Our researchers

Dr Lester Coleman

Lester is Head of Research at OnePlusOne. He studied at the universities of Nottingham, Exeter and most recently at Southampton where he was awarded a PhD in Psychology. He has been working as a researcher for the past 20 years, mainly in the fields of young people’s health (at his previous appointment as the Research Team Manager at the Trust for the Study of Adolescence) and more recently in the area of family well-being at OnePlusOne.

At OnePlusOne, Lester’s main areas of interest have been improving understanding of the consequences of relationship breakdown, and the provision of relationship support. He is also leading a number of formative and summative evaluation studies, most notably a cluster randomized controlled trial of OnePlusOne’s ‘Relationship support: an early intervention’ training programme.

Lester has published 31 peer reviewed academic journal articles, 4 books or book chapters, and over 50 final reports for funding bodies. He has also led or collaborated on over 40 successful applications for research and evaluation funding, including awards from the Big Lottery, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Alcohol Education and Research Council, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Lester’s previous research and publications for OnePlusOne can be found in the research papers page of the site, while current research activities can be found in research activities.

Dr Catherine Houlston

Catherine is a Senior Research Officer at OnePlusOne. She studied Psychology at the University of Southampton and later gained an MSc in Research Methods and a PhD in Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Catherine’s research background is in Developmental Psychology and more specifically the impact of social support on children and young people’s well-being. She has published four peer reviewed academic journal articles and contributed to two book chapters. She has also assisted in a number of successful applications for research funding, including from the Economic and Social Research Council, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Department for Education (previously the DCSF).

Since joining OnePlusOne, Catherine has focused on understanding the impact of inter-parental conflict on children and the provision of relationship support to help strengthen family relationships. She is involved in a number of formative and summative evaluations at OnePlusOne, further details of which can be viewed in research activities.

Catherine’s previous research and publications for OnePlusOne can be found in the research papers page.

Gareth Lloyd

Gareth is the Knowledge Transfer Officer at OnePlusOne. He studied at Cardiff University, where he obtained a BSc in Psychology and MPhil in Cognitive Psychology, and University College London, where he studied for a PhD in Health Psychology from which he will graduate in 2012.

Gareth has worked as a researcher in psychology for 10 years, across a number of sub-disciplines. These include cognitive psychology (MPhil study in researching auditory-perceptual determinants of human memory, and also occupational and nutritional factors in attention and work performance), health services research (screening uptake for non-treatable genetic disorders in neonates and implementation of new protocols for aiding elderly patients in ambulance services), and health psychology (PhD study in designing health information to promote uptake of human papillomavirus vaccination in young women).

At OnePlusOne, Gareth provides a link between the research and media teams, reviewing, quality assessing and summarising research evidence behind the organisation’s activities (including the consequences of relationship breakdown and the impact of preventative support provision, among other topics). He also manages the organisation’s physical and electronic library.