Dr Anna Paolillo

Throughout my experience with different audiences (e.g., undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D., professionals, low and high educational levels), I have developed sounded and robust teaching strategies, grounded in pedagogic research and tailored to the students' needs. My inclusive approach has been recognised as exemplar through internal and external feedback; specifically, my innovative practices have been highly commended through the achievement of the Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, and recognised by the external examiners and during accreditation visits.

My sustained efforts in developing an inclusive curriculum have been acknowledged through the awards and recognitions obtained in the last three year, especially in terms of funded research to address the PG achievement gap for BAME students and the awards as lecturer of the year and runner ups for best personal tutor.

A substantial part of my published research is also focused on providing professionals in the educational sector (e.g., teachers, educators and career counsellors) with evidence-based tools and advice to enhance students' skills.

KU Awards, Recognitions and Teaching Research Grants

• Principal Investigator for the project entitled "Addressing the postgraduate attainment gap for BAME students: a research intervention on predictors of academic achievement and peer tutoring", within the Student Academic Development Research Associates Scheme (SADRAS), Kingston University (2022). Awarded maximum budget for 100 hour of student research assistance. 
• Winner, Lecturer of the year award for Best Use of Technology, KBS (2021).
• Runner up, Lecturer of the year award as Best Personal Tutor, KBS (2020).

Visiting roles and external appointments:

• External examiner for Leeds Beckett University BA (Hons) Social Psychology – BASOP and BA (Hons) Sociology and Psychological Studies – BASPS (since 2022).
• External examiner for Birkbeck MSc Organisational Psychology (since 2022).
• Member of the ABP Accredited Programme Leads (since 2021), piloted the first round of "Buz Psych Cup".
• Member of the Stakeholder Committee, Department of Educational Processes, University of Catania, Italy (since A.Y. 2019/20). My expertise and feedback has been fundamental for their re-accreditation with the ANVUR (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research Systems).

• Visiting lecturer at University of Catania Italy; Invited seminars on Quantitative research in Career Counselling within the Undergraduate Degree in Psychology (since 2020).

• Honorary fellow in Work and Organizational Psychology, Department of Educational Processes, University of Catania, Italy (since 2011), acting as a dissertation supervisor and member of the examination and assessment panel (including marking) until 2016.

•  Honorary fellow in Psychometrics, Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology Department, University of Verona, Italy (since 2012), acting as a dissertation supervisor and member of the examination and assessment panel (including marking and delivering research workshops on psychometrics) until 2015.     

    

                                                                                                                

Qualifications and expertise

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Certified Management and Business Educator

Undergraduate courses taught

• Business Management BSc (Hons)

Postgraduate courses taught

• Global Human Resource Management MSc
• Occupational and Business Psychology MSc

My research expertise is in the area of psychological assessment in organisational contexts, from workplace to educational and students' career development. Those research interests are linked to both my teaching core areas and my professional practice and experience of more than fifteen-years as a career counsellor and training consultant for low and higher education students and professionals in the UK and abroad.

I have long standing experience in the development of robust and theoretically sounded tools to assess employees perceptions in the workplace (i.e., organisational climates related to diversity, inclusion and safety) and individual differences that can impact students' achievement and career choices (e.g., risk intelligence and psychological capital). 

I successfully published the outcomes of the above research in peer-reviewed journals, ranked Q1 and Q2 on Scimago, including Journal of Safety Research (ABS 2 stars) and Personality and Individual Differences (ABS 3 stars). My work has also been published by sector-leading editors in the area of educational and psychological testing, such as Hogrefe and Erickson Eds.

Since 2020, I am an Editorial Board Member of Frontiers in Psychology (IF: 2.067; SJR: 0.914) and Life Span and Disability (IF: 1.000; SJR: 0.329) journals and I am a regular reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals.

I have recently received a grant as Principal Investigator within the BA Leverhulme Small Grant Funding Scheme for a project entitled "Rethinking employee safety and customer experience in the post-pandemic era: a pilot study in the hospitality sector" (Funding Awarded: £9,947.76).

I am an active member of two KU Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research Teams, having submitted an internal bid as part of the Research for Better Health, Health Care and Social Care stream and an internal bid as part of the Research on AI, Digital Society, Security, Risk and Resilience stream. Currently awaiting outcome.

Qualifications and expertise

• RISE Leadership Research Academy
• Registered and active PhD/PGR supervisor

Areas of specialism

• Diversity and Inclusion
• Health and Safety
• Organisational climate
• Psychological capital
• Wellbeing at work

Scholarly affiliations

• Future of Work and New Ways of Working - Research Hub
• Member of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology - EAWOP
• Member of the European Association of Occupational Health Psychology - EAOHP
• Member of the editorial board of 'Frontiers in Psychology' journal
• Member of the editorial board of 'Life Span and Disability' journal

Research student supervision

• Mr Vittorio Edoardo Scuderi

Publications

Since 2008 I have been working as a Business Psychologist consultant, researcher and trainer for small, medium and large enterprises in Europe and Kuwait. Main clients included a wide range of professionals at various levels and areas of expertise, such as educators in the penitentiary sector, social workers, manufacturing and infrastructure workers, healthcare assistants, HR and Finance mid-level executives.

I have been using my long international experience as a practitioner to help diverse people before, during and in between employments, and published articles in peer-reviewed journals on the assessments and interventions I delivered.

In the last ten years, I have been working as a consultant on several research projects regarding workplace health and wellbeing at national and international companies. Main topics regarded safety climate and safety performance in their relationships with diversity management, inclusion and communication at work. Clients included: multiple metal and mechanical Italian firms, in collaboration with the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL, Italy) and a Portuguese infrastructure company with more than 15 international branches.

I also served as funded researcher and consultant in career and vocational guidance, study skills and motivation at many schools and university projects (multiple lower secondary schools belonging to the Borough of Catania, Italy, and referring to the Centre for research and investigation about disabilities), in collaboration with University of Catania and Kore University of Enna.

Since joining Kingston Business School, I have significantly supported students at every level of seniority and experience to analyse, diagnostic and intervene on organisational and management matters.

Qualifications and expertise

• Certificate in Practical People Assessment – Association for Business Psychology
• Career counselling and coaching
• BeTalent Strenght - accredited
• BeTalent Teams & Values - accredited
• BeTalent 360 - Accredited
• Psychometrics and psychological testing

Professional and scholarly affiliations

• Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) and Associate Fellow (AFBPsS) - British Psychological Society (BPS)
• Occupational Psychologist - Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• Certified Business Psychologist - Association for Business Psychology (ABP)
• Member of the Italian Association of Psychology (AIP) – Section of Organisational Psychology
• Member of the Italian Association for Career guidance and Counselling (SIO)

University responsibilities

• Course Director MSc Occupational and Business Psychology, full-time occurrence