Prof Zoe Walkington

Professional biography

I have worked as a full time psychology lecturer since 2003, and I started working with the Open University as an Associate Lecturer in 2004. In 2013 I obtained my PhD in Forensic Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and I obtained a position working full time for the Open University as a Staff Tutor in late 2014. My role involved working with psychology and counselling Associate Lecturers in the North West, as well as contributing to the Department of Psychology on a variety of modules. In January 2016 I moved to the central psychology department where I worked on the production of postgraduate psychology modules in the area of criminal and investigative psychology. In January 2018 I became Deputy Director of Learning in the Centre for Policing Research and Learning, where I worked on matters associated with psychology that are relevant to policing. In August 2020 I moved back into a role in the School of Psychology and Counselling working on short courses, and postgraduate provision. I obtained a Masters in Creative writing in 2023.  I became a Professor in 2022, and since August 2023 have been one of the Faculty Media Fellows. 

Research interests

My main research interest is in stories or narratives, and there are two main strands to this research. First I am interested in the impacts that reading can have on individuals psychologically (for example I have carried out research in how reading initiatives can help with the development of empathy). Second I am interested in how story can be used to 'create' or inform individuals identity. As an example of this I have carried out research on how police identity is created and shaped on Facebook sites. 

I am also increasingly interested in the psychology of creative writing, and in areas where creative writing and psychology intersect. 

Police Research

I am currently working on a research project which looks at Police Body Worn camera footage.  

I worked on two research grants for the Police Knowledge Fund (2015 - 2017). One involved developing top up training for counter terrorism interviewers, and one involved the 'small story' analysis of police owned facebook sites in order to understand how the police identity is shaped on such sites.I also worked on the Citizen Forensics project grant which looked at how Citizens collaborate with police and other services through online tools.

In my PhD I researched investigative interviewing and there were two main strands to this, which comprised both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. 1. I examined how suspects and police officers achieved complicity and resistance in interview settings through the use of narrative strategies when talking (or refusing to talk!) about criminal incidents. 2. I researched witness interpretations of criminal incidents. Specifically how potential witnesses may be influenced by “interviewee bias” from a variety of potential sources, and the extent to which such bias might be mitigated by anticipatory thinking strategies. 

Teaching interests

My teaching interests are in both psychology and literature (including creative writing), and in the area of  investigative psychology.

Impact and engagement

I have developed several free courses, available on Open Learn. 

Introducing the Psychology of our relationships with fictional villains (2024) 

Investigating a Murder with Forensic Psychology (2023) 

What happens to you when you read  (2022) 

In March 2021 I was involved as an academic advisor on the BBC Sounds Podcast "Bad People"

In 2019 I was the academic advisor to the BBC2 (Wall to Wall) production "Catching Britains Killers: the crimes that changed us." This three part documentary looked at key cases that have changed the face of the British Criminal Justice System

In 2017 I was academic advisor on the BBC2 (Minnow) production "The Detectives: Murder on the streets". This was a four part documentary following Detectives in the GMP murder investigation team.

I have produced a video for BBC ideas which can be viewed here. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/how-stories-shape-our-minds/p07h9t70?playlist=made-in-partnership-with-the-open-university

External collaborations

I am currently collaborating with colleagues at Lancaster university. I have collaborated in knowledge transfer activities (in the area of investigative interviewing)  with colleagues from Liverpool University (Professor Laurence Alison). I have also collaborated in research publications with colleagues from Sheffield Hallam University.