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Q&A with Dr Bonamy Oliver

Bonamy Oliver is an Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology in IOE's Department of Psychology and Human Development.

Bonamy, tell us what attracted you to take up your position at IOE?

I am a developmental psychologist and my research focuses on the role of family and school for children’s mental health and wellbeing. I collaborate with academics as well as practitioners and am interested in bridging gaps between these domains. 

The Department of Psychology and Human Development is a great fit for me, so when I saw the advert for my current position, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to join! I had a brief, part-time stint at UCL at the beginning of my academic career too, so the move felt a little like coming home.

How long have you been at IOE?

I joined IOE in July 2020, so during the first UK lockdown. Previously I was at Goldsmiths, University of London for two years, and the University of Sussex for five years. Before that, I was at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London for the best part of twenty years!

What do you most enjoy about your position and why?

Being an academic can be exciting, inspiring and also hard graft. I recognise the privilege of having a job with so much variety and autonomy, and love the fact that, on the very best days, I am stretched to think hard about things that both fascinate me and that I think are important. 

My favourite moments are when I realise that I have helped something ‘click’ for a student and brainstorming new research avenues with colleagues. I am also lucky enough to lead the Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education Network of researchers across IOE - it is very satisfying to facilitate new research collaborations and see them evolve.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

In psychology, measures used in diverse and large samples commonly compromise on detail. In my field, this is particularly true for assessments of family relationships. One of my key areas of interests is parent-child relationships because they are so important for children’s psychological development. 

Detailed assessment of these relationships commonly involves observations of children’s interactions with their parents during structured-play tasks that are traditionally reliant on lab or home visits with families. In part motivated by wanting to broaden the depth and diversity of family psychology, and in part by climate awareness, just before the pandemic I developed a new observation tool called ESO. ESO is a way to capture parent-child observations through online video calls, negating the need for in-person visits and dramatically reducing time and travel. 

Although there was some interest in using ESO straight away, once the pandemic hit it was as if everyone suddenly understood what we were trying to do! I am proud to say that ESO is now being used in studies across the world, including China, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and the USA as well as the UK.

What is the focus of your research and what benefits do you hope your discoveries and/or insights will bring?

I am a behavioural geneticist as well as a developmental psychologist. This means that I’m interested in understanding the importance of children’s genetic propensities in combination with complex family processes for children’s mental health and wellbeing.

I am also interested in how interventions work, for whom and why. I work with psychologists, geneticists and practitioners in various cross-disciplinary projects including here at IOE. Many of the questions I’m interested in need large samples, and these rarely have detailed measures of family relationships. I hope to change that with the help of ESO.

UCL helps me to connect with new colleagues nationally and internationally more easily because of its incredible visibility and reputation

What's the most important thing you've learned from your students about the subject(s) you teach?

That there is always a new question to ask and a new idea!

Do you think being in London and/or at UCL benefits your work and why?

I have longstanding collaborations, but UCL helps me to connect with new colleagues nationally and internationally more easily because of its incredible visibility and reputation. In any case, I have a very real sense of pride about working at such a prestigious institution in my beloved city.

What other subject outside of your area of specialism interests you?

Clinical Child Psychology. Unfortunately, there is a serious, increasing need for clinical psychologists - I am in awe of those who make such an immediate, hands-on difference to children in crisis.

What might it surprise people to know about you?

I love all puzzles – cryptic crosswords, Tetris, Sudoku, Hanjie, Wordle (of course), Semantle, Nerdle, Quordle. My superpower is jigsaws - I’m serious! As a child I used to do them picture-side down. 

Is there anything else you would like to add about your experiences at UCL or IOE?

Even though I joined the department in the middle of the first UK lockdown and even though there are still many people that I have only met on Zoom, I have been made to feel very welcome and integrated into the department. I am so grateful to my colleagues.  


Last updated 25 August 2022.