Merging Psychological Insights with Design Thinking

At the Design Psychology Lab, we research how the design of products, services, and interventions can maintain and promote mental well-being and foster positive behaviour change.

A Multidisciplinary Environment

At the Design Psychology Lab, based in the Dyson School of Design Engineering (Imperial College London), we integrate psychological insights with design thinking to research how products, services, and interventions can help maintain and/or promote mental health and well-being of users.

Our affiliates conduct research in a wide variety of areas, including human-technology interaction, healthcare innovations, and psychological privacy and security in digital contexts. We are based in a multidisciplinary environment, with expertise ranging from psychology to design engineering.

Lab Members

Meet the current and former lab members.

Dr Nejra van Zalk

Lab Director

Jianan Zhou

PhD Student

Anna Caltabiano

PhD Student

Dr Fleur Corbett

Research Associate

Dr Ian Chard

Former PhD Student

Dr David Boyle

Lab Affiliate

Dr Lorenzo Picinali

Lab Affiliate

News

Read about our latest research and other events.

  • Our research at the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2024

    Virtual Reality transforming health At the 2024 Great Exhibition Road Festival (15th of June), we had a successful demonstration of our research on VR for health. This event takes place every year across all of the Great Exhibition Road, and we had the pleasure showcasing our research at the Science Museum this year. We had…

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  • People’s choice award for poster

    Congratulations to Anna for winning a poster award! Anna presented a poster of her research at the Winter Gathering of the London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Programme at Kings College London. The research she presented focuses on whether Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to treat anxiety-related disorders such as OCD for individuals who…

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  • Discussion at Imperial Tech Foresight 2042

    Adaptation to our surroundings is an evolutionary trait that has enabled the survival of the species we see today – and the extinction of those unable to cope with change. In this Tech Foresight 2042 debate, Professor Pierre Pinson and Dr Nejra Van Zalk from Imperial College London’s Dyson School of Design Engineering discuss the…

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Interested in Doing Your PhD with Us?

Applications to join the Lab are welcome from outstanding PhD candidates who meet the Dyson School of Design Engineering entry level requirements. We particularly welcome strong applicants with backgrounds in computational and quantitative psychology, though candidates with engineering and design backgrounds are welcome to apply.

If you wish to be considered, please e-mail the following information to Dr Van Zalk (n.van-zalk@imperial.ac.uk):

  1. A recent copy of your CV.
  2. A brief (max 2-page) outline detailing what you would like to do in terms of research area. This is to give an idea about how your work will fit within the scope of the lab.
  3. A mention on how you plan to secure funding for your PhD (please note that self-funding is not acceptable). Dr Van Zalk is happy to sponsor outstanding candidates in their funding application. You can consider several funding sources via Imperial’s Scholarships Search Tool. Schemes available include Imperial College President’s PhD ScholarshipsChina Scholarship Council, and UK Research Council scholarships. Overseas students can also check international scholarship collaboration opportunities

If your profile is deemed suitable, you will then be invited to an online meeting.

Research Associates, Academic Visitors & Interns

Applications from prospective Research Associates and Academic Visitors are welcome. Please contact Dr Nejra van Zalk directly to discuss opportunities.

If you are interested in an internship, check out the Imperial College Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme as well as International Research Opportunities Programme schemes. We take on summer interns to join existing projects – get in touch with Dr Nejra van Zalk to discuss further.

Design Psychology Lab

Dyson School of Design Engineering
Imperial College London
25 Exhibition Road, South Kensington
London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom

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