Where Women Work meets Nottingham Trent University's Dr Daria Kuss who is the Course Leader for MSc Cyberpsychology and has recently been promoted to Associate Professor in Psychology. Dr Kuss is also a strong advocate for women's progression in academia.
Prior to completing her PhD in Psychology at NTU, Daria worked with clients suffering from behavioural addictions and further mental health problems in Germany. This allowed her to foster her deep interest and skills in behavioural and technological addictions, psychotherapy and clinical psychology. Daria also has an MSc in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience with a specialisation in Psychopathology and an MA in Media Culture. Below Daria shares her insight with Where Women Work regarding her career journey and important work.
How would you describe yourself professionally and personally?
Optimistic, pragmatic, straightforward, curious and driven.
How would you summarise your area of academic interest?
My main area of academic interest is in the field of Cyberpsychology, which concerns the psychological aspects of Internet and technology use. I am specifically interested in understanding problematic and addictive online behaviours, their phenomenological experience, clinical presentation and treatment.
What's a particularly interesting element about the field you operate in?
I am always fascinated by the pace of technological developments, which means that there is always something new to understand and research. Cyberpsychology never gets boring!
Which of your published works are you most proud of and why?
I am most proud of my book Internet addiction published by Palgrave as it contains some of the most interesting research I have done, where I interviewed renowned psychotherapists and researchers in the Internet addiction field, analysing their data and putting it together in a book format. The insights from this research have been very inspirational and still drive some of my current research practice.
What challenges might women academics face more so than men?
Research shows that women are significantly less represented in leadership positions at universities, and this is the case across hiring, letters of recommendation, student evaluations, peer reviews, awarding of grants, funding, requests for service, and promotion. On average, women are also paid less for the same work in academia. Men in academia are generally rated as more ‘hirable’ and viewed as significantly more competent than females with the same qualifications and experience. Research also shows that additional challenges for female academics lie in temporary work arrangements, male dominated networks, intimidation and harassment, as well as individual influences, such as lack of confidence. It is time to change this situation to create academic working environments that uphold diversity, equality, and inclusivity.
What's your advice for women academics considering promotion?
Go for it! If it doesn’t happen the first time, don’t take rejection personally and never give up.
How does NTU actively support women's advancement?
The work in the context of Athena Swan has been very helpful in highlighting the challenges female academics face and has contributed to starting important discussions, which help empower women to progress in their careers.
What's an interesting fact about you?
I’ve got a little pug called Louis, who is the king of the house.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I am glad to see that some of the challenges women in academia face are receiving the required attention. As a woman in academia, I am keen to support other women on their way to build the careers they want and to create a working environment that is accepting, supportive, and empowering.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.