Skip to content
researcher

Dr Ria Vaportzis

Assistant Professor

Faculty/Dept/School School of Social Sciences
(Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences)
Emaile.vaportzis@bradford.ac.uk
Telephone +441274 235554

Biography

I hold an Honours in Psychology from the University of Melbourne, and a PhD in Psychology from Monash University. My PhD thesis investigated dual-tasking in healthy ageing and Huntington's disease.

While doing my PhD, I worked as a teaching associate at Monash. Upon completion of my studies, I stayed at Monash and was involved in three multinational clinical studies in Huntington’s disease.

In 2014, I got my first job as a postdoctoral researcher at Heriot-Watt University. My project, Tablet for Healthy Ageing, investigated the potential of tablet computers to improve the health and wellbeing in older adults.

Following the Tablet for Healthy Ageing project, I was a Research Co-Investigator on a Velux Stiftung funded project, The Intervention Factory (also at Heriot-Watt). The Intervention Factory, considered community-based activities (e.g., computers, physical activity, handicraft, languages) as potential interventions for cognitive ageing.

I joined the Psychology team at the University of Bradford in 2018. I am currently leading the Back Onside project that aims to improve health outcomes in vulnerable people through physical activity (funded by UKRI HEIF). I am also Co-Investigator on an NIHR-funded project that investigates the advantages and disadvantages of Open Notes for mental health patients.

In addition to my psychology qualifications, I hold qualifications in languages, sports journalism, personal training, and dancing.

Research

My main research interests lie within the broad field of cognitive psychology. I am particularly interested in interventions that may improve cognition, mental health, quality of life and wellbeing of older adults to help them live independently for longer.
Date Role Title / Description Funder Award
04-MAY-20 - CoIFood waste generation during COVID-19: A comparative study between the UK and Turkey
01-MAR-21 - PIBack Onside: A feasibility study that aims to build resilience and confidence in vulnerable people through physical activity
15-MAR-21 - CoIThe SWANS Study at Bradford: Student Wellbeing at North England Universities
01-JUN-22 - CoIService user, carer, and clinical perspectives on the risks and benefits of open online case-notes for mental health patients: a single site qualitative pilot study
02-JAN-23 - PIPerspectives of minority ethnic groups on OpenNotes for mental health

Teaching

Teaching interests

I am the module leader for Conceptual Issues in Psychology and Mental Health (PSY4012), Forensic Psychology (PSY6001) and Sandwich Year - Study Abroad Experience (PSY5000-Z)

PhD students

2023. Ammarah Ikram. Perspectives of minority ethnic groups on OpenNotes for mental health. Principal supervisor.

2023. Danielle Wood. A psychometric measure for eating behaviour. Co-supervisor.

2022. Andrew Smith. Mental health and running. Principal supervisor. 

Year Module code Title Subject
PSY4012-BConceptual Issues in Psychology and Mental Health
PSY6001-BForensic Psychology
PSY5000-ZSandwich Year - Study Abroad Experience

Professional activities

  • 01-JAN-09: University of Melbourne - BA(Hons in Psychology - 1st Class)
  • 01-JAN-13: Monash University - PhD (Psychology)
  • 25-NOV-13: Monash University - Research Assistant
  • 24-NOV-14: Heriot Watt University - Postdoctoral Research Fellow
  • 10-DEC-18: University of Bradford - Assistant Professor
  • 15-AUG-15: British Psychological Society, CPsychol
  • 15-JAN-21: Higher Education Academy, Fellow
  • Lead of Outreach for Psychology
  • Athena SWAN committee member
  • Programme Leader BSc Psychology with Counselling
  • PGR Lead for Psychology
  • External examiner: Burnley College
  • External examiner: New York College of Athens
  • External examiner - Cardiff Metropolitan University:

Publications

TitleA systematic literature review and meta-analysis of real-world interventions for cognitive ageing in healthy older adults (2019)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Niechcial, MA; Gow, AJ
JournalAgeing Research Reviews
DOI10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.006
 
TitlePeople’s views on preserving thinking skills in old age (2019)
AuthorsNiechcial M.;Vaportzis E.;Gow A.
JournalEducational Gerontology
DOI10.1080/03601277.2019.1627054
 
TitleA systematic literature review and meta-analysis of real-world interventions for cognitive ageing in healthy older adults (2019)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Niechcial, M.A.; Gow, A.J.
 
TitlePeople’s beliefs and expectations about how cognitive skills change with age: Evidence from a UK-wide aging survey (2018)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Gow, AJ
JournalAmerican Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
 
TitleOlder adults experiences of learning to use tablet computers: a mixed methods study (2018)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Clausen, M.G.; Gow, A.J.
 
TitlePeople's beliefs and expectations about how cognitive skills change with age: evidence from a U.K.-wide aging survey (2018)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Gow, A.J.
 
TitleOlder adults’ attitudes about learning tablet computers: Post-intervention focus groups (2018)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Giatsi Clausen, M; Gow, AJ
JournalFrontiers in Psychology
 
TitlePitching non-English language research: a dual-language application of the Pitching Research Framework (2018)
AuthorsFaff, R.; Shao, X.; Alqahtani, F.; Atif, M.; Bialek-Jaworska, A.; Chen, A.; Duppati, G.; Escobar, M.; Finta, M.; Jeny, A.; Li, Y.; Machado, M.; Nishi, T.; Nguyen, B.; Noh, J-E.; Reichenecker, J-A.; Sakawa, H.; Vaportzis, Ria; Widyawati, L.; Wijayana, S.; Wijesooriya, C.; Ye, G.; Zhou, C.
 
TitleA Tablet for Healthy Ageing: The effect of a tablet computer training intervention on cognitive abilities in older adults (2017)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Martin, M; Gow, AJ
JournalThe American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
 
TitleOlder adults perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: A focus group study (2017)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Giatsi Clausen, M; Gow, AJ
JournalFrontiers in Psychology
 
TitleA tablet for healthy ageing: the effect of a tablet computer training intervention on cognitive abilities in older adults (2017)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Martin, M.; Gow, A.J.
 
TitleOlder adults perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: a focus group study (2017)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Clausen, M.G.; Gow, A.J.
 
TitleDual task performance in Huntington's disease: a comparison of choice reaction time tasks (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Georgiou-Karistianis, N.; Churchyard, A.; Stout, J.C.
 
TitleDual task performance may be a better measure of cognitive processing in Huntington's disease than traditional attention tests (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Georgiou-Karistianis, N.; Churchyard, A.; Stout, J.C.
 
TitleDual task performance in Huntington’s disease: A comparison of choice reaction time tasks (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
JournalJournal of Neuropsychology
 
TitleEffects of task difficulty during dual-task circle tracing in Huntington’s disease (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
JournalJournal of Neurology
 
TitleEffects of task difficulty during dual-task circle tracing in Huntington's disease (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Georgiou-Karistianis, N.; Churchyard, A.; Stout, J.C.
 
TitleDual task performance may be a better measure of cognitive processing in Huntington’s disease than traditional attention tests (2015)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
JournalJournal Of Huntington'S Disease
 
TitleAge and task difficulty differences on dual tasking using circle tracing and serial subtraction tasks (2014)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Stout, JC
JournalAging - Clinical and Experimental Research
 
TitleAge and task difficulty differences in dual tasking using circle tracing and serial subtraction tasks (2014)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Georgiou-Karistianis, N.; Stout, J.C.
 
TitleDual task performance in normal aging: A comparison of choice reaction time tasks (2013)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Stout, JC
JournalPLoS ONE
 
TitlePitching non-English language research: A dual-language application of the Pitching Research Framework (2018)
AuthorsFaff, R; Shao, X; Alqahtani, F; Atif, M; Bialek-Jaworska, A; Chen, A; Duppati, G; Escobar, M; Finta, F; Jeny, A; Li, Y; Machado, M; Nishi, T; Nguyen, B; Noh, J-E; Reichenecker, J-A; Sakawa, H; Vaportzis, E; Widyawati, L; Wijayana, S; Wijesooriya, C; Ye, G; Zhou, C
PublisherAccounting and Management Information Systems
 
Other typeReviews
TitleInvestigating associations between personality and the efficacy of interventions for cognitive ageing: A systematic review (2020)
AuthorsMarr C.;Vaportzis E.;Dewar M.;Gow A.
JournalArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
DOI10.1016/j.archger.2019.103992
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleWhat keeps you sharp? People’s views about preserving thinking skills in old age (2019)
AuthorsNiechcial, MA; Vaportzis, E; Gow, AJ
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleWhat keeps you sharp? People's views about preserving thinking skills in old age (2019)
AuthorsNiechcial, M.A.; Vaportzis, Ria; Gow, A.J.
 
Other typeElectronic Publication
TitleIncreasing the discoverability on non-English language research papers: a reverse-engineering application of the pitching research template (2017)
AuthorsFaff, R.W.; Shao, X.; Alqahtani, F.; Atif, M.; Bialek-Jaworska, A.; Chen, A.; Duppati, G.; Escobar, M.; Finta, M.A.; Jeny, A.; Li, Y.; Machado, M.A.V.; Nishi, T.; Nguyen, B.; Noh, J-E.; Reichenecker, J-A.; Sakawa, H.; Vaportzis, Ria; Widyawati, L.; Wijayana, S.; Wijesooriya, C.; Ye, Q.; Zhou, Q.
PublisherSSRN/Elsevier
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2948707
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleThe type of concurrent task affects dual-task performance in Huntington's disease (2014)
AuthorsVaportzis, Ria; Georgiou-Karistianis, N.; Churchyard, A.; Stout, J.C.
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleThe type of concurrent task affects dual-task performance in Huntington’s disease (2014)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleDual task performance in Huntington's disease: Comparing choice reaction time tasks (2012)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleDual task performance in Huntington's disease using cancellation and auditory tasks (2012)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC
 
Other typeAbstract
TitleThe effects of Huntington’s disease and task difficulty on dual-task performance (2011)
AuthorsVaportzis, E; Georgiou-Karistianis, N; Churchyard, A; Stout, JC