Profile

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Amanda Rotella

    • About Me:

      I am originally from Canada and moved up to Newcastle last year. By day, I teach and do research in psychology, and am passionate about science!

      I also love to create – I draw, paint, update funky furniture – or whatever catches my interest. Plus love being outdoors, whether on the water or in the forrest.

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      Fun fact.

      I used to work with bees! I started my research understanding why bees cooperate with each other.

      There are green bees, blue bees, red bees, some that live on their own, others that live in big colonies. Don’t ‘bee’ shy to ask me about them!

    • My pronouns are:

      she/her

    • My Work:

      I do research on how our mind evolved over time. Our ancenstors lived in a very different type of world than we do now, which shaped how our mind works.

      I am intersted in how this shaped our minds. I use these theories to understand when and why people choose to help each other intoday’s world, or instead, when they choose to compete with one another.

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      I research how we choose who we spend time with, and who we avoid. Why do you choose your friends? What makes you choose them? How do you choose who you avoid?

      I’m very interested in how our reputations shape these decisions.

    • My Typical Day:

      Typical day? I’m not very routine.

      I do wake-up in the morning, have a tea, sit and do work, take breaks and stretch. Often have lunch with friends.

      Depending on the day, I might go out with friends afterwards, go to a gig, make dinner, keep working (only if it’s something I am excited about), or create something. Lately, I’ve been working on decorating my house!

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      I’ll use the money to start a blog – create short posts for people outside of science to learn about the cool new ideas and thoughts going on in the exciting world of psychology and research 🙂

    Candidate CV questions (extra)

    • Education:

      1. University of Guelph (Canada) for Master’s and Phd (2013-2020)
      2. Brock University (Canada) for an undergraduate in Biology and Psychology (2007-2011)
      3. I also studied art at Brock University for 2 years (2011-2013)

    • Work History:

      • Lecturer, Kingston University
      • Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Waterloo

      I’ve held various jobs since I was 15, before my academic career. Feel free to ask me about them. These included:

      • Customer service at an ice cream shop
      • Call center for a bank
      • Customer service in a garden center
      • Crisis mental health support worker
      • Support worker in Clubhouse (a mental health program)
      • Student Environmental Officer for the Minstry of the Environment in Ontario

    • Current Job:

      Assistant Professor in Psychology

    • Employer:

      Northumbria University

    • My Interview

      • What did you want to be after you left school?

        Researcher

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Sometimes

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Hard question. Research in industry maybe

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Apocalyptica

        What's your favourite food?

        Pad thai

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        That I could teleport myself anywhere, anytime!

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