ProfessorLaura Taylor

Laura K. Taylor (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, University College Dublin. Laura's research is framed by an intergroup developmental approach to study risk and resilience processes for children, families, and communities in settings of protracted conflict. Her work has implications for youth outcomes, such as aggression, prosocial behaviours and social identity, as well as broader psychosocial processes, such as shared education and intergroup relations, which may fuel or constrain conflict. Toward this end, she studies how and why violence affects behaviours and attitudes related to conflict transformation, primarily during childhood adolescence. Through teaching and mentoring, Laura engages undergraduate and graduate students in research that is sensitive to the psychological needs of individuals and communities, particularly in divided societies.

Laura has 15 years’ experience within academia and the public sector conducting programme evaluations, reviews, and co-produced academic research. She has published over 55 peer-reviewed papers, chapters, and books, and has received research funding from the National Institute for Health Research (UK), British Academy/Leverhulme Trust, Global Challenges Research Fund, American Psychological Foundation, Richard Benjamin Memorial Trust, and the Spencer Foundation. She has won a number of awards for research, including the Student International Research Award from the Outstanding Early Career Professional Award - APA Division 52 (International Psychology), Ed Cairns Early Career Award - APA Division 48 (Society for the Study of Peace and Conflict), and the Shaheen Award for Top Graduate Student in the Social Sciences from the Graduate School, University of Notre Dame.