Matt Gaskell, Fay Laidler, Richard Tunney, Steve Sharman

Matt Gaskell

Consultant Psychologist and the Clinical Lead of the NHS Northern Gambling Service, which has regional clinics in Manchester, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle. He is a leading advocate for reform of gambling regulation and legislation and works closely with government departments and parliaments. He is the topic advisor for the NICE Guidelines on Harmful Gambling. He is a visiting lecturer in addiction at the University of Hull, Leeds, Teeside, Sheffield, and Newcastle. He has over twenty years’ experience working with people with addiction presentations.

Fay Laidler

Fay worked as a secondary school teacher and an adult learning trainer from 1995, before starting her PhD in Public Health at the University of Glasgow in 2021. She is exploring the policy roles of women harmed by gambling products. The PhD is funded by The Alliance charity, Scotland.

Her first degree is in English Language, gained in 1987 at Newcastle University. Her PGCE is in Modern Foreign Languages, completed at the University of Northumbria in 1995.

Fay completed a Masters in Careers Education and Coaching at the University of Derby in 2021.

Fay’s research interests include exploring the impact of engaging people with lived experience in policy and research. She was a panel member and co-chair of the UK Gambling Commission Lived Experience Advisory Panel from 2020-2022 and is a woman harmed by gambling products.

Richard Tunney

Professor Richard Tunney is an experimental cognitive psychologist with a research focus on judgment and decision-making. He is currently Head of Psychology at Aston University in the United Kingdom, where he has been a Professor since 2018. Prior to joining Aston, Professor Tunney was an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham for 12 years, and held other academic positions at Keele University and University College London.

Professor Tunney’s research interests include surrogate decision-making, behavioral addiction, impulsivity, implicit learning and categorization, episodic memory, second-language acquisition, and pro-social behavior. He is particularly interested in how people make decisions in complex and uncertain environments. His work has important implications for a wide range of real-world issues, such as public policy, healthcare, and business.

In addition to his research, Professor Tunney is also a dedicated teacher and mentor. He has taught a wide range of courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level, and he is currently supervising several PhD students. Professor Tunney is also a passionate advocate for public engagement with science, and he regularly gives talks and writes articles for the general public.

Professor Tunney is a highly respected researcher and educator in the field of cognitive psychology. His work has made significant contributions to our understanding of how people make decisions, and he is committed to using his research to make a positive impact on the world.

Professor Tunney is Co-Director of Research for the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling.

Steve Sharman