Dr Lynn Williams

Head Of School

School of Psychological Sciences and Health

Personal statement

I am currently Head of School for Psychological Sciences and Health. I joined the School in January 2017, having previously worked in the Psychology group at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) for nine years. I completed my PhD in Health Psychology and MSc in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Stirling and undergraduate Psychology degree at the University of Glasgow.

My research is within the area of health psychology and public health. I am interested in understanding the behavioural and psychological aspects of infection prevention and control, with a focus on behaviour change (e.g. in relation to vaccination uptake). I am also interested in how personality factors influence health behaviours and outcomes, and the ways in which we can use personality science to inform our design of behaviour change interventions.

I have recently been Principal Investigator on three Chief Scientist Office funded projects. One examining the positive changes that people experienced through the Covid-19 lockdown, and two projects on vaccination behaviour. I am also a Co-investigator on projects funded by the AHRC and NIHR. 

Grant income:

2023-2025   £267, 779 awarded to McParland, J., Wainwright, E., Demou, E., Kidd, L., Williams, L (CI)., Flowers, P., Abaraogu, U., Elders, A., Rich, B., & Walker-Bone, K. Behaviour change techniques and theoretical mechanisms within psychological interventions seeking to improve work outcomes among individuals with chronic pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. NIHR. 

2022    £14, 759 awarded to Williams, L (PI)., & Allen, D. People, plastics and behaviour change: Development of an interdisciplinary network. NERC Discipline Hopping.           

2022-2024   £280k awareded to Sorrell, T., Bernecker, S... Williams, L (CI). Moral obligation, epistemology and public health: the case of vaccine hesitancy. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – German Research Foundation (GRF).  

2020   £18,025 awarded to Megiddo, I., Morton, A., & Williams, L (CI). (2020). Covid-19 vaccine delivery barriers in LMICs. GCRF Covid-19 Response Fund 

2020   £88,972 awarded to Williams, L (PI), Grealy, M., Fleming, L., Janssen, X., Kirk, A., & Flowers, P. (2020). Has social distancing made us healthier? Adoption, maintenance and sharing of positive changes. Chief Scientist Office Rapid Research in Covid-19 Programme.

2020   £25,000 awarded to Williams, L (PI)., Brown Nicholls, L., Cogan, N., Rasmussen, S., & Young, D. (2019). Improving older adults’ vaccination uptake: are existing measures of vaccine hesitancy valid and reliable for older people?  Chief Scientist Office Catalytic Grant.

2019 - 2020   £190,806 awarded to L. Williams (PI), S. Rasmussen, N.Cogan., & D. Young. Psychological barriers and drivers to seasonal influenza uptake in those with chronic respiratory disease: A mixed methods study. Chief Scientist Office.

2018 -2019    £15,504 awarded to J. McParland, L. Kidd, L. Williams (CI)., & P. Flowers. A scoping review to ascertain the parameters for an evidence synthesis of interventions seeking to improve work and wellbeing outcomes among employees with chronic pain. Chief Scientist Office Catalytic Grant. 

 

Expertise

Has expertise in:

    • Public health psychology
    • Health behaviour change
    • Vaccination behaviour & vaccine hesitancy
    • Psychological aspects of infection prevention and control
    • Personality and health

Publications

People, plastic, and behaviour change – a comment on drivers of plastic pollution, barriers to change and targeted behaviour change interventions
MacDonald Anna, Allen Deonie, Williams Lynn, Flowers Paul, Walker Tony R
Environmental Science: Advances, pp. 1-7 (2023)
https://doi.org/10.1039/D2VA00248E
"It's like a constant black cloud" : a qualitative investigation of the impact of endometriosis on quality of life
Moore Chloe, Williams Lynn, Cogan Nicola
15th World Congress on Endometriosis (2023)
Barriers and facilitators to the future uptake of regular COVID-19 booster vaccinations among young adults in the UK
Williams Lynn, Gallant Allyson, Brown Lily, Corrigan Kathleen, Crowe Katrina, Hendry Emma
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics Vol 18 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2022.2129238
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health and social care workers during mass vaccination in Scotland
Cogan Nicola, McInnes Lisa, Lingg Vanissia, Rasmussen Susan, Flowers Paul, Williams Lynn
Psychology, Health and Medicine , pp. 1-15 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2022.2121975
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health and social care workers during mass vaccination in Scotland : the importance of emotions, years of experience working in health and social care settings and risk perception in understanding vaccine hesitancy among health and social care workers
Cogan Nicola, McInnes Lisa, Lingg Vanissia, Flowers Paul, Rasmussen Susan, Williams Lynn
36th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society (2022)
"It's like a constant black cloud" : a qualitative investigation of quality of life and illness perceptions in endometriosis
Moore Chloe, Williams Lynn, Cogan Nicola
BPS Division of Health Psychology Annual Conference (2022)

More publications

Teaching

I am the class leader for the 4th year Health Psychology class, and I also teach the personality lectures within the 3rd year Individual Differences class. I also supervise dissertation students on the UG Psychology degree and MSc Clinical Health Psychology.

Research interests

My research is within the area of health psychology and public health. I am interested in understanding the behavioural and psychological aspects of infection prevention and control, with a focus on behaviour change (e.g. in relation to vaccination uptake). I am also interested in how personality factors influence health behaviours and outcomes, and the ways in which we can use personality science to inform our design of behaviour change interventions.

 

Professional activities

Measuring Health Related Behaviour Change Workshop
Participant
1/3/2021
Webinar - Life with the coronavirus vaccine
Recipient
1/12/2020
Public webinar: 'Improving Vaccine Uptake in Scotland: Implications for COVID-19, influenza and other adult vaccines.'
Speaker
29/7/2020
College of Experts - DHSC/UKRI Global Effect on COVID-19 Health Research call
Recipient
2020
External Examiner - Robert Gordon University
Examiner
2020
Infographic - Factors affecting flu vaccination in adults with chronic respiratory conditions in Scotland
Recipient
2020

More professional activities

Projects

Moral obligation, epistemology and public health: the case of vaccine hesitancy
Williams, Lynn (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2024
A mixed-methods investigation of the role of illness perceptions in endometriosis
Williams, Lynn (Principal Investigator) Moore, Chloe (Post Grad Student) Cogan, Nicola (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2020
Strathclyde COVID-19 Research Portfolio: Novel testing, digital health support and third sector collaboration for impact on social care
Bedford, Tim (Principal Investigator) Corrigan, Damion (Co-investigator) Dunlop, Mark (Co-investigator) Egan, Kieren (Co-investigator) Fleming, Leanne (Co-investigator) Flowers, Paul (Co-investigator) Grealy, Madeleine (Co-investigator) Hoskisson, Paul (Co-investigator) Hunter, Iain (Co-investigator) Janssen, Xanne (Co-investigator) Kirk, Alison (Co-investigator) Knifton, Lee (Co-investigator) Lenhart, Otto (Co-investigator) Maguire, Roma (Co-investigator) Morton, Alec (Co-investigator) Quinn, Neil (Co-investigator) Scott, Fraser (Co-investigator) Suckling, Colin (Co-investigator) Ward, Andrew (Co-investigator) Williams, Lynn (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2020 - 16-Jan-2021
Improving older adults' vaccination uptake: are existing measures of vaccine hesitancy valid and reliabe for older people?
Williams, Lynn (Principal Investigator) Brown Nicholls, Louise (Co-investigator) Cogan, Nicola (Co-investigator) Rasmussen, Susan (Co-investigator) Young, David (Co-investigator)
01-Jan-2020 - 31-Jan-2020
Psychological barriers to seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in those with chronic respiratory disease: A mixed methods study
Williams, Lynn (Principal Investigator) Cogan, Nicola (Co-investigator) Rasmussen, Susan (Co-investigator) Young, David (Co-investigator)
Psychological barriers to seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in those with chronic respiratory disease: A mixed methods study
01-Jan-2019 - 30-Jan-2020
The dyadic effects of personality on health in romantic couples
Williams, Lynn (Principal Investigator)
01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2019

More projects

Address

School of Psychological Sciences and Health
Graham Hills

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