my husband (he wants to go to Iceland and I want to take him there!); 2. to get a puppy; and 3. to hug my friends again.
Tell us a joke.
Which cheese is the most holey? Cheeses of Nazareth!
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