Profile
Peter Kinderman
My CV
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Education:
First, the local primary school, then the local comprehensive school. Then I went to Cambridge University (studying Natural Sciences; chemistry, physics, biology and maths, but ending up specialising in psychology). Then I went to Leeds to get an MSc that was also a professional qualification, before going to Liverpool, where I got my PhD.
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Qualifications:
I got about 10 ‘O-levels’ and 5 ‘A-levels’, then a MA from Cambridge, an MSc from Leeds, and a PhD from Liverpool.
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Work History:
When I left university, I worked in an assistant role in the NHS, before professional training. Then (after a few weeks working on Coronation Street), I worked as an NHS Clinical Psychologist, then I got a job as a Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer and now Professor. All the time, however, I’ve also worked in the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist.
I’ve also done a whole load of jobs as part of my career. I’ve been involved in my professional body (I was the President of the British Psychological Society), and I’ve worked for the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna, and for a number of charities, as well as Public Health England. -
Current Job:
I’m Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool.
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About Me:
I’ve always been interested in how things work, and why things happen in the ways they do. That applies to the natural world, and to why people behave and think as they do.
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Read more
I am an NHS Clinical Psychologist and a Professor at the University of Liverpool (although I live in Manchester). I’ve been lucky enough to travelled all over the world as part of my job, and I’m always keen to learn more about the world.
I’m annoyed at the fact that I find that I can’t always remember all the details of things I’ve seen, places I’ve been, people I’ve met and things that I’ve read. So… I recently made a New Year’s Resolution to take a “‘photo of the day” every day to try to remind myself.
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My research focuses on the social and psychological causes of mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Although these kinds of problems are often talked about (and thought about) as if they are illnesses, probably caused by some sort of brain disease, my research focusses on mental health problems as normal and understandable responses to the events and challenges in our lives. That means I look at things like bullying and abuse, racism and poverty, inequalities and unemployment, and the ways in which people make sense of the things that happen to them.
I’ve tried to explain what I do in (very) simple language here: https://peterkinderman.blogspot.com/2013/01/things-in-simple-language.html
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My Typical Day:
Most of the time, I’m either teaching, or reading, or simply having conversations with colleagues… although I love my job, I don’t get much opportunity to play with complex machines!
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Like a lot of my colleagues in universities, I divide my time between teaching (I teach undergraduate and postgraduate students at University) and research. I do a lot of reading. That’s usually academic papers written by colleagues, but I do get the opportunity to look at historical archives (which I think is fascinating). I also use complicated statistics to analyse research data, which is usually people’s responses to surveys. And, of course, I have a lot of meetings with colleagues, where we discuss and try to make sense of the things we’re discovering.
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What I'd do with the prize money:
I would work with school-age students to produce some short animated films explaining why we get anxious and depressed, and what we can do to help
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Curious, questioning, unconventional
What did you want to be after you left school?
I didn't really know - all I knew is that I wanted to go to university
Were you ever in trouble at school?
No... pretty much always well-behaved (until I got to university, things changed then)
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Either Nick Cave or Paloma Faith
What's your favourite food?
Chicken curry
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Oh... I'd like to be Prime Minister... and that (just one wish) would be enough!
Tell us a joke.
What's brown and sticky? ... a stick
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