Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families researcher wins award for Outstanding Doctoral Research Contributions to Psychology

Dr Praveetha Patalay's PhD thesis, completed at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, critically evaluates the manner in which developmental psychopathology is understood, making three major contributions to our understanding of its structure, development and measurement.

A key theme in her research has been applying statistical methodology in innovative ways to answer developmental questions. These analyses have led to new insights and helped clarify existing literature generating much interest among researchers.

Dr Patalay said:

“It is nice to get this recognition from the society for my doctoral work and I will continue my research into further understanding the development of mental health in children.

“Going forward, I also hope to encourage and help psychology students become more methods savvy, especially in the use of longitudinal data.“

Professor Jamie Hacker Hughes, President of the British Psychological Society, said:

“I thoroughly congratulate Dr Patalay on this award. Psychology, as a discipline, is a key contributor to advancing the boundaries of scientific research and Dr Patalay's work is an excellent exemplar of that.“

This award is made by the Society each year to recognise outstanding contributions to psychological knowledge made by postgraduate research students whilst carrying out research for their doctoral degrees in psychology.