Susan McHale

Susan McHale is a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University since 1995, affiliated with the Sheffield Institute of Social Sciences (Department) within the College of Social Sciences and Arts (School). She serves as course leader for the Psychology and Law BSc program and has held multiple academic leadership roles. Her teaching focuses on psychobiology, neuropsychology, and research modules related to her expertise in addictive behaviors and dopamine dysfunction.

Education:

• BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Plymouth
• PhD in Psychology from the University of Plymouth

Research Interests:

• Psychobiological Approaches to Reward & Stress: Studies dopamine pathways' role in cognitive function and behavior, including robotics models of attentional systems and their lesion-based studies. Examines links between reward mechanisms and behaviors like eating/drug addiction.
• Stress & Immunological Dysfunction in Hair Loss: Investigates psychoneuroimmunological connections between stress, identity change, and autoimmune alopecias. Collaborates with Alopecia UK to improve patient support via leaflets and committees, and her work has been featured on BBC Radio Four.

Awards & Recognition:

• Highly commended in the International Medical Journalists Book Prize 2011 for co-authoring Understanding Trauma (with Nigel Hunt)

Advising & Professional Activities: Supervises research students at undergraduate, master's, and PhD levels. Provides consultancy for study guides in psychology disciplines (Research Methods, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience) through International Correspondence Schools. Engages in cross-university collaborations with the Open University (robotics), Sheffield University (adolescent studies), and the University of Nottingham (alopecia research).

Labs & Collaborations: Works with interdisciplinary teams to advance cognitive neuroscience models and investigate alopecia's psychological/immunological impact. Active in charity-driven research through Alopecia UK's committees and advisory panels.