Dr Nellinne Perera

Nellinne is a Lecturer in Psychology and a Chartered Psychologist. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She joined University of Leicester in February 2021 and is currently Deputy Programme Director for the MSc Psychology by distance learning programme. Nellinne also worked at King’s College London part-time as a Teaching Fellow in Psychology. Nellinne completed her dual honours BSc degree Music and Psychology, and Master of Research (MRes) at University of Keele, Staffordshire. From there she went on to complete her PhD in 2020 on the role of leisure activities in musicians’ health and wellbeing at Manchester Metropolitan University in collaboration with Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester (passed with no corrections) under the supervision of Professor Jane Ginsborg, Dr Alinka Greasley and Dr Zoe Franklin.

My research interests are in health and wellbeing of individuals, social and positive psychology and pedagogical research. In health and wellbeing, I have a particular interest in the role of engaging in different creative leisure activities such as music making, arts and crafts and its contribution to health and wellbeing. I am also interested in the distinction between work and leisure and if/how individuals create this distinction for work-life balance.

2021: Ranaweera, N. A. The art of music making for health and wellbeing. British Psychological Society, West Midlands branch newsletter.

2019: Lamont, A., & Ranaweera, N. A. Knit One, Play One: Comparing the Effects of Amateur Knitting and Amateur Music Participation on Happiness and Wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 1-20. DOI:10.1007/s11482-019-09734-z

2015: Perera, N. A. Music vs. knitting for enhanced wellbeing. Under construction journal 1 (1, 28-39).

I would supervise topics relating to health and wellbeing, positive psychology interventions/practices.

I teach primarily across the MSc Psychology, Occupational Psychology and Psychology of Work distance learning programmes and the campus based MSc Psychology programme. I also teach on the campus based undergraduate psychology programme. I supervise Masters Dissertations at postgraduate level.

• Chartered Psychologist
• Registered member at the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology (DART-P) at British Psychological Society
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member of the European Society for the Cognitive Sciences of Music (ESCOM)