Academic and strategic leadership

Prof. Hanna Zagefka currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Science at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Her previous leadership roles include:

• Head of Department of Psychology (2022–2025)

• Director of Ethics

• Director of Student Recruitment

• Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes

• Director of Teaching and Learning

Research

Prof. Zagefka is a social psychologist whose work focuses on intergroup relations, social identity, acculturation, prejudice, and behaviour change in the context of intergroup helping. Her research examines how group identities shape social behaviour—for instance, how donations to victims of humanitarian disasters can be encouraged by appealing to shared social identities.

She is Co-Editor of the book Intergroup Helping (Springer) and has published widely in leading academic journals. Her research has been featured in national media outlets including the BBC and The Economist, and has received funding from the ESRC (UKRI) and the Leverhulme Trust.

Prof. Zagefka is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol). Her empirical work spans Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

External leadership & service to the field

Prof. Zagefka contributes extensively to her discipline through editorial, reviewing, and advisory roles, which have previously included:

• Chief Editor, British Journal of Social Psychology

• Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Psychology

• Chair, Research Council Grants Assessment Panel, FWO (Flanders)

• Panel Member, ESRC; National Science Centre (Poland); Latvian Council of Science, DFG; La Caixa Foundation

• Invited Visiting Professor, University of Northampton (mentoring and coaching global majority staff)

• External Examiner, Undergraduate Programmes at Asia Pacific University (Kuala Lumpur), Goldsmiths (University of London), and University of Kent

• Committee Member, BPS Social Psychology Section

Teaching & PhD supervision

Prof. Zagefka has taught extensively at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, particularly in social, organisational, and health psychology. She has supervised numerous PhD students, both home and international, to successful completion, and welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral candidates. She is passionate about creating supportive conditions that allow PhD students to flourish and her book 'Unlock your PhD Potential' published in 2026 by Routledge explores ingredients for PhD success. 

Past doctoral projects have explored topics such as:

• Why people donate more to victims of some disasters than others

• Why some view multiculturalism as enriching while others see it as threatening

• How group memberships (e.g., nationality or ethnicity) shape perception and social behaviour