Appointments to Professorships and Associate Professorships

Congratulations to the colleagues who have been successful at the recent Higher Academic Awards Committee.

Professor Roiyah Saltus 

Roiyah Saltus has been made a Professor of Sociology, via the Innovation and Engagement route. This is in recognition of her contribution to the fields of social justice and equality, to reduce health inequalities and working with the most disadvantaged groups to improve the health and wellbeing of all. 

Professor Saltus is a researcher-activist working in the broad field of place-based health inequities, social determinants of health and health care, and policy and service innovation. Community wellbeing, mental health and dementia, and the dynamics of ageing and leisure are recurring themes in her work; death and dying practices, and family violence are more recent interests.   

In May, Professor Saltus won the Impact on Health and Wellbeing Award for her collaborative work with Diverse Cymru to develop the first-of-its-kind Cultural Competence Certification Scheme, which supports the BAME community in Wales in accessing mental health services.

“Capturing the stories and everyday lives of people is a privilege not a right; translating everyday life into credible forms of evidence to shape policy and practice in some ways pays homage to all who have given to me a little of themselves,” said Professor Saltus. You can read an interview with Professor Saltus here. 

Associate Professor Philip Tyson

Philip Tyson has been made an Associate Professor of Psychology, via the Research and Development route, in recognition of his contribution to psychology and its application to enhancing knowledge, understanding and treatment of mental health problems. 

As well as being an active researcher with 33 published papers and several in review, Dr Tyson has co-authored three textbooks which focus on critical issues in psychology and mental health, Madness: History, Concepts and Controversies being the most recent.

Dr Tyson is working on several research projects with local housing associations: two are exploring the issue of hoarding; another two are looking at how to get elderly residents more engaged in social activities. He is also leading research into the psychological benefits of playing football, and is part of a team who are trying to understand coulrophobia (fear of clowns). 

Professor Palash Kamruzzaman

Palash Kamruzzaman has been made a Professor of Social Policy, via the Research and Development route. This is in recognition of his contribution to field of social policy, with a focus on international aid and development, civil society, policymaking, global development goals, displacement, extreme poverty and aid ethnographies.

Dr Kamruzzaman is the Director of The Centre for Social Policy and led the REF 2021 submission for Social Work and Social Policy. He has conducted research in Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Nigeria, Jordan and Afghanistan. 

He recently completed a British Academy-funded study into the experience of violence and loss of dignity among the Rohingyas in Bangladesh and Internally Displaced Persons in Afghanistan. His current project, based in Bangladesh and Jordan, explores the host communities’ perceptions of sheltering refugees from Myanmar and Syria (two of the top five countries where refugees come from). 

Professor Kamruzzaman is the author of Poverty Reduction Strategy in Bangladesh – Rethinking Participation in Policy Making (2014) and Dollarisation of Poverty – Rethinking Poverty beyond 2015(2015), and the editor of Civil Society in the Global South (2019). 

He teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate sociology courses and supervises several doctoral students.

Associate Professor Richard May

Richard May has been made an Associate Professor of Psychology, via the Research and Development route, in recognition of his contribution to field of behaviour analysis. 

Dr May joined the University in 2012 after completing a PhD in Psychology at Swansea University which explored symbolic learning from a behaviour-analytic perspective. His interest in language and symbolic learning stems from working for many years in educational and clinical settings supporting individuals with complex communication needs. 

Recent research has focused on evaluating learning and communication supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities, further understanding the mechanisms underpinning symbolic learning, and exploring interventions for harmful gambling. 

“We have been fortunate enough to attract funding for projects in these areas and I am excited about the implications of this work particularly as it pertains to the provision of services for vulnerable people,” said Dr May.

Dr May teaches on the BSc Psychology and MSc in Behaviour Analysis and Therapy courses, and is a member of the Unit for Development in Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities.