Nishtha Lamba

Nishtha Lamba serves as Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Middlesex University Dubai and Visiting Senior Fellow in Trauma and Marginalised Communities at University of Southampton. As Founder and Head of the Social Psychology Research Lab, she leads research on underrepresented populations across South Asia and Gulf regions with emphasis on trauma-informed approaches and cultural context.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD and MPhil in Psychology from University of Cambridge
• BA in Psychology and Sociology from Hunter College, City University of New York

Dr. Lamba's research examines mental health disparities through mixed-methods frameworks, with signature work on Indian surrogacy arrangements, autism support systems in UAE, and gender-based trauma in South Asia. She investigates how religious contexts influence death anxiety among Hindu elders and develops culturally adapted assessment tools for marginalized communities. Her methodological expertise bridges quantitative analysis of large-scale datasets with deep qualitative engagement.

Recent publications reveal thematic evolution toward decolonizing psychological science, challenging WEIRD-centric models through studies of moral judgment in non-Western samples and pandemic compliance behaviors across 20+ countries. This work consistently centers community voices while generating policy-relevant insights for mental health systems in resource-constrained settings.

Through the Social Psychology Research Lab, she cultivates international collaborations with NGOs and academic partners across seven countries. Current initiatives include digital interventions for maternal mental health in rural India and longitudinal studies tracking refugee trauma recovery in Gulf states, emphasizing participatory research design that empowers community stakeholders.