Psychology
Swansea Changed My Life: BPS President, Kate Bullen
When asked to describe her Swansea University experience in one sentence, Kate Bullen replied:
“It simply changed my life. It helped me establish a new career and enabled me to reconstruct my sense of self and self-worth when both had been damaged through a chance accident.”
Kate was working as a therapeutic radiographer when an industrial accident meant that she had to change careers. She started her undergraduate Psychology degree in Swansea in 1993, and was awarded her PhD here in 2001.
Since then Kate’s career has really taken off. She worked at Swansea University as a lecturer, before moving to Aberystwyth University to establish a Psychology Department, and then moved to the University of Brighton in 2015 where she currently works as Professor of Psychology and Head of the School of Applied Social Science.
Kate is now President of the British Psychological Society (BPS) for 2018/19. She has also worked for the Open University in Wales, gaining an MEd, and is an expert reviewer for Prostate Cancer UK.
Kate’s advice for new students
“Try to keep on top of your reading and use your deadlines to structure your learning. Also, do not be afraid to ask questions, there is no such thing as a silly question. If something is bothering you, you can guarantee it will be bothering somebody else too. So be brave and ask!”