Aidan Feeney

Professor Aidan Feeney is a faculty member at Queen's University Belfast's School of Psychology (Cognition, Development and Education Department). He holds the rank of Professor and has been active since 2009, promoted in 2019. His research focuses on decision-making, counterfactual emotions (e.g., regret and relief), essentialist beliefs about social categories, and the psychology of debt. He has secured funding from major bodies like the ESRC and Leverhulme Trust. Teaching roles include convening the PSY3118 module on behavioral nudges and contributing to MSc programs. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Thinking & Reasoning.

Education: B.A. from Trinity College Dublin (1992), Ph.D. from University of Plymouth (1997). Previous roles include lecturer positions at Durham University. Research projects include investigations into debt advice engagement (NIHR-funded) and the nature of relief (Leverhulme-funded). Over 100 publications span topics from cognitive development to applied behavioral science.

Research interests: The role of thinking in everyday life, deductive reasoning, judgment biases, and cultural/developmental influences on social cognition. Media engagements include expert commentary on regret and decision-making (e.g., Irish Times, BBC Radio). Collaborations involve international networks on religious cognition and cross-cultural studies.