Dr Heather Clements is a Lecturer in Psychology in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Law. She completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology in 2013 and an MSc in Psychological Research Methods in 2015, both at the University of Sunderland. Heather received her PhD from the University of the West of Scotland in 2022. Her PhD work was conducted in collaboration with the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute and involved a mixed methods examination of the role of companion animals in human well-being, focusing on the influence of ornamental fishes. Prior to and during her PhD, Heather also worked as a Research Assistant on projects relating to public health and pedagogy.

Heather's research interests are largely within the topics of green/blue spaces and human-animal interaction. Specifically, Heather is interested in how exposure to restorative environments (e.g., natural or urban green spaces) may affect human cognition and well-being, as well as factors which may influence human attitudes and behaviour towards non-human animals.

Heather is currently the module leader for Quantitative Research in Psychology (Level 7) and Psychological Research Design and Analysis (Level 4). She also contributes to teaching on Conducting Research in Psychology (Level 5), Psychopathologies and Individual Differences (Level 5), Biological and Social Psychology (Level 7), and Applied Quantitative Research Methods (Level 7). Heather supervises dissertations at Level 6 and Level 7.