Apoorva (Ria) Amirapu is currently undertaking her MRes in Psychological Research Skills at the University of Aberdeen as part of an integrated PhD programme in collaboration with the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). She graduated with a First-Class BSc in Psychology from the University of Aberdeen in 2022. 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 has since been included in the WHO COVID-19 research database.

Following her degree, Ria worked as an Assistant Psychologist with NHS Grampian in 2023 where she completed several Human Factors training courses facilitated by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Here, she also conducted audits exploring staff decision-making processes and workflow efficiency during second-choice CAMHS appointments, aiming to inform system-level strategies for optimising staff capacity and service delivery. She also evaluated staff training needs in line with government recommendations to design a strategic training plan focused on enhancing staff proficiency in evidence-based therapies. Additionally, she analysed patient wellbeing survey data to support patient-centred service development.

Her current 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.