Tom Stafford

Tom Stafford is a Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Sheffield's School of Psychology. He serves as Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes (PGT) and leads research in decision-making, bias management, skill learning, and open research practices. His work integrates computational modeling, neuroscience, and interdisciplinary collaboration to explore cognitive processes in complex scenarios. Stafford is actively involved in institutional roles promoting transparent research practices, including his leadership in the Research on Research Institute (RoRI) and the University's Open Research initiatives.

Research Interests: Stafford's core interests include decision-making under uncertainty, risk perception, and the application of cognitive science to real-world problems like political advertising and addiction recovery. He emphasizes data-intensive methods, interdisciplinary collaboration, and public engagement to ensure research relevance. Recent projects focus on value-based decision-making in addiction and the psychological mechanisms underlying reasoning and persuasion.

Grants & Collaborations: Stafford has secured significant funding, including MRC grants for alcohol use disorder research, EPSRC support for dialogue systems enhancing open-mindedness, and Leverhulme Trust funding on implicit bias. He collaborates across disciplines, involving neuroscience, computer science, and policy studies. His work often involves large-scale datasets and innovative experimental designs, such as leveraging online gaming data to study skill acquisition.

Labs & Teams: Stafford contributes to the University's Neuroscience Institute and leads interdisciplinary teams in open research methodologies. He co-developed tools like the 'Faith in Reason' scale and frameworks for distributed peer review in funding allocation.