Dr Belinda Hornby

In my work I am a lecturer in Psychobiology within the School of Psychology. I teach in the areas of Psychobiology and Neuroscience. My first degree was in Biochemistry from Newcastle University and then more recently my PhD in Psychology is from UCLan (and I also have a graduate diploma in Psychology from UCLan), which studied for part time while working full time as a technician. The area of research during my PhD was psychophysiology, psychopharmacology and behavioural neuroscience. Examining alternative treatments for anxiety, by comparing essential oils with anxiolytic drugs using the tests currently used to validate new anxiolytic drugs.

Since this time, also in my spare time, I have advised on tests to measure drugs of abuse in human hair and most recently worked  assisted  a clinician by analysing longitudinal data following a surgical intervention aimed at improving quality of life in patients who suffer from MND. We have also looked at other aspects contributing to the care of these patients in terms of their quality of life and preferred place of death. These are now published.

My current research interested are essential oils and behaviour, aspects of autonomic nervous system functioning and well-being, well-being in distinct populations of carers, and (along with some of my students) developing a model of anxiety in invertebrates (Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly).

Apart from my work I am currently a licensed lay minister in my local church.