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Liam Cahill

Lecturer

School of Social Sciences

Staff Group(s)
Psychology

Role

Liam (he/him) is a Lecturer in LGBTQ+ Psychology in the School of Social Sciences. His research interests focus on exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ people as they navigate their body image. He also examines health and wellbeing in the trans and gender-diverse community. He teaches across a range of modules, including research methods 1 & 2, undergraduate and postgraduate statistics, and psychometrics 2, and supervises undergraduate and postgraduate projects exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ people.

Career overview

In 2019, Liam graduated from NTU with a first-class honours BSc in Psychology. He was awarded the BPS Award in 2019. In 2020, Liam graduated with distinction (MSc) in Psychological Research Methods. He was awarded the Highest Performance Award. He is completing his PhD which aims to explore how situational threats influence men's body shape and size preferences (expected submission October 2023). Liam has held various academic and research positions. He has worked as a lecturer at NTU since 2020 and has been a research associate on various projects. He is currently a fellow of the higher education academy and the UK Reproducibility Network.

Research areas

Liam's research interests include:

  • Body Image
  • LGBTQ+ Psychology
  • Health and Well-being in the Trans and Gender-Diverse Community

Liam is currently leading projects that explore the unique body image concerns present in the LGBTQ+ community.

External activity

Liam is a member of the UK Reproducibility Network and an advocate for Open Research. He is also an invited reviewer for both (1) Psychology and Sexuality and (2) Body Image and internally reviews applications for the fellowship of the HEA. Liam is also a member of the International Partnership for Queer and Youth Resilience (INQYR).

Sponsors and collaborators

Liam's collaborators include Dr Beth Jones and Professor Daragh McDermott from NTU. He also works with Professor Jason Schaub from the University of Birmingham.

Publications

Journal Articles:

  • Jones, B. A., Cahill, L., & McDermott, D. T. (2023). Assessing Attitudes Toward Trans and Gender Diverse People: Adapting the ‘Transgender Attitudes and Beliefs’ Scale. Journal of Homosexuality0(0), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2245524
  • Jones, B. A., Cahill, L., & McDermott, D. T. (2023). Gender, traditional gender ideology, gender essentialist beliefs, and masculinity threat as determinants of attitudes toward trans and gender diverse people in a U.K. sample. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversityhttps://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000658.
  • Cahill, L., Cristino, F., Marriott, M., Baguley, T., & Dunn, A.K. (2023). Developing an Eye-Tracking Dot-Probe Paradigm to Measure Men’s Body Shape and Size Preferences. British Psychological Society Cognitive Bulletin, 8, 43-46, doi.org/10.53841/bpscog.2023.1.8.43
  • Cahill, L., Leunissen, J. M., Marriott, M., & Dunn, A. K. (2023). Gay Men Report Lower Psychological Quality of Life: The Mediating Role of Body Dissatisfaction. Manuscript under review in Europe's Journal of Psychology (revise and resubmit).
  • Martin, S., Cahill, L., Schaub, J., Luyt, R., Craig, S., & McDermott, D. (2023). Evaluating the efficacy of QueerViBE: A randomised control trial to empower and improve resilience in trans and gender diverse youth. Manuscript in preparation.
  • Martijin, F.M., Cahill, L., Decuyper, M., & Uzieblo, K. (2023). Psychopathic Traits, Borderline Traits, and Relationship Satisfaction in Couples. Manuscript in preparation.

Conference Submissions:

  • Cahill, L., Cristino, F., Marriott, M., & Dunn, A.K. (2023, May). The influence of pathogen threat on waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index preferences. [Poster presentation]. Human Behaviour and Evolution Society, Palm Springs, California, United States of America.
  • Cahill, L., Martin, S., Schaub, J., Luyt, R., Craig, S., & McDermott, D. (2023, April). Evaluating the efficacy of QueerViBE: A randomised control trial to empower and improve resilience in trans and gender diverse youth. [Poster presentation]. Strategic Research Themes Conference, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
  • Cahill, L., Cristino, F., Marriott, M., Baguley, T., & Dunn, A.K. (2022, July). The influence of mortality threat on waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index preferences. [Poster presentation]. International Society for Human Ethology, Würzburg, Germany.
  • Cahill, L., Jones, B., A., & McDermott, D. (2022, June). The Influence of Masculinity Threat on Attitudes Towards the Trans and Gender Diverse Community [Conference presentation]. NTU Research Showcase, Nottingham, UK.
  • Cahill, L., Dunn, A.K., Marriott, M., & Leunissen, J.M. (2019, May). Development of a process for assessing male body image and body dissatisfaction, using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) [Poster presentation]. BPS Annual Conference, Harrogate, UK
  • Cahill, L., & Smith, L. (2019, March). Examining the Parent Skills Group’s effectiveness in treating anorexia nervosa [Poster presentation]. National Eating Disorder Conference, London, UK.
  • Premkumar, P., Baker, J., Cahill, L., Toindepi, G., Apo-Katigbak, J., Heym, N., Carretie, L. (2018, October). Attention to praise and criticism in people with schizotypal experiences relates to lack of emotional support: An electroencephalography study [Poster presentation]. International Conference on Early Intervention in Mental Health, Boston, USA.

Press expertise

  • LGBTQ+ Psychology
  • Health and Well-being
  • Body Image

Activities relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Liam's research and teaching activities focus on reducing inequalities and improving health and well-being for LGBTQ+ people. His activities are aligned with the UNSDG:  THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)

10 - Reduced Inequalities Badge 3 - Good Health and Well-Being Badge