Lady Margaret Hall is delighted to welcome Professor Shelley McKeown Jones as our new Tutor and Fellow in Experimental Psychology.
Professor McKeown Jones brings with her a wealth of experience. She gained her BSc (2008) and PhD (2012) in Social Psychology from the University of Ulster. She held academic roles at the University of Bristol, Leiden University College, and the University of Hertfordshire before joining the University of Oxford’s Department of Experimental Psychology this year.
A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), and an Honorary Professor at the University of Bristol, Professor McKeown Jones’s primary focus is on understanding and improving intergroup relations in conflict and divided societies.
Inspired by her upbringing in Northern Ireland, Professor McKeown Jones’s research is focused on promoting better intergroup relations, particularly for youth growing up in deeply divided societies. She uses a combination of survey, observational, behavioural, and experimental methods, addressing both basic and applied research questions.
Three core areas form the basis of Professor McKeown Jones’s research:
- Segregation: examining how and why individuals from different religious, racial, and ethnic groups interact in everyday life spaces.
- Intergroup contact: understanding how intergroup contact can be a powerful tool to reduce prejudice and promote wider individual and societal benefits in conflict and divided societies.
- Positive societal engagement: exploring the conditions under which individuals engage in pro-social and collective behaviours, aiming to promote stronger community relations and build peace.
With her interest in collaborative field research, Professor McKeown Jones applies social psychological theory to shape practices on the ground, emphasising the practical impact of her work.
We are excited to welcome Professor McKeown Jones into our community of world-class academics.