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Biography

Apoorva (Ria) Amirapu is a PhD researcher in Human Factors and Applied Psychology at the University of Aberdeen, conducting industry-facing research within the nuclear sector commissioned by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). She holds an MRes in Psychological Research Skills with Distinction and a First-Class BSc in Psychology from the University of Aberdeen. Her undergraduate thesis, “Disordered eating in female Indian students during the Covid-19 pandemic: The potential role of family,” was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders and is included in the WHO COVID-19 research database.

Following her undergraduate degree, Ria worked as an Assistant Psychologist with NHS Grampian, where she completed Human Factors training through NHS Education for Scotland (NES). She conducted human factors and performance audits examining staff decision-making and workflow efficiency in clinical services, informing service-level strategies to optimise staff capacity. In collaboration with government and healthcare stakeholders, she evaluated staff training needs in line with national recommendations, analysed patient wellbeing data to support patient-centred service development,  and developed system-wide care bundles to promote equitable access to mental health resources, contributing to system-level improvements in care delivery.

Her doctoral research focuses on operational decision-making in the nuclear industry, under the supervision of Dr Amy Irwin, Dr Eva Rubinova, Dr Ruby Roberts, and Professor Rhona Flin. Working closely with ONR and industry stakeholders, her research aims to generate evidence-based insights and practical recommendations to inform regulatory guidance and improve decision-making in high-risk environments.