Dr. Nicola Byrom

Biography

Nicola Byrom studies mental health and wellbeing, particularly in the context of emerging adulthood. She focuses on public health and explores how institutional, social, and cultural factors shape individual mental health. Byrom is passionate about using research evidence to influence principles and policies within the higher education sector and has played a significant role in the initial development of the University Mental Health Charter and the Education Mental Health Toolkit by Advance HE. Her research is motivated by her personal experiences with mental health issues. Before developing her research career, Byrom founded Student Minds, the UK's student mental health charity, which pioneered peer support for university students, particularly focused on eating disorders and depression. At King's College, she founded and developed the SMaRteN (Student Mental Health Research Network), which has received funding from UKRI and prioritizes the involvement of lived experiences in research while supporting Early Career Researchers. SMaRteN has funded 19 innovative research projects in the UK, supporting 50 researchers. Byrom employs mixed methods in her research, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches, and is committed to interdisciplinary collaboration to better understand mental health perspectives among young people. She is an enthusiastic supporter of Early Career Researchers and encourages potential PhD students to connect with her for guidance in fellowship applications. Byrom holds a DPhil in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford, where she studied individual differences in learning under Professor Robin Murphy and was awarded the MRC Centenary Award.

Research Interests