Role
Professor Daragh McDermott is the Executive Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
As Executive Dean, Daragh leads the School Executive Team and the School's six Academic Institutes, working with colleagues to deliver the School's strategic priorities and contribute to the University's wider ambitions.
He is a member of Extended University Executive Team and NTU's University Leadership Team, where he contributes to institutional strategy and cross-university initiatives including as a member of the EDI Strategy Board and as Co-Chair of the Athena Swan ISAT.
Career overview
Daragh has been and worked in higher education for almost two decades, holding honorary, academic and executive leadership roles in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Canada.
Before becoming Executive Dean, he served as Associate Dean for Psychology at Nottingham Trent University. Prior to joining NTU in 2021, he spent a decade at Anglia Ruskin University, where he was Head of the School of Psychology & Sport Science and previously held a number of senior leadership roles, including Head of Department, Deputy Head of Department as well as Programme Lead.
Daragh has extensive experience of leading complex academic organisations through periods of change and uncertainty. His work has includes organisational redesign, academic portfolio development, research strategy, curriculum transformation and the development of high-performing academic communities. He has led multidisciplinary teams across teaching, research and professional services, helping institutions respond to evolving strategic, financial and policy challenges.
Daragh holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology and a PhD in Experimental Social Psychology from the University of Galway, together with a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching from Anglia Ruskin University. He is a Chartered Psychologist, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Research areas
Daragh's research examines prejudice, discrimination and social inclusion, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing. His work has explored the psychological impacts of stigma and discrimination, conceptualisations of prejudice, and the development and evaluation of interventions designed to improve attitudes, inclusion and psychological wellbeing.
He has led and contributed to a range of nationally and internationally funded research projects, including the SSHRC funded INQYR Project, the European Commission funded WE Project and Trust For London's 'Still Out There'.
External activity
Daragh's leadership focuses on helping his teams respond to an increasingly complex higher education landscape. His work spans organisational transformation, strategy, curriculum renewal, research development, financial sustainability and the development of inclusive academic cultures.
He has led significant organisational redesign and works closely with colleagues across the University to strengthen academic performance, enhance the student experience and support long-term institutional resilience.
Daragh is the former Co-Editor in Chief of the Taylor and Francis journal Psychology & Sexuality which he co-edited collaboratively with Professor Todd Morrison (University of Saskatchewan) from 2016 - 2023.
He is a consulting editor for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity and was formerly an editorial board member of the Journal of Social Psychology.
Daragh is Past Chair of the BPS East of England Branch and in 2021 stepped down after a 5 year term as Chair of Trustees for The Kite Trust.
Sponsors and collaborators
Key External Collaborators:
- Professor Shelley Craig (Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth; University of Toronto)
- Dr Igor Grabovac (Associate Professor; Medical University of Vienna)
- Professor Todd Morrison (Professor of Social Psychology; University of Saskatchewan)
- Dr Jason Schaub (Professor of Social Work; University of Bristol)
- Dr Karen Blair (Director of the Trent Social Relations, Attitudes and Diversity Lab, Trent University, Canada)
Funded Projects:
- European Commission (2020-22), Co-investigator and UK lead: 'WE Project' (£223,527).
- Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (Canada) (2018-25), Co-investigator and UK Regional Chair: 'Queery'ing resilience' (CAD$2.5million).
- Social Sciences & Health Research Council (Canada) (2019), Co-investigator: The Inaugural INQYR Student Symposium (TISS-Mexico)' (CAD$25,000).
- British Academy/Leverhulme Trust (2016), Co-investigator: 'Preparing drivers to respond to road turns safely: What neural mechanism drives differences between experienced and novice drivers' (£9,317).
- Trust for London/Government Equalities Office/LGBT Consortium (2015), Principal Investigator: 'An LGBT Narrative for London ' (£16,500).
Publications
Indicative and Recent Publications:
Staras, C. O., Wakefield, J., McDermott, D. T., & Jones, B. A. (Online First). Community as Medicine: A Qualitative Exploration of Meaningful Social Support and Health for Trans‐and Gender‐Diverse People in England. European Journal of Social Psychology.
Brooks, A. S., Zawisza, M., & McDermott, D. T. (2026). Developing and validating the ambivalent prejudice towards gay men scale (APGS): Initial evidence of hostile and benevolent prejudice towards gay men in the United Kingdom. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-31.
Staras, C. O., Wakefield, J., McDermott, D. T., & Jones, B. A. (2026). “I believe social Prescribing would be the base of the trans-healthcare pyramid”: exploring the feasibility of holistic care pathways for trans and gender diverse people. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-24.
Gifford, A. J., Beck, R. J., McDermott, D. T., & Abbott, K. (2026). “Share Your Trauma… and Make It Funny”: Comedy as Catharsis and Community-Building in LGBTQ+ Mental Wellbeing and Resilience. Behavioral Sciences, 16(7), 1059.
Jones, B. A., McDermott, D. T., Thorne, N., Staras, C. O., McNamara, N., & Cahill, L. (2026). Margins of society: the role of loneliness and belonging on the psychological impact of trans-negativity in a UK sample. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-24.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2026). PrEP acceptability and self-efficacy in men who have sex with men: the roles of identity, trust and knowledge. Psychology & Sexuality, 17(2), 437-453.
Jones, B. A., Cahill, L., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Gender, traditional gender ideology, gender essentialist beliefs, and masculinity threat as determinants of attitudes toward trans and gender diverse people in a UK sample. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 12(2), 228.
Cahill, L., Gifford, A. J., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). The HIV Anxiety Scale (HAS): developing and validating a measure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) anxiety. AIDS and Behavior, 29(7), 2258-2271.
Cahill, L., Staras, C. O., Perera, A. T.-M., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Understanding the role of gender congruence and affirming care in trans men’s body image and quality of life. International Journal of Transgender Health, 1-16.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). ‘Why are PrEP gays always like this…’: psychosocial influences on UK-based men who have sex with men’s perceptions and use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-24.
Karden, A., Fragner, T., Feichtinger, C., Strizek, J., McDermott, D. T., & Grabovac, I. (2025). Utilization of drug checking services in Austria: a cross-sectional online survey. Harm Reduction Journal, 22(1), 17.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Predicting PrEP acceptability and self‐efficacy among men who have sex with men in the UK: The roles of identity resilience, science mistrust, and stigma. HIV Medicine, 26(5), 677-687.
Assi, M., Jaspal, R., Newman, K., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction in gay and bisexual men in Lebanon: A cross-sectional correlational study. Sexuality & Culture, 1-25.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Psychosocial profiles of men who have sex with men (MSM) influencing PrEP acceptability: A latent profile analysis. Behavioral Sciences, 15(6), 818.
Cahill, L., Staras, C. O., Jones, B. A., Perera, A. T.-M., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). “I feel good, I feel comfortable, I feel at home”: Understanding the role of positive body image manifestations, body neutrality and functionality appreciation for trans men Body Image, 54, 101941.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). Gain-framed health messaging, medical trust, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) self-efficacy: An experimental study, Healthcare, 13(16), 1981.
Staras, C. O., Wakefield, J. R., McDermott, D. T., & Jones, B. (2025). The Development and Application of the Qualitative Triangulation Framework (QTF) for Exploring Tension Within and Across Qualitative Data Sets: Case Studies of Trans and Gender Diverse Youth’s Healthcare Experiences. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24, 16094069251371463.
Gifford, A. J., Jaspal, R., Jones, B. A., & McDermott, D. T. (2025). PrEP acceptability and self-efficacy in men who have sex with men: the roles of identity, trust and knowledge. Psychology & Sexuality, 1-17.
Cahill, L., Malik, M., Jones, B. A., Perera, A. T.-M., & McDermott, D. T. (2024). Tackling bisexual erasure: An explorative comparison of bisexual, gay and straight cisgender men’s body image. Body Image, 51, 101763.
Press expertise
Prejudice & Discrimination
Social Attitudes
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Daragh's work aligns with the following UN Sustainability Development Goals
