Dr Philip Tucker

Dr Philip Tucker
Associate Professor
Psychology
Telephone: (01792) 295894
Room: Office - 811A
Eighth Floor
Vivian Building
Singleton Campus

My research considers the impact work hours have upon the health and safety of the employee. One of my main areas of study is the role of circadian rhythms in relation to the effects of shiftworking. I have published several papers looking at how various aspects of shift system design impact upon sleep, alertness on-shift and well-being. I also research other non-circadian aspects of work scheduling, such as the timing and distribution of rest breaks, long work hours, innovative work schedules (i.e. time banks) and the impact of freetime activities on recovery from work.

My research involves a range of methodological approaches, such large scale questionnaire surveys, epidemiological analysis of accident data, field studies of using both objective and subjective measures of sleep, stress and cognitive performance. Most recently, my research has focused on shiftwork in relation to a number of topics including aging; diet and the development of metabolic syndrome; doctors’ working time arrangements; work time control.

Publications

  1. & (2019). Associations between shift work and use of prescribed medications for the treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia: a prospective cohort study. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health
  2. & (2019). Working Time Society consensus statements: Evidence-based effects of shift work on physical and mental health. Industrial Health 57(2), 139-157.
  3. & (2019). Effect of work schedule on prospective antidepressant prescriptions in Sweden: a 2-year sex-stratified analysis using national drug registry data. BMJ Open 9(1), bmjopen-2018-023247
  4. & (2017). Nurses' strategies for managing sleep when starting shift work – implications for interventions targeting sleep behaviours in a shift work population. Presented at Sleep Medicine,, e73 doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.209
  5. & (2017). Shiftwork and the use of prescription medication for sleep, anxiety and depression: a prospective cohort study. Presented at Sleep Medicine,, e330 doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2017.11.968

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Teaching

  • PSY320 Dissertation

    This optional module provides students with the opportunity to conduct an extended literature review to discover what is currently known about an interesting, but less well known, area of psychology that is not taught as part of the psychology curriculum in Level 5 or 6. Students work independently, guided by their dissertation supervisor, to research a topic of their choice. In recent years students have written dissertations about `political psychology¿, `positive psychology¿ `why people take part in extreme sports¿, `does cannabis use cause schizophrenia¿ and many other diverse lines of enquiry.

  • PSY360 Work Psychology

    The module will look at how psychology can be applied in order understand behavior in the workplace and to promote health, wellbeing and safety in the workplace. Topics covered will include job-stress, the human factors behind accidents at work, the design of the work environment, the effects on non-standard work hours (i.e. shiftwork), team working, leadership and decision making. There will be an emphasis on building bridges between the theoretical underpinnings of how understand behaviour in the workplace and translating this knowledge into practical solutions for organizations and their employees. It will draw up real-life examples of incidents and situations that illustrate the topics under consideration. Another important focus will be the evaluation of methods of study, so as to inform our interpretation of research findings their potential for application in real-world settings.

External Responsibilities

Key Grants and Projects

  • Women in shiftwork: a set of prospective cohort studies seeking to identify the factors that predict shiftwork tolerance 2016 - 2018

    PT was PI, application made with colleagues at Stockholm University, Swedish Council for working life & social research

  • Sleepy and sitting: a dual curse for the modern workforce? 2019 - 2022

    PT was co-applicant with colleagues at Central Queensland University, Brisbane, Australian Research Council

  • Short inter-shift intervals and their effects on sleep, fatigue, performance and safety in the healthcare sector 2019 - 2020

    PT was co-applicant with colleagues at Karolinska Institute & Stockholm University, Swedish Council for working life & social research

Calling from outside the UK?

+44 1792 295894