Nina Smyth

I completed a BSc. (Hons) Psychology in 2008 at the University of Manchester and a MSc in Health Psychology in 2009 at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. I completed a PhD with the Psychophysiology and Stress Research Group (PSRG), awarded by the University of Westminster in 2013 for my thesis entitled ‘Cortisol secretion in saliva and hair: methodological considerations and relationships with state and trait well-being’. I then secured a Post-Doctoral Research post with the PSRG (funded by the Bial Foundation and the British Academy).

I am a member of the internationally recognized Psychophysiology and Stress Research Group (PSRG). My research primarily focuses on the impact of well-being and stress on health and illness, and clarification of the physiological pathways involved. I use different methods of measuring cortisol such as saliva and hair. I am interested in the methodological issues associated with measurement of cortisol, particularly the impact of delayed saliva sampling on assessment of the cortisol awakening response. Using optimal measurement of cortisol, I am interested in investigating ways to restore patterns of cortisol in healthy and clinical populations. I am interested in activites, such as mindfulness, engagement with nature, physical activity and yoga to restore cortisol circadian patterns, reduce stress and improve well-being.