Dean of the Faculty of Science
Hanna Zagefka was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science at Royal Holloway in 2025, having joined the institution in 2005. She is committed to fostering excellence in research, education and outreach, and to championing science that delivers meaningful positive impact. Central to her vision is the development of a strong, collaborative science community - one that brings together staff, students, and partners across disciplines to advance innovative research and enrich the educational experience. Hanna has previously held a range of academic leadership roles, including serving as Head of Psychology, during which she led the department through a period of significant growth and transformation. Her wider leadership portfolio includes extensive editorial and advisory work: she has served as Chief Editor and on the Editorial Boards of several leading social psychology journals, and as chair and panel member for national and international funding bodies. Beyond Royal Holloway, she has held roles such as Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton and External Examiner at universities in the UK and Asia.
Trained as a social psychologist, Hanna is internationally recognised for her work on intergroup relations, social identity, acculturation, prejudice and behaviour change - including research on charitable responses to disaster victims. Her work examines how people understand themselves as group members and how these identities shape perceptions, emotions and actions. She has published widely in major journals in social and applied psychology, and her research has attracted substantial media attention, including coverage by the BBC and The Economist. Her projects have received support from major funders such as UKRI (ESRC) and the Leverhulme Trust, enabling empirical studies across Europe, Asia and the Americas. An experienced educator and doctoral supervisor, she has taught across social, applied and organisational psychology.
Hanna is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol). She began her academic career in Germany before completing an MSc at the University of Kent. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sussex, she joined Royal Holloway and was promoted to Professor in 2017.
