Remembering Dr Fiona Matley

It is with great sadness that we report the death of Dr Fiona Matley, postdoctoral research assistant on the SPACES project.

Fiona will be deeply missed by all who knew her. She was widely known for her friendly smile, her willingness to help others, and her calm, reassuring nature. She was passionate about her work, and making a difference to the lives of others.

Fiona started her Oxford Brookes journey by completing her MSc Psychology in 2016, which she chose to pursue to support a career change after many years in marketing. Fiona’s MSc work explored alcohol-related compensatory health beliefs and behaviours (such as the healthy things we do to try to counter our unhealthy habits). This sparked her interest in alcohol psychology and was published in the journal Psychology, Health and Medicine. 

After working as a research assistant on projects covering alcohol education and e-cigarette use, Fiona embarked on her PhD in Psychology. Fiona’s PhD research focused on understanding how to help people to drink less alcohol, breaking down barriers including stigma and challenging social norms. During this time, Fiona was active within the Brookes community, serving on the Healthy Living and Care Network Committee and helping to organise the Brookes Alcohol Mixer Network conferences in 2017 and 2022.

Fiona passed her PhD viva just before Christmas 2024 and attended her PhD graduation in September 2025. Most recently, she was working as a postdoctoral research assistant on the Storytelling Promoting Alcohol Choice, Empowerment and Sharing (SPACES) project to develop and test new alcohol reduction support tools for mid-life women. Fiona’s incredible enthusiasm and organisation skills were integral to the project. 

Dr Emma Davies, Fiona’s MSc and PhD supervisor and project lead for SPACES, said: “Fiona will be hugely missed by me and everyone else she worked with at Brookes, as well as all the friends she made along the way. Fiona cared deeply about the work we were doing, and her compassionate approach was appreciated by the research participants and project public advisors.”

Dr Georgia Cook said: “Fiona had a remarkable ability to make everyone she crossed paths with feel seen and valued. Always generous with her time, she was the first to offer empathy, compassion and understanding to those around her.” 

Dr Samuel Bond said: “I was so lucky to begin my PhD at the same time as Fiona and work closely with her ever since. She was such an amazing and supportive friend to me and many others. She was always incredibly kind, funny and generous with her time. I know she will be greatly missed by so many colleagues and friends.”

Colleagues in the School of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health are Raising money for the charity Alcohol Change UK in Fiona’s name, as a tribute to her work to tackle alcohol harms.