Ashleigh Johnstone

Dr Ashleigh Johnstone is a lecturer in psychology at Arden University. After completing her BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in psychology at Bangor University, she has particular interests in teaching cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, and research methods. She enjoys discussing applied psychology with her students to show them just how valuable the subject is in understanding the world around us.

Ashleigh's research investigates cognitive changes associated with martial arts and her findings have been shared in media outlets across the world. She is a huge believer in the idea that there's no point in doing cool research if you don't share the results! She has enjoyed participating in public engagement initiatives such as I'm a Scientist and Soapbox Science and is skilled in discussing complex psychological concepts in accessible ways.

Following completion of her PhD, Ashleigh spent over a year in an industry role helping researchers across the globe take their behavioural sciences research online. After some soul searching she realised that academia and a teaching role is where she belongs. Ashleigh is a keen advocate for greater fluidity between academic and industry roles - she has discussed this further in several articles and invited talks. She is always open to talking with people further about this, particularly early career researchers who are considering their future career paths.