Nicki is a Professor in the School of Psychology. She is a Health Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, and a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society. Nicki’s research focuses on developing and evaluating complex interventions that are designed to make a demonstrable contribution to the promotion of individual, population and global health. Her work includes lifestyle-based interventions for primary and secondary prevention of chronic conditions, animated health behaviour change messages, and community pharmacy supported interventions. Nicki leads the Health Behaviour and Behaviour Change Research group at Northumbria.

Nicki is a Visiting Researcher at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University in Germany.

Nicki uses quantitative and qualitative research methods, and has particular experience in intervention co-design; n-of-1 methods; systematic reviewing and meta-analysis; and randomised and pragmatic trials. Her work has been funded by NIHR, MRC, ESRC, Versus Arthritis, Lewy Body Society, Department of Health and the Cabinet Office.

Nicki is an experienced postgraduate supervisor and is registered as an Applied Psychology Practice Supervisor. If you are would like to discuss potential supervision of a PhD or Stage 2 Health Psychology training, please get in touch.

Google scholar profile

• Global health and behaviour change
• 'Languageless' animated health communication
• N-of-1 (single case) methodology
• Digital and blended (digital + human) health behaviour change interventions
• Community pharmacy supported interventions for chronic health conditions
• Physical activity behaviour change
• Arthritis and musculoskeletal health
• Intervention co-design with stakeholders

Current PhD supervision:

David Bourne. Chronic pancreatitis: towards a comprehensive, patient-centred, evidence-based model of nutritional care. NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellowship

Beckie Gibson. Understanding persuasive effects of message framing for vaccination uptake in university students. Northumbria Doctoral Studentship 

Chris Penlington. Persistent pain and self-management for orofacial pain. Newcastle University

Colin Stephenson. Ensuring the future sustainability of NHS primary care: applying a Group Consultation model in community pharmacy settings to help address population health inequalities. Northumbria Doctoral Studentship