Tamsin Greene Barker

Dr Tamsin Greene Barker is a researcher affiliated with the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford. She is also a Trainee Clinical Psychologist and Honorary Research Fellow at University College London.

Research

Tamsin is interested in developing community-based interventions for the prevention of mental ill-health, as well as improving outcomes for those seeking mental health treatment. Her research uses quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods approaches, particularly systematic reviews and meta-analyses, trajectory modelling and grounded theory. Her qualitative research focuses on participatory approaches that amplify the voices of vulnerable, marginalised and socio-economically disadvantaged young people in intervention development and evaluation. Her quantitative research is embedded within the Core Data Lab at UCL, in collaboration with Professor Joshua Buckman and Professor Rob Saunders. This work employs data science to improve psychological treatment outcomes for individuals with complex emotional needs.

Background

Tamsin holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics, Economics and Sociology (PPES) from Trinity College Dublin, where she was awarded the Whately Memorial Prize. Following her undergraduate studies, she worked in the behavioural economics unit of Ireland's Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). She then worked as an economist, statistician and policy analyst for the Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service (IGEES), Central Statistics Office (CSO), and National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC).  

She has an MSc in Psychology (conversion degree) from University College London and an MSc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation (EBSIPE) from the University of Oxford. She was awarded a George Moore Scholarship and a Grand Union DTP Studentship, and was recognised on the UCL Dean’s List.

Tamsin completed her DPhil in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Supervised by Professor Frances Gardner, Professor Elaine Keane and Professor Peter Fonagy, her thesis focused on the co-design of mental health interventions with young people from socio-economically disadvantaged communities. While conducting her doctoral research, she taught qualitative and participatory methods as a Teaching Fellow, provided mental health crisis support as a Junior Dean, and worked as a Research Assistant for the iCATS (identifying Child Anxiety Through Schools) project.

Clinical Work

Alongside her research, Tamsin is completing clinical training in psychology with the NHS and University College London, where she is on the clinical-academic pathway. She has clinical experience across NHS, private practice and educational settings. She previously held roles in Oxford Clinical Psychology, the UCL University Clinic, NHS Talking Therapies, and a secondary care service for people with complex emotional needs. She currently works clinically within a specialist forensic psychology service.