Dr Monja Knoll

Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology

Biography

Background

I joined the Clinical Psychology department in January 2018. Before  that, I had been working as a lecturer and senior lecturer at several universities for more than a decade (Portsmouth University, University of the West of Scotland, Manchester Metropolitation University).  I predominately teach on the MSC Mental Health in Children and Young People, and I am also the programme director of that programme. I supervise MSc students across our different programmes, PhD students and also students on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology programme. 

My research interests are quite ecclectic.  I am interested emotional and linguistic development across a wide range of lifespan stages, particularly in populations in which emotional and linguistic development may be vulnerable to negative factors. Currently I am working on projects with young looked after and accomodated children. 

I have previously investigated emotional acoustic properties of the voice, and how these features may affect social interactions within an emotional intelligence framework. More recently, I have also become interested in human-animal interactions, and how these interactions shape emotional and social development in children and adults. 

 

Qualifications

PhD in Psychology from the University of Portsmouth (2005 - 2008)

MSc in Psychological Research Methods (Distinction - 2004 - 2005)

BSc Psychology (First class degree - 2001 - 2004)

Responsibilities & affiliations

Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching and Quality Assurance Lead in the School of Health in Social Sciences

Programme Director MSc Children and Young People: Psychological Approaches (Campus)

Director for Postgraduate Tutoring

 

Research summary

  • Socio-emotional and linguistic development across a wide range of lifespan stages
  • Long-term mental health outcomes in looked after and accommodated children
  • Acoustic speech analysis and methods development in relation to social interactions and attachment

Selection of relevant publications:

Wauthier, L. M., Knoll, M., SPCA Scottish, & Williams, J. M. (2025). Evaluation of the Animal Guardians Program: An Intervention for Children Who Have Harmed Animals. Anthrozoös, 1-24.

Iqbal, U., Williams, J. M., & Knoll, M. (2025). Children’s Comfort From Pets During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Attachment and Children’s Treatment of Pets. Anthrozoös, 1-19.

Davies, R. M., Knoll, M. A., & Kyranides, M. N. (2024). A moderated mediation analysis on the influence of social support and cognitive flexibility in predicting mental wellbeing in elite sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102560.

Wells, J., Knoll, M. A., Lyons-Ruth, K., & Obsuth, I. (2023). History of abuse and adolescent hostile-helpless attachment: The mediating role of mother-adolescent punitive interactions. Child Abuse & Neglect, 140, 106190.

Obsuth, I., Murray, A. L., Knoll, M., Ribeaud, D., & Eisner, M. (2023). Teacher-student relationships in childhood as a protective factor against adolescent delinquency up to age 17: A propensity score matching approach. Crime & Delinquency, 69(4), 727-755.

Iqbal, U., Williams, J. M., & Knoll, M. A. (2023). An Evaluation of a Canine Welfare Education Intervention for Primary School Children. Anthrozoös, 1-20.

Williams, J. M., Cardoso, M. P., Zumaglini, S., Finney, A. L., Scottish SPCA, & Knoll, M. A. (2022). “Rabbit Rescuers”: A school-based animal welfare education intervention for young children. Anthrozoös, 35(1), 55-73.

Williams, J. M., Wauthier, L., Scottish SPCA, & Knoll, M. A. (2022). Veterinarians’ experiences of treating cases of animal abuse: An online questionnaire study. Veterinary record, 191(11), 1-11.

Connolly, J., Reid, G, Knoll, M. A., Halliday, W, & Windsor, S. (2018). The sustainability of knowledge brokerage of the mental health improvement outcomes framework in Scotland: A follow-up analysis. Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice

Knoll, M. A., & Costall, A. (2015). Characterising variation of pitch contours produced by different speaker groups. Speech Communication, 66, 231 – 243.

McGregor, S. A., & Knoll, M. A. (2015). The Theory of Planned Behaviour as a framework

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