Michael Larkin

Michael Larkin is a Professor of Psychology at Aston University, leading the Research component of the MSc Health Psychology program and organizing an innovative final-year BSc module on 'Applying Psychology.' His career spans roles at Nottingham Trent University, De Montfort University, and the University of Birmingham before joining Aston in 2017. He specializes in qualitative research methodologies, particularly Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), and co-design approaches in healthcare improvement. Larkin’s research focuses on psychological coping mechanisms, anomalous experiences (e.g., psychosis, hearing voices), and the role of relationships in mental health. He has led multiple funded projects, including the MRC/UKRI-funded 'Agency-in-practice' initiative and collaborations with institutions like Oxford University and the University of Birmingham. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, engaging lived experience experts and professionals across philosophy, clinical psychology, and social policy. Larkin has supervised over 75 doctoral students and contributed to over 148 research outputs. In 2019, he received the Mid-Career Research Prize from the BPS Qualitative Methods Section.

Research Collaborations

• MRC/UKRI-funded 'Agency-in-practice' project (young people’s mental health helpseeking)
• Wellcome-funded 'EPIC' project (epistemic injustice in healthcare)
• NIHR-funded projects on anxiety interventions (iCATs, STAR-CATs)
• ESRC-funded study on social media influencers and mental health literacy
• COPICs project (mental/physical healthcare needs of people with psychosis)

Grants & Funding

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2014–2019)
• NIHR Health Technology Assessment (2015–2018)
• Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) initiatives in healthcare settings

Teaching & Supervision

• MSc Health Psychology modules: Research Project, Qualitative Methods
• BSc Psychology modules: 'Applying Psychology,' Families and Wellbeing
• Current PhD students: Charlie Gunn, Julie Kane, Kiah-Rose Sargant
• Associate supervision across Aston, Oxford, and Warwick

Labs & Teams

• Aston Institute of Health & Neurodevelopment
• Applied Health Research Group
• Collaborations with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Trust, Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust