Niamh McNamara

Role

Niamh is an Associate Professor in Social Psychology and leads the Groups, Identities, & Health Research Group. She is also Deputy Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Social Interaction and Co-Director of the International Centre for Community-Based Loneliness Prevention. Niamh is also the Research Mentoring Lead for the School of Social Sciences.

Her research addresses global health challenges by examining how social identity, belonging, and loneliness shape mental health and recovery, with a particular focus on eating disorders. Niamh has advanced theoretical understanding of identity change in recovery and translated these insights into REConnectED, the first structured peer‑delivered intervention targeting social functioning in eating disorder recovery.

Niamh teaches across a range of modules and leads the final year module 'Community, Health, & Applied Social Psychology.' She also supervises students at undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Career overview

Dr McNamara was awarded her PhD in Applied Psychology from University College Cork and completed two post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Limerick and University College Dublin. She held lectureships at the University of Limerick and the University of Bedfordshire and was a Visiting Academic at the University of Queensland. She joined the Department of Psychology at NTU in September 2015.

External activity

• Fellow HEA
• Editorial Board Member, Belonging (Sage)
• External Examiner, Structured PhD Programme, Faculty of Education & Health Sciences, University of Limerick

Niamh is a peer reviewer for  a number of journals in the fields of social psychology, political psychology, mental health, and psychiatry and acts as a reviewer for funding agencies including the NIHR.

Sponsors and collaborators

Sponsors

• UKRI Medical Research Council
• Fire Fighters Charity
• National Office for Suicide Prevention (Ireland)
• Australian Research Council
• British Psychological Society
• Nottinghamshire County Council
• Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group
• Police Innovation Fund
• St John of God Charitable Foundation (Ireland)

Collaborators

• Prof Catherine Haslam, University of Queensland
• Prof Alex Haslam, University of Queensland
• Prof Jolanda Jetten, University of Queensland
• Dr Genevieve Dingle, University of Queensland
• Dr Nik Steffens, University of Queensland
• Dr Sarah Bentley, University of Queensland
• Dr Tegan Cruwys, Australian National University
• Dr Sara McDevitt, University College Cork
• Prof Fiona McNicholas, University College Dublin
• Prof Daniel Frings, London South Bank University
• Dr Debra Gray, University of Winchester
• Dr Marc Scully, Mary Immaculate College
• Bodywhys, The National Eating Disorders Association of Ireland
• The National Centre for Cyberstalking Research, University of Bedfordshire

Recent Grants

• Addressing Eating Disorders through social connection: The REConnectED Programme (£202, 646,  Medical Research Council). March 2026-August 2027. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara, CIs: Prof Clifford Stevenson (NTU), Prof Daniel Frings (London South Bank University).
• A community-based social identity approach to loneliness (£150,180 / AUS$270,910, Australian Research Council). December 2019 – December 2022. PI: Dr Genevieve Dingle (University of Queensland); CIs: Prof Catherine Haslam, Prof Jolanda Jetten, Prof Alex Haslam (University of Queensland), Dr Tegan Cruwys (Australian National University), Dr Niamh McNamara (Nottingham Trent University).
• Understanding the Transition to Retirement for Emergency Service Officers: A Social Identity Approach (£39,983, Fire Fighters Charity). July 2019 – December 2020. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara; CIs: Dr Clifford Stevenson, Dr Rowena Hill (Nottingham Trent University), Prof Catherine Haslam, Dr Niklas Steffens, Dr Sarah Bentley (University of Queensland).
• Experience of Eating Disorder Recovery in Ireland (£10,000, Bodywhys The Eating Disorders Association of Ireland). October 2017 – October 2018. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara; CIs: Dr Juliet Wakefield, Dr Mike Rennoldson, Dr Sarah McDonald, Dr Mike Marriott.
• Researching the Impact of Rushcliffe Selfcare Pathway (£29,969 + £15,000 extension) ImROC / Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group). Oct 2017 – March 2019. PI: Dr Clifford Stevenson; CIs: Dr Mhairi Bowe, Dr Blerina Kellezi, Dr Niamh McNamara, Dr Juliet Wakefield, Dr Iain Wilson.
• The Social Psychology of Social Prescribing (£3000, British Psychological Society Research Seminars Competition). September 2017 – September 2019. PI: Dr Niamh McNamara, CIs: Dr Eleni Vangeli (London South Bank University), Dr Debra Gray (University of Winchester)
• Researching the Impact of Age-Friendly Nottinghamshire (£29,991, Nottinghamshire County Council). Oct 2017 – Sept 2018. PI: Dr Clifford Stevenson; CIs: Dr Mhairi Bowe, Dr Blerina Kellezi, Dr Niamh McNamara, Dr Juliet Wakefield, Dr Iain Wilson.
• Cyberharassment: Platform for evidence gathering, assessing risk and managing policing. (£793,111 Police Innovation Fund). June 2016 – March 2018. Lead Applicants: Bedfordshire Police, the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research (University of Bedfordshire), Co-Applicants: Dr Niamh McNamara (Nottingham Trent University), Dr Jacqueline Wheatcroft (University of Liverpool), Greater Manchester Police, Dyfed-Powys PCC, MIND BLMK, Victim Support, Hampshire Stalking Consultancy Clinic, Paladin.
• The Impact of Stigma on the Detection, Treatment and Management of Eating Disorders in Ireland (STEDI). (€62,414 (£45,000), St John of God Charitable Foundation). May 2013 – February 2015.  PI: Prof Fiona McNicholas; CI: Dr Niamh McNamara.