Dr. Blair Saunders
Blair Saunders is the principle investigator in the Self-Regulation Lab, and a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Dundee. Blair completed both his undergraduate (M.A. hons in Psychology) and graduate (Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience) studies at the University of St Andrews. Blair also spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow studying social, cognitive, and affective neuroscience at the University of Toronto, Canada. During this time he was also a visiting scholar at the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico, USA.
Current PhD students
Effie Marathia
Effie is an ESRC-funded PhD student at the University of Dundee. Her PhD explores the self-regulation mechanisms that aid unassisted smoking cessation in Scotland. As part of the project, she collaborates closely with Action on Health and Smoking (ASH Scotland), a non-profit organisation tackling the harm and inequality caused by smoking.
Prior to joining the Lab in October 2020, Effie completed her MSc in Health Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, where she became interested in the role of emotion regulation and executive functioning in facilitating (or hindering) engagement in key health-protecting behaviours, e.g., diet.
While completing her MSc, Effie was employed by Momentum Scotland, a charity supporting disabled and socially isolated individuals back to work. Effie is passionate about applying psychological research to “real-world settings”, particularly in the context of third sector organisations.
Yvonna Akanno
My academic journey began with earning my MBBS medical degree from the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Building on this foundation, I pursued an MPH from the University of Liverpool, where I gained valuable insights into global public health challenges. My passion for research and quest/ desire to deepen my understanding of human behaviour led to me undertaking an MSC in Psychology at the University of Dundee, Scotland. As I embark on my PhD journey at the same institution, I am eager to blend my diverse experiences and contribute to innovative and result-oriented researchespecially in self regulation psychology.
My research delves into global representation in psychological research, focusing on the cross-cultural dimensions of self-regulation. I explore how cultural contexts shape processes related to desires, goals, and desire-goal conflicts, utilizing the Integrative Self-Control Theory. By examining these dynamics across cultures, with a focus on collectivist and individualistic orientations, I aim to illuminate the interplay between cultural values and self-regulation mechanisms, contributing to a nuanced understanding of human behaviour in diverse cultural contexts.