Gillian Hill joined the Psychology Department as a full-time lecturer in January 2017. Previously she taught as a visiting 
lecturer alongside her PhD research at the University. She is programme director for the undergraduate Psychology BSc programme and currently delivers the core module of Research Methods and Statistics alongside Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology, and optional modules including Animal Behaviour. In addition, she supervises undergraduate and postgraduate project students. She is a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).
Gillian researches in the area of creativity and performance, her principal research interest being in creative problem solving and specifically insight moments; which are sudden Aha or Uh-oh moments of new understanding. Gillian uses a variety of methods in her research, both interview and online questionnaires alongside face-to-face experimental work, where she explores how psychological and physiological (for example heart activity) factors impact on the experience of insight.
In addition, Gillian is passionate about sharing psychological knowledge with a range of audiences. She is co-founder (alongside Dr Shelly Kemp, Kings College London and Dr Lindsey Carruthers, Edinburgh Napier University) of UK Creativity Researchers, who hold annual conferences to present research and explore the Psychology of Creativity from a multidisciplinary perspective, looking to build impact, skills and collaborations.
Gillian also aims to contribute to a public understanding of the diverse nature of science and the people who ‘do’ science, with the view that anyone and everyone can get involved. As such, alongside her teaching and research, she also participates in activities including school visits and public engagement events. Gillian was a speaker at Soapbox Science MK 2016 and is now part of the organising committee to provide this exciting opportunity to other local scientists.
Contact Gillian:
- Follow on Twitter @g1llh1ll
Publications and conference papers:
For full versions of these papers please click here. For papers with publication restrictions, please feel free to contact Gillian for a copy.
Marrone, R., Taddeo, V., & Hill, G. (2022). Creativity and Artificial Intelligence—A Student Perspective. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030065
Hill, G. (2022). Insight: Developing Creative Thinkers with Ahas and Uh-Ohs?. In Creativity and Innovation Theory, Research, and Practice (pp. 119-132). Routledge. eBook ISBN 9781003233923
August 2022. Chair of Symposium: Qualitative approaches in cognitive psychology: showcasing possibilities through the lens of creative problem-solving research at 22nd meeting of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP), Lille, France.
Hill, G. (2022) The (not so) hidden history of qualitative research in creative problem solving and cognitive psychology. 22nd meeting of the European Society for Cognitive Psychology (ESCoP), Lille, France.
Hill, G. (2022) Using an open science framework in STEM teaching and learning: VLE-based pre-registration as part of assessment to aid student engagement and promote academic integrity. Poster Presentation at Advance HE 2022 Teaching and Learning Conference, Newcastle.
McCarthy, D. & Hill, G. (2022). Additive and Subtractive Changes in Problem Solving with Lego. Oral Presentation at UK Creativity Researchers Conference, London.
Hill, G. (2021) Big C and diversity. Oral Presentation at American Psychological Society Creativity Salon (run in collaboration with UK Creativity Researchers), Virtual Conference.
Plumridge, R. J., & Hill, G. (2021) It’s a match! Which cat and owner purrrsonality trait combinations correlate with the highest owner-cat attachments? Oral Presentation at the 31st International Society for Anthrozoology Conference 2021, Virtual Conference.
Hill, G. (2019) Big C and diversity. Oral Presentation at the UK Creativity Researchers Conference hosted by UCLAN, Preston.
Hill, G., & Kemp, S. M. (2018). Connect 4: A Novel Paradigm to Elicit Positive and Negative Insight and Search Problem Solving. Frontiers in psychology, 9. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01755. Read abstract.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2018), “Uh-oh! What Have We Missed? A Qualitative Investigation into Everyday Insight Experience”, The Journal of Creative Behavior. 52(3), 201-211. doi: 10.1002/jocb.142. Read abstract.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2018) The effects of gender and socioeconomic status on perceptions of creative problem solving. Oral presentation at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Annual Conference, Liverpool.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2017) Somatic Markers of Positive and Negative Insight.Oral presentation as part of symposium Insight-Based Problem Solving: The Roles of Convergent and Divergent Thinking and Attentional Processes at the 20th Annual Conference of European Society for Cognitive Psychology, Potsdam.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2016), “Characterisation of Negative Insight: the Uh-oh Moment”, Oral presentation at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Annual Conference, Barcelona.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2016), “Heart Rate Differences in Insight and Non-insight Problem Solving”, Poster presentation at the British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Annual Conference, Barcelona.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2016), “Everyday Experience of Insight”, Oral presentation at PsyPAG conference, York.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2015), “An experimental investigation into variations in emotional expression and interception and their relationship to physiological (heart rate) changes during insight moments elicited by the CRA task”, Poster presentation at British Psychological Society Cognitive Section Conference, Canterbury.
Hill, G. & Kemp, S. M. (2014), “Everyday Experience of Insight”, Poster presentation at PsyPAG conference, Cardiff.
Need to find someone else? Visit our Staff Finder