Academics at institutes across the UK are seen as the backbone of this country’s research. They promote the advancement of knowledge across a multitude of domains, maintaining this country’s passion for growth, creativity and development. But what is it really like to work as a UK-based researcher in 2018? Here’s your opportunity to feed into our research.
The UK Creativity Researchers’ Conference 2018
Following the brilliant inaugural conference held at Edinburgh Napier in May 2017, organised by Lindsey Carruthers, Shelly Kemp and Gillian Hill, the 2018 conference is being hosted at Canterbury Christ Church University on 22nd May. Kathryn Friedlander eagerly anticipates what’s on offer this time. Continue reading
What makes you tick? Your Time Personality!
Dr. Philip Fine (University of Buckingham) invites participants to complete a short on-line survey looking at ‘Time Personality’. Can you help?

What makes you tick?
Are you always on time? Or usually running late? Do you know how long you’ve been sitting through your favourite TV show? What about how much time it will take you to do that task you’ve been putting off?
Dr. David Ellis (University of Lancaster) and I are collaborating in a research programme aiming to explore these type of questions. We’re currently surveying people to find out what makes them ‘tick’.
Pop-up Lab Report: Milton Keynes Science Festival
Gillian Hill reports on the University of Buckingham‘s Psychology Pop-up Lab which made its debut at MK Innovates Science Festival, held in Milton Keynes Shopping Centre on 7th/8th July.
With a theme of Puzzles, Pain & Positivity, our research hubs (CREATE, Psychology of Educational Development, Centre for Health and Relationships and Emotion and Lifespan Relationships) were out and about with lots of interactive activities to engage the public with our work. Continue reading
PhD opportunity: Creativity in Medical School Education
Want to come and research with us? Check out our latest opportunity: Creativity in Medical School Education: Enhancing the Diagnostic Skills of Tomorrow’s Doctors on FindAPhD!
We’ve just advertised for applicants to undertake a full-time research PhD at the University of Buckingham CREATE hub. This is a really exciting opportunity to work with our Medical School to look at the role of creativity in medical diagnosis. Continue reading
Medical Student or Qualified Doctor? We need your help!
Want to help improve medical education? Fancy the opportunity to win a £40 Amazon voucher? Want to boost our donation to Médecins Sans Frontières /Doctors Without Borders (MSF)? Know any doctors who could help? Paige Vanleer explains what to do …
I’m Paige Vanleer, and I’m currently engaged in an MSc project at the University of Buckingham which aims to help us ensure that the process of medical education is as effective as possible. As part of my research, I’ve launched a survey comprising a series of questions about the professional status, medical training and thinking styles of trainee and qualified doctors, and I’m still looking for more participants before it closes. Do you, or anyone you know, qualify for the survey? Continue reading
CREATE joins MK Innovates STEM Festival: 7th/8th July 2017
Gillian Hill reports on preparations to help celebrate the 50th birthday of Milton Keynes at a festival to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Middleton Hall, Milton Keynes Shopping Centre (7th/8th July)

Final preparations are underway for our Pop-up Lab. showcasing the University of Buckingham’s Psychology Research Hubs which – of course – includes CREATE.
The challenge was set by MK Innovates to provide exciting and interactive activities that engage young people – and especially girls – from Milton Keynes and the surrounding area with science. As always, the CREATE team were keen to get in on the act and we’ve identified some core aspects of our research to showcase at the event.
Creativity ‘special issue’ – call for participation!
Novel Approaches for Studying Creativity in Problem-Solving and Artistic Performance – a Frontiers in Psychology Research Topic, coming out in March 2018
Kathryn Friedlander invites creativity researchers world-wide to contribute to an exciting Frontiers in Psychology Research Topic, which went live last week.
Shouldn’t research into ‘creativity’ be pretty creative itself?
Philip Fine and I certainly think so, which is why we’ve been working with Frontiers in Psychology over the past few months to launch a new Research Topic looking at ‘Novel Approaches for Studying Creativity in Problem-Solving and Artistic Performance‘. The topic went live last week, and together with our other co-editors Roger Kneebone, Ian Hocking, Amory Danek and Bill Thompson we are busy advertising this opportunity as widely as possible, to connect with potential contributors. Do you fit the bill?
A conference on a shoestring, decided upon over a burger – some reflections!
The Psychology of Creativity: Building Impact, Skills and Collaboration.
Gillian Hill reflects on the experience of organizing a brand new conference event on a tight budget in May 2017.
It all started with a burger…
We were not joking when we told everyone that Lindsey, Shelly and I conceived the idea of our Psychology of Creativity event over a burger (it was quite a posh burger!) one lunchtime last November. We were talking about conferences, and lamenting the lack of UK-based events with a specific focus on Creativity – so what was more natural than to decide to organize one ourselves? Continue reading
Book Review: ‘The Joy of Quiz’ by Alan Connor
Kathryn Friedlander reviews ‘The Joy of Quiz‘ and explores its relevance to the study of expert performance, puzzle solving and niche hobbies.
‘Here’s a question: ‘Why do we spend our childhood in fear of exams, then quite willingly put ourselves through pretty much the same tests as adults?’ … The short answer is: fun. The joy of quiz is in making a gratifying game out of all that knowledge sploshing around in our heads – fascinating information, but information for which our jobs and our personal lives stubbornly refuse to find any use’.
So begins this engaging romp through the world of quizzing: an engrossing compendium of trivia and analysis drawn from social history, psychology and real-life ‘behind-the-scenes’ knowledge, based on Alan Connor‘s own experiences as a quiz editor for the BBC2 quiz Only Connect.