Sara Vestergren

Sara Vestergren (PhD) is a lecturer in psychology at the School of Psychology, Keele University, UK. Before joining Keele University, Sara held a position as a lecturer in social psychology at University of Salford.

Drawing upon social psychological theories of group dynamics and collective action, Sara’s research focuses on experiences of participation in collective action and understanding of the social context. More specifically, using a self-categorisation framework, Sara’s work focuses on psychological outcomes (e.g. wellbeing and radicalisation) of participation in various protest contexts and the various processes leading to these outcomes. At the core of her research is the contributions that protests and collective action can make to contemporary issues, such as the impact of protests in fighting the climate crisis.

Aiming to use research to make tangible societal impact, she has been working with organisations engaging in societal change, as well as regularly participating in academic and public workshops and other public engagement. From January 2021 Sara has also led the COVIDiSTRESSII international collaboration with 150 researchers from around the globe, exploring experiences of living a year with the Covid-19 pandemic.