Key details
Professor Claire Monks
Professor of Developmental Psychology and Deputy Head of ILD
Professor Claire Monks is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and Deputy Head of ILD (The Institute for Lifecourse Development) at the University of Greenwich.
She is also a Centre Lead for the Centre for Vulnerable Children, Young People and Families in the Institute for Lifecourse Development.
Claire teaches Developmental Psychology and Research Methods at Undergraduate and Postgraduate level. She is also a Doctoral student supervisor – she has supervised 10 doctoral students to successful completion.
Claire's research and lecturing interest is developmental psychology, particularly on aggressive behaviour. She has researched on developmental origins of aggressive and bullying behaviour among young children when they first enter school, examined cyberbullying among primary school-aged pupils and dating aggression among adolescents.
Claire has research links with international colleagues and has published collaboratively with colleagues in Europe, Asia and South America.
Posts held previously:
- 2019 Interim Director of Research and Enterprise, Faculty of Education and Health at the University of Greenwich
- 2014 - 2019 Reader in Developmental Psychology at the University of Greenwich
- 2010 - 2017 Programme Leader for MPhil/PhD Psychology at the University of Greenwich
- 2007 - 2014 Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Greenwich:
- 2003 - 2007 Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Kingston University
- 2001 - 2003 Lecturer in Psychology at Kingston University
- 2000 Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Seville in Spain.
Responsibilities within the university
- Professor of Developmental Psychology and Deputy Head of ILD (The Institute for Lifecourse Development)
- Centre Lead for Centre for Vulnerable Children, Young People and Families 2019 - Leading a Centre of Research and Practice within the Institute for Lifecourse Development
- Chair of Faculty Research Degrees Committee 2018 - Claire chairs this committee which oversees PGR student progression within the Faculty.
Recognition
- External Examiner for FD Psychology for Education Professionals at Birkbeck, University of London (2016 -2020)
- PhD Examiner for more than 10 doctorates nationally and internationally
- Member of the British Psychological Society.
- Journal Editorial Board Membership:
- International Journal of Early Childhood Education (Editorial Board Member)
- Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research (Editorial Board Member)
- Psychology, Society and Education (Associate Editor).
Research / Scholarly interests
Claire's research interests lie in the field of Developmental Psychology. In particular, she has investigated the development of aggressive behaviour in childhood. She has published on aggression in early childhood, cyberbullying in middle childhood and adolescence as well as other forms of aggression including dating violence. Claire is interested in applying diverse approaches to the study of peer-relations among young people and have employed advanced methods such as social network analysis to furthering our understanding of the aggressive and defending relations between children. She is also interested in the development of social cognition in relation to behaviour and have published on hot and cool executive functions and theory of mind as predictors of aggression and prosocial behaviour and within populations of young people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Claire has an interest in modelling developmental trajectories and examining longitudinal relations.
Key funded projects
Last 3 years
2019 - Co-Investigator examining the effectiveness of Speak Out. Stay Safe. for children with SEND. Funded by NSPCC. PI Professor Nicky Stanley, UCLAN 2018 - Co-Investigator on study evaluation of Speak Out. Stay Safe. Funded by NSPCC. PI Professor Nicky Stanley, UCLAN
2018- Co-Investigator on Developmental Processes of Adolescent Dating: Romantic Competence and Social Adjustment, Spanish Government (FEDER scheme), with Dr Carmen Viejo, University of Córdoba, Spain. (30,000 Euro)
2017- PI on a study investigating child-to-parent aggression. University of Greenwich.