Interdisciplinary Approach

Overview

My neurodivergence, and skills across different academic and creative arts subjects have given me a breadth of expertise. I approach my research, analytical, conceptual design, and advisory work as a behavioural and social scientist, environmental psychologist and public health researcher with a wide palet of academic and creative disciplines, methods, techniques, and knowledge that can be blended together to create stronger and more systemic approaches than just working with a single discipline. When I am hired as a consultant, organisations and governments get a multi-disciplinary, problem-solver, rather than a narrowly focused expert!

Being Differently Wired

As a dyslexic and dyspraxic person, I have some ‘natural’ advantages. These include ‘big picture’ or ‘global overview’ thinking – seeing everything from top-down and as a system with dynamics, interconnected parts; and also able to visualise it from bottom-up and in 3D; advanced psychological sensivity and perception; a high level of emotional intelligence and empathy; and expert social relationship-building and social communication skills. My leadership style is based on understanding each person’s unique strengths (and how to utilise the strengths of neurodivergence), listening and empathising to get the best out of people I manage, straightforward, direct speech, and the ability to get along with and build relationships with people of all background and at all levels.

I've Studied A Lot Of Different Subjects

I am also extremely lucky to have both creative and academic skills, which has lent itself to having studied a range of subjects for university degrees. I conducted interdiscplinary research across psychology, social anthropology, sociology, public health and epidemiology, public policy and urban planning for my post-doctoral studies. My D.Phil (PhD) research and fieldwork study blended theory and methods from social and cultural anthropology, social psychology and sociology.

I am currently doing an M.Sc Psychology for my 4th masters degree. I hold previous Masters degrees in Public Health (epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioural and social science, disease prevention and health promotion, global health policy), Visual Anthropology (using film, photography and art to document and analyse cultures), and social anthropology of the European region with a dissertation specialism in Icelandic music and culture. I studied performance on the flute, musical composition, including film soundtracks for my first degree, as well as radio, film and TV production and analysis, media and communications, and ethnomusicology of Finnish folk music.

My Academic Qualifications & Professional Certifications

Academic Degree NameInstitutionProfessional CertificationTraining Provider
2026- (candidate) M.Sc Psychology (Conversion)University of Glasgow (online), UK

United Nations Certifications

Individual UN Agencies
Thesis title:TBCJuly 2026 (forthcoming)
Intermediate: Applied Principles and Practice of Behaviour Change
University College London
(UCL)
(5 days)
2016-2021 MPH Master of Public HealthUniversity of New South Wales, Australia (distance learning).
Result: High Distinction (1st)
Feb 2026
Community-Based Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies and Displacement
IOM Training,IOM – UN Migration (IOM)
(30 hours)
Focus on environmental and mental health, and social/behavioural epidemiology.


Research Project
Title:
'Qualitative Meta-Synthesis on women’s role in the implementation of environmentally-based prevention of dengue fever in the Global South'.
Feb 2026
Psychosocial Health of Migrants
IOM Training,
IOM – UN Migration (IOM) (4 hours)
2006-2012 DPhil (PhD) Social and Cultural Anthropology, Sociology and Social PsychologyUniversity of  Oxford, UKDec 2025
BSAFE
United Nations Department of Security
Thesis TitleThesis Title:
‘Locating Britishness? Mediating Ethnicity, Identity, Community and Place in Multi-Ethnic Swindon.
Dec 2025
Ethics and Conduct at IOM: The Values We Share
IOM Training,
IOM – UN Migration
2003-2005 M.Sc Visual AnthropologyUniversity of Oxford, UKDec 2025
Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA),
IOM Training, IOM – UN Migration
Thesis title:The Imaging of Diversity in Britain: The Production, Circulation and Consumption of Visual Publicity at a Local Multicultural CarnivalNov 2025
Designing and evaluating Behaviour Change Interventions: Applying the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology
University College London (UCL)
(2 days)
1999-2001 MA Anthropology of EuropeUniversity of SussexJuly 2025
Introduction to Behavior-Centred Design
RARE Center for Behavior and the Environment
(12 hours)
Thesis title:Stories of Self: Musicking, Nation and Identities in IcelandJan 2025
Introduction to Behaviour Change Interventions
University College London (UCL)
(online, 4 weeks)
2000-2001 Study Abroad, Anthropology Department University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland (research for MA dissertation)Jan 2024
Introduction to International Human Rights Law
University of Edinburgh Continuing Education
(10 classes)
1996-1999 BA Music and Media Studies: 2:1University of Sussex April 2017
Energy Provision (including Renewables)
Centre for Alternative Technologies, Wales
(6 days)
Dissertation TitleFinnish Folk Music and Nationalism July 2016
Social Determinants of Health Summer School
University College London (UCL)
(5 days)
1995A Levels: English Literature, Sociology, MusicNov 2014
Health Impact Assessment (HIA)
Training Course
University of Liverpool,
(5 days)
1993
1992
GCSE French
GCSE Music
And 8 other subjects grades A-C
May 2012
Achieving the Full Potential of Social Impact Assessment
(16hr) IAIA, Porto, Portugal
Colourful mural, Montreal, Canada. © Cathy Mungall-Baldwin. 2025