Dawn Watling

Professor Dawn Watling is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. She serves as Co-Director of the Environment, Connectedness, and Health: Online and Offline (ECHO-O) Lab and is a founding member of the Hub for Interdisciplinary Research into Vulnerability to Exploitation (HIVE). Since 2023, she has held the role of Associate-Pro-Vice Chancellor (Postgraduate Research).

Her research focuses on children’s and adolescents’ social development, emotion recognition, and well-being, with emphasis on digital and environmental influences. She has collaborated with organizations like Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens on nature-based wellbeing initiatives and received grants from the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, and NERC.

Education:

• DPhil (Doctorate) and post-doctoral work at the University of Sussex

Teaching & Awards:

• Recipient of RHUL Teaching Awards (2014, 2016, 2022)
• Editor in Chief of the British Journal of Developmental Psychology
• Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Key Collaborations:

• Wakehurst (Kew Gardens) on Nature Unlocked
• Projects with charities Fagus and Eikon

Research Themes:

• Social media’s impact on youth
• Nature’s role in mental health
• Impression management in online/offline contexts

Recent Projects:

• Noticing Nature (2023–2024)
• Emotionally-Based School Non Attendance Workshop (2024)
• Vocal learning evolution research (2022–2026)