Paul Van Schaik

Paul Van Schaik is a Professor (Research) in the SSSHL Psychology department at Teesside University, affiliated with the Institute for Collective Place Leadership. His research focuses on behavioral science applications in social housing design, gamification, public health interventions, and urban sustainability. He has led or collaborated on numerous projects funded by prestigious organizations such as the ESRC, EPSRC, and the NIHR.

Research Interests: Van Schaik’s work bridges psychology and policy, emphasizing human-centered design in construction, behavioral economics for energy demand reduction, and improving healthcare testing via clinical decision support systems. His projects address societal challenges like green infrastructure development and dietary behavior change in marginalized communities.

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator (PI) of "Nudge Nudge, Switch Switch" (2018–2022), applying gamification to domestic energy demand response.
• Co-Investigator (CoI) on EPSRC’s "WELL-CONSENT" project (2022–2023), redesigning digital consent forms.
• Lead on NIHR’s HIV/hepatitis testing project (2022–2024), developing clinical decision tools.

Collaborations: Active in cross-disciplinary teams, including the Transforming Construction Network (ESRC) and Towards a Greener Tees Valley initiative (TVCA).