Rate My Professor Claire Monks

Professor Claire Monks, PhD, MSc, BSc (Hons), PGCert, is Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Faculty of Education and Health at the University of Greenwich. She serves as Deputy Head of the Institute for Lifecourse Development (ILD) and Centre Lead for the Centre for Vulnerable Children, Young People and Families. Monks teaches developmental psychology and research methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has supervised ten doctoral students to successful completion. Her career at the University of Greenwich began in 2007 as a Senior Lecturer in Psychology, advancing to Reader in Developmental Psychology in 2014 and Professor thereafter. Prior roles include Senior Lecturer (2003-2007) and Lecturer (2001-2003) at Kingston University, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Seville in 2000. In 2019, she was Interim Director of Research and Enterprise for the Faculty of Education and Health, and from 2010 to 2017, Programme Leader for MPhil/PhD Psychology.

Monks' research specializations encompass developmental psychology, with a focus on aggressive behaviour in early childhood, cyberbullying among primary school-aged children, dating aggression in adolescents, and peer relations analyzed through social network methods. She examines social cognition factors, such as executive functions and theory of mind, predicting aggression and prosocial behaviour, including in autistic spectrum disorder populations, and employs longitudinal approaches to model developmental trajectories. Key publications include Nation et al. (2023) "Prevalence of violence against children in the United Kingdom: a systematic review and meta-analysis" in Child Abuse & Neglect; Stanley et al. (2023) "What makes for effectiveness when starting early: learning from an integrated school-based violence and abuse prevention programme for children under 12" in Child Abuse & Neglect; Monks and Rix (2024) "Friendships among young children: links with social behaviour" in Early Child Development and Care; and Monks and Maunder (2024) "Healthy relationships education – it’s not all about sex! A commentary on the importance of children’s friendships within the pastoral curriculum" in Pastoral Care in Education. Her bullying research has informed global policy for vulnerable youth via UNICEF and supports the Relationships Education Curriculum in England, contributing to Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 4.