A researcher from the University of Central Lancashire has been offered a prestigious position and large research grant only offered once every five years.
Dr Donna Thomas, from the School of Health, Social Work and Sport, is the new Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher, which is administered by Trinity College, Cambridge.
It is the first time a University of Central Lancashire academic has been awarded the position, which attracts applicants from around the world.
The three year appointment will allow Donna to conduct research into children and adult extra sensory experiences within the context of human development, with findings fed into services for children and families. She will be supported by her University colleague, senior research assistant Kirsty Allan.
"I’m delighted to be awarded this appointment following a highly competitive process. Having a wider understanding of what it means to be human will inform how we develop services for people."
— Dr Donna Thomas
Donna, who is the Co-Director of the ICreateS International Research Unit, said: “I’m delighted to be awarded this appointment following a highly competitive process. The grant will enable my work to continue around exploring consciousness, and what it means to be human, through qualitative studies.
“The study will explore ‘extra sensory experiences’ with children, families and older people, in the context of human development. These are experiences not often investigated in social science but are common and have meaning for children and adults.
“This research will help us to better understand the wide spectrum of human experience and the nature of consciousness. Having a wider understanding of what it means to be human will inform how we develop services for people.”