Dr Nikhila Mahadevan

Biography

I am a social and personality psychologist with links to evolutionary psychology. In essence, I study the self in social contexts. A core area of my research involves developing and empirically testing a novel theory of self-regard called hierometer theory. Hierometer theory examines the psychological mechanism of self-regard through a socio-evolutionary lens. It posits that self-regard plays a key role in helping people to navigate social hierarchies, by tracking their level of social status, and motivating appropriate status-seeking behaviour. Other areas I am interested in include: social status and inequality, social inclusion, self-esteem, narcissism, emotion and well-being, interpersonal behaviour, and decision-making. I utilise a range of different methods in my work including cross-sectional, experimental, and longitudinal designs. I obtained my BA in Psychology, English Literature, and Mass Communications from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, India, and my MSc in Psychology from the University of Essex. I then worked in the commercial sector as a Research Consultant, and as an actress, before returning to academia to pursue my PhD. I completed my PhD at the University of Southampton in 2014. My PhD developed and tested a novel theory of self-regard and social hierarchies known as hierometer theory. Following my PhD, I took up postdoctoral research positions at the University of Southampton and Birmingham City University (2014-2017) and then worked as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Roehampton (2017-2019). I joined the University of Essex as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in 2019.

Qualifications

• BA Mount Carmel College,

• MSc University of Essex,

• PhD University of Southampton,

Appointments

University of Essex

• Lecturer (Assistant Professor), University of Essex (2019 - present)

Other academic

• Senior Lecturer, University of Roehampton (2018 - 2019)

• Lecturer, University of Roehampton (2017 - 2018)

• Research Fellow, Birmingham City University (2015 - 2017)

• Research Fellow, University of Southampton (2014 - 2015)