The School of Psychology welcomes new member of staff, Dr Jenny Groarke. Jenny graduated from the National University of Ireland, Galway with a BA in Psychological Studies and Sociological and Political Science in 2006, and a Higher Diploma in Psychology (conversion) in 2007. In 2012 she was awarded an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholarship for her PhD in Psychology examining the functions and effects of music listening in adolescence versus older adulthood. Following her PhD, Jenny was a postdoctoral researcher with the mHealth Research Group at NUI, Galway on an Irish Cancer Society funded project designing and evaluating an intervention using mobile technology and behaviour change techniques to improve health behaviour among cancer survivors.  

Jenny’s research focuses on applications of music for health and wellbeing enhancement, with a particular emphasis on the development of theories and measurement instruments. Jenny’s more recent research is using mobile technology and experience sampling applications to examine the effects of music in people’s everyday lives.

Jenny is also involved in research in psycho-oncology. Before beginning her PhD, she was a research assistant on the Challenging Breast Cancer Together project, and has maintained this interest throughout her PhD, postdoctoral position, and into her current role. Jenny is especially interested in positive adaptations to cancer, such as, post-traumatic growth and benefit finding. This work involves longitudinal modelling examining how negative emotional experiences and their regulation predict positive growth over the cancer trajectory.

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