Dr Dawn H Nicholson

Dawn is a Senior Lecturer in Business and Organisational Psychology, with over 28 years of organisational experience working in London in Financial and Professional services. Her research interests are concerned with the primary aspects of group/individual decision-making and performance and the factors which affect this, as well as a new stream of research into the impact of human-AI teaming on human decision-making. In addition, Dawn undertakes research into the future of work, specifically the role of job-sharing in improving flexible working options (e.g. intergenerational job-sharing; job-sharing as a potential tool to mitigate menopause impact).  

Dawn’s research focuses on intragroup dynamics; specifically how small groups process information and make decisions (The ‘Hidden Profile’) and the development and testing of interventions to improve group performance in these tasks. Dawn is also interested in researching the impact of individual differences amongst decision-makers, (e.g. personality) on decision outcomes (including in groups), as well as gender differences in decision-making. Recently, Dawn's decision-making research has also expanded into human-AI teaming.

As well as decision-making, Dawn is interested in the future of work and the role that job-sharing may play in increasing flexible working options for employees.

• Convenor & Lecturer - PSYC6520: Business Psychology in Practice
• Co-Convenor & Lecturer - PSYC6030: Groups in Action
• Lecturer - PSYC6490: Business Psychology: Developing Leadership, Enterprise & Initiative-taking Skills
• Lecturer - PSYC6500: Topics in Business Psychology
• Lecturer - PSYC6510: Business Psychology: Personal & Professional Development
• Lecturer - PSYC8170: Social Psychology: Understanding & Addressing Social Problems
• Lecturer - PSYC8630: Advanced Topics in Business Psychology

Dawn is open to supervising students with a keen interest in decision-making and in the future of work.

Current PhD students:

• Shaida Darian: Affective and Cognitive Conflict: Enhancing Decision-Making Processes through Information-Sharing and Hidden Profiles

• Head of University Accreditation & Board Member, The Association For Business Psychology
• Chartered Psychologist, The British Psychological Society
• Fellow, Higher Education Authority

Publications and conference presentations

• Nicholson, D.H., Hopthrow, T. and Randsley de Moura, G. (2020), "Mental simulation and the individual preference effect", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-05-2020-0063
• Nicholson, D.H. (Presenter), Hopthrow, T., Randsley de Moura, G., & Travaglino, G.A. (2019, July). Making Decisions Work: The Positive Effect of the Premortem. Paper presented at the Annual INGroup (Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research) Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.
• Nicholson, D.H. (Presenter), Hopthrow, T., Randsley de Moura, G., & Travaglino, G.A. (2017, June). The Premortem and the Hidden Profile – a perfect pairing? Poster presented at the Centre For the Study of Group Processes (CSGP) and GPIR Anniversary Conference, Canterbury, England.
• Nicholson, D.H. (Presenter), Hopthrow, T., Randsley de Moura, G., & Harper, J. (2017, January). Can The Premortem Solve the Hidden Profile? Poster presented at BPS Division of Occupational Psychology Section Annual Conference, Liverpool, England.
• Nicholson, D.H. (Presenter), Hopthrow, T., Randsley de Moura, G., & Harper, J. (2016, July). Can The Premortem Solve the Hidden Profile? Poster presented at the Annual INGRoup (Interdisciplinary Network for Group Research) Conference, Helsinki, Finland. 

Grants and Awards