Publications, research and funding
A summary of publications, talks, media coverage and research funding for Dr Alex Ayre. Work published before 2024 appears under the name Alexandra Forsythe.
Journal articles and book chapters
- Jellicoe, M. & Forsythe, A. (2024). Goal setting practices that connect feedback with action in higher education. In Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education.
- Alsharif, M., Liminou, M. & Forsythe, A. (2023). Evaluation of using Blended Synchronous Teaching and Learning (BSTL) via Kahoot/Padlet platforms. In Quality Assurance in Higher Education in the Middle East. Nova Science Publishers.
- Spangsdorf, S. & Forsythe, A. (2021). The Glass Slipper Effect: Understanding the Nordic gender equality paradox from an identity-fit perspective. Career Development International. doi.org
- Evans, C., Kandiko-Howson, C., Forsythe, A. & Edwards, C. J. (2021). What constitutes high quality higher education pedagogical research? Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(4), 525–546. doi.org
- Jellicoe, M. & Forsythe, A. (2019). The development and validation of the Feedback in Learning Scale. Frontiers in Education. doi.org
- Forsythe, A. & Venter, C. (2019). Behavioural economics, motivating psycho-education improvements: a mobile technology initiative in South Africa. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org
- Soulsby, L. K., Jelissejeva, K. & Forsythe, A. (2019). “And I’m in another world”: A qualitative examination of the experience of participating in creative arts groups in Palestine. Arts & Health. doi.org
- Forsythe, A., Demirbag, E. & Warren, J. (2019). Student voices in academic writing: PsychLiverpool, a community for meaning-making. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 16.
- Forsythe, A. & Jellicoe, M. (2018). Predicting gainful learning in higher education: a goal orientation approach. Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), 103–117.
- Evans, C., Kandiko-Howson, C. & Forsythe, A. (2018). Making sense of learning gain in higher education. Higher Education Pedagogies, 3(1), 1–45.
- Forsythe, A. & Johnson, S. (2017). Thanks, but no thanks for the feedback. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(6), 850–859.
- Forsythe, A., Williams, T. & Reilly, R. (2017). What paint can tell us: A fractal analysis of neurological changes in seven artists. Neuropsychology, 31(1), 1–10.
- Forsythe, A., Jones, N. & Helmy, S. (2017). Revisiting Rossion & Pourtois: new ratings for complexity, familiarity, beauty and encounter. Behavior Research Methods, 49(4), 1484–1493.
- Forsythe, A. (2017). “I doubt very seriously whether anyone will hire me”: factors predicting employability perceptions in higher education. Cogent Psychology. doi.org
- Street, N., Forsythe, A., Reilly, R. G., Taylor, R. P., Boydston, C. & Helmy, M. S. (2016). A complex story: universal preference vs. individual differences shaping aesthetic response to fractal patterns. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. doi.org
- Forsythe, A., Nadal, M., Sheehy, N., Cela-Conde, J. & Sawey, M. (2011). Predicting beauty: fractal dimension and visual complexity in art. British Journal of Psychology, 102, 49–70.
- Forsythe, A. (2011). The human factors of the conspicuous Babel fish: dyadic referencing through icons. Journal of Visual Literacy, 30(3), 91–115.
- Forsythe, A. & Sheehy, N. (2011). Is it not beautiful? The Psychologist, 24(7).
- Forsythe, A. (2009). Visual complexity: is that all there is? In Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics (LNCS 5639). Springer. doi.org
- McDougall, S., Forsythe, A., Isherwood, S., Petocz, A., Reppa, I. & Stevens, C. (2009). The use of multimodal representation in icon interpretation. In Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics (LNCS 5639). Springer. doi.org
- Forsythe, A., Mulhern, G. & Sawey, M. (2008). Confounds in pictorial sets: the role of complexity and familiarity in basic-level picture processing. Behavior Research Methods, 40(1), 116–129.
- McDougall, S., Forsythe, A. & Stares, L. (2005). Icon use by different language groups. Interact, 1083–1086.
- Forsythe, A. (2004). Evaluating automated text analysis: mapping the political language of the Good Friday Agreement. Current Psychology, 23(3), 215–224.
- Forsythe, A., Sheehy, N. & Sawey, M. (2003). Measuring icon complexity: an automated analysis. Behavior Research Methods, 35(2), 334–342.
- Forsythe, A. & Gallagher, M. (2003). Mental health caseloads in Northern Ireland. Clinical Psychology, 22, 29–34.
- Forsythe, A., Sheehy, N. & Sawey, M. (2003). Automated measurement of complexity. Human Centred Computing, 205–209.
Books
- Forsythe, A. (2022). 50 Key Thinkers in Psychology (2nd ed.). Routledge.
- Forsythe, A. (2021). The Psychology Student’s Complete Guide to Career Success. Routledge.
- Forsythe, A. (2019). Key Thinkers in Individual Differences: Ideas on Personality and Intelligence. Routledge. ISBN 978-1138494213.
- Forsythe, A. in Davey, G. (Ed.) (2007). The Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Psychology. Hodder Arnold.
Professional standards, reports and other writing
- Forsythe, A. (2021). The Business Psychology Framework: Standards for Programme Accreditation. Association for Business Psychology.
- Forsythe, A. (2018). The Business Psychology Framework: Standards for Practice. Association for Business Psychology.
- Arthur, A., Wilson, E., Hale, J., Forsythe, A. & Seymour, J. (2010). Environments for Care at End of Life. King’s Fund.
- Forsythe, A. (2008). The Behaviour and Toxicity of Petroleum Hydrocarbons. Petroleum Industry, UK.
- Forsythe, A., Evans, C. & Kandiko-Howson, C. (2018). Disrupting learning gain. Times Higher Education, 13 September, 42–45. timeshighereducation.com
- Kandiko-Howson, C., Edwards, C., Forsythe, A. & Evans, C. (2018). The quest to measure learning gain. SRHE blog. srheblog.com
- Edwards, C., Forsythe, A., Evans, C. & Kandiko-Howson, C. (2018). Nothing ventured, nothing learning-gained? Wonkhe. wonkhe.com
- Silvero, S. & Forsythe, A. (2018). Blogging as a pedagogy: the award-winning PsychLiverpool blog. Psych-Talk, 89, 8–10.
Podcast series: POW, The Psychology of Work
From 2020 to 2024 I interviewed leaders, authors and researchers for POW: The Psychology of Work, the podcast of the Association for Business Psychology (ABP), while serving as ABP Chair. Conversations covered leadership after Covid, the future of work and AI, wellbeing, ethics and whistleblowing, and women leading online education.
- Professor Sir Cary Cooper on a post-Covid leadership agenda (2020)
What the Covid crisis taught us as we entered a recession, the state of business and world leadership, and what first drew Sir Cary, adviser to the WHO, ILO and EU on workplace wellbeing, into psychology. - When a robot becomes your boss: Anton Fishman (2021)
The future of work when machine and human intelligence sit side by side, why some traditional professional boundaries are unsustainable, and the lasting value of “deeply human” skills. - The pace of change is too slow: John Amaechi OBE (2021)
The New York Times best-selling author, named one of HR’s most influential thinkers, on his background, leadership and the need for radical change after Covid. - A single voice can make a difference: Nuala Walsh (2022)
Research into bystander effects in organisations, practical steps that encourage people to speak up about unethical behaviour, and career routes into the field. - Workplace wellbeing during challenging times: Claire de Carteret (2022)
Worrying global trends in workplace wellbeing and practical ways organisations can respond. - Empowering the volunteer: Sakshi Bansal, UNESCO Kindness Leader (2022)
How Sakshi grew Project LEAP from small beginnings into a worldwide initiative, recognised by UNESCO in naming her its first Kindness Leader. - Putting psychology into practice: Sunaina Sinha Haldea, Raymond James (2023)
From humble beginnings in India and Vietnam to founding Cebile Capital, later acquired by Fortune 500 firm Raymond James, and how she applies psychology in finance. - Performance, wellbeing and collaboration through a mindset of growth: Rich Cook (2023)
The founder of Mindset Practice on applying humanistic psychology and psychometrics to help people perform from a mindset of growth rather than survival. - How are leadership expectations evolving? Dan Hughes, Talogy (2023)
How quickly employees’ expectations of leaders are changing, how meeting core psychological needs strengthens leadership, and how the best leaders thrive under pressure. - Women leaders in online learning: Vicky Irwin, Kate Lindsay and Jo-Anne Murray (2024)
An International Women’s Day special with leaders from Times Higher Education and the University of Leeds on their experiences shaping online education. - Senior leadership disclosure of mental health lived experience: Dr Rachel Lewis (2024)
A Mental Health Awareness Week special on what happens when senior leaders talk openly about their own mental health.
Invited talks and plenaries
- 2024: Times Higher Education Market Insights, “Meet learners where the trends are: challenges in online learning”
- 2024: Guest interviewer, plenary on generative AI in the digitalisation of higher education, Higher Education Partners partnership event, London
- 2021: Plenary, “Beyond: lessons from Covid-19 about wellbeing, diversity, purpose and connectivity”, ABP 21st Annual Conference
- 2019: Expert panel, collaborative working in the construction industry, Turner & Townsend, London
- 2019: Invited, self-regulated learning approaches in HE, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh
- 2019: Invited, “Making sense of learning gain”, University of Winchester
- 2018: Keynote, “A practitioner guide to goal setting: maximising student success through self-regulation”, Improving Outcomes, University of Southampton
- 2018: Invited, self-regulated learning approaches in HE, University of Bristol Educational Excellence Series
- 2017: Invited, principles of psychometrics for assessment, Higher Education Academy
- 2016: Invited, “Thanks, but no thanks for the feedback”, University of Bristol and Staffordshire University Excellence Series
Selected media coverage
My research using fractal analysis of artists’ brushstrokes to detect early signs of neurological decline was reported around the world in 2016 and 2017. Some links below are behind the publisher’s paywall.
Press and online
- Wall Street Journal (2017): The science of spotting Alzheimer’s in a painting
- The Guardian (2016): Paintings reveal early signs of cognitive decline, claims study
- The Telegraph (2016): Paintings can show if artist was suffering from Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s
- El País (2016): El párkinson de Dalí aparece en sus cuadros 20 años antes del diagnóstico
- Daily Express (2016): Art of Pablo Picasso could help scientists understand how brain diseases work
- ScienceDaily (2016): Research release on fractal analysis of famous painters
- The Times (2016): How brushstrokes reveal an artist’s failing health
- Huffington Post UK (2016): Famous paintings by artists who had Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s may reveal clues to diagnosis
- New Scientist (2012): What neurology secrets lie behind the most controversial artworks of the last century
Television and radio
- BBC News (2018): Meet the artist whose brain makes him paint all night, discussing the neurology behind Wayne Sheppard’s sudden urge to paint after a seizure
- BBC One Breakfast and BBC News at Six (2016), with BBC News online: Art may reveal early signs of dementia
- CBC Radio, As It Happens (2017): Signs of dementia and Parkinson’s revealed in the brushstrokes of famous painters
- Global News Radio, Canada (2017): interview on The Kelly Cutrara Show
Research funding
More than £1.2 million in research and development funding from 24 awards, including the Office for Students, Universities UK, the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy, the Royal Society and the EU Marie Curie programme.
| Year | Funder | Project | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Office for Students | Eliminating barriers to postgraduate research study (Principal Investigator) | £798,667 |
| 2023 | Universities UK | Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme (Nizhyn University) | £89,271 |
| 2021 | NHS Finance | Coaching for resilience | £2,700 |
| 2018 | Swithinbank | Medical professionalism | £67,000 |
| 2018 | Liverpool Dental School | Medical professionalism | £17,097 |
| 2018 | University of Liverpool, Centre for Educational Development & Support | Educational development | £2,000 |
| 2017 | Kaplan International | Curriculum development | £20,000 |
| 2016 | Government of Saudi Arabia | Digital strategies and learning | £45,000 |
| 2016 | University of Liverpool | Learning gains | £5,000 |
| 2015 | Laureate Education | Psychometric development | £15,000 |
| 2013 | University of Liverpool | Student experience grant | £5,000 |
| 2010 | The Leverhulme Trust | Fractals in art | £15,000 |
| 2010 | Aberystwyth University | Teaching and learning award | £2,000 |
| 2009 | Welsh Assembly | Fractals in art | £55,000 |
| 2009 | King’s Fund | Care at the End of Life programme | £44,000 |
| 2009 | Liverpool John Moores University | Teaching and learning award | £5,000 |
| 2007 | Energy Institute | Petrochemical education | £7,000 |
| 2007 | British Academy | Consumer sentiment index | £15,000 |
| 2006 | Queen’s University Belfast | Teaching and learning award | £5,000 |
| 2005 | Marie Curie (EU Framework, CORDIS) | Lecturers into Industry knowledge transfer, plus bursary for City & Guilds Level 7 in Organisational Design | £15,000 |
| 2005 | Nuffield Foundation | Healing environments | £4,050 |
| 2005 | British Academy | Evidence-based architecture | £3,800 |
| 2005 | Queen’s University Belfast | Promising Researcher Award | £5,000 |
| 2004 | Royal Society | Complexity in icon and symbol design | £1,300 |
Get in touch for a full CV or referee details.
