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Dr Nikhil Sengupta is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Psychology and Public Policy Research Unit (PSYPOL) in the School of Psychology.
Nikhil's research broadly investigates people's attitudes towards the society in which they live, how these attitudes develop and change over time, and how they motivate social and political behaviour. This includes people's thoughts and feelings about their own circumstances, their fellow citizens, leaders, institutions, and government.
Nikhil has examined these themes using large-scale longitudinal surveys across several countries. In New Zealand, Nikhil is a member of New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS) research group, which tracks various social and political indicators in a sample of around 20,000 people across ten years. In India, Nikhil was involved in a large-scale survey of social attitudes in a sample of roughly 150,000 people across three years.
Most recently, Nikhil won an ERC Starting Grant to conduct largescale longitudinal research on social and political attitudes across the UK, over a five-year period.
Current PhD students
Grants and awards
| 2021 | European Research Council ERC Starting Grant | EUR 2,477,408 |
| 2016 | European Research Council. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship | EUR 183,455 |
| 2014 | Society for Australasian Social Psychology Margaret Foddy Travel Award | AUD 500 |
| 2010 | University of Auckland Faculty of Science Masters Scholarship | NZD 18,000 |
| 2009 | University of Auckland School of Psychology Summer Studentship | NZD 5,000 |