Keynote Speaker
Nichola is Emeritus Professor of Appearance Psychology at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. She founded the Centre for Appearance Research at UWE in 1992 and was its Co-Director until 2018. Nichola has an international reputation for her research into the psychology of visible difference (disfigurement) and has published widely in the field. Nichola has led and continues to participate in several EU funded projects and was the Chair of the EU funded COST Action IS1210 “Appearance Matters” (a network of researchers and practitioners from 35 European countries) from 2013-2017. Nichola was President of The Craniofacial Society of Great Britain & Ireland from 2003-4 and the first psychologist to be elected to this role. She acted as British Psychological Society Consultant to the UK Government’s Department of Health 2004-2010 and led the ACPA Global Task Force on Holistic Outcomes in Cleft Care from 2013-2020. Nichola is an Honorary Life Member of the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain & Ireland (CFSGBI) and the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS). She was appointed Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for services to people with disfigurement. Following her retirement from UWE in 2018, Nichola continues to work as a Consultant Research Psychologist, developing and delivering training and designing clinical aids to improve standards of patient care in the cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery sectors in Australia, Europe and the UK.