Chris Robus

Dr Chris Robus is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Regent’s University London, where he is also Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Psychology course. He joined the University as a Lecturer in Psychology in September 2021. His academic expertise spans cognitive psychology, behavioural neuroscience, and cyberpsychology.

Chris’s PhD research investigated the effects of emoji on eye movements during reading, the perceptual processing of sentences, and memory retrieval. His broader research interests include cognition, online behaviour, and the ways in which technology influences cognitive and psychological processes. He is a Chartered Psychologist and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Chris teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate psychology curriculum, with expertise in biological and cognitive psychology, research methods, and conceptual issues in psychology. He also supervises undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation projects across a range of topics, including cognition, online behaviour, and technology use.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, Regent’s University London, 2024
• PhD in Psychology, University of Bedfordshire, 2024
• MSc Research Methods in Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, 2016
• BSc (Hons) Psychology, University of Bedfordshire, 2015 

Past employment 

• 2021-Present: Lecturer in Psychology – Regent’s University London
• 2020-2021: Visiting Lecturer and Laboratory Technician – Regent’s University London
• 2015-2021: Visiting Lecturer – University of Bedfordshire
• 2018-2019: Research Assistant – University of Bedfordshire

• Cook, G., Joyce, A., Robus, C., & Costantini, C. (2025). A qualitative exploration of parents’ experiences of infant and toddler sleep and feeding during the United Kingdom COVID‑19 lockdown(s). Infant Behavior and Development, 81, 102134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102134
• Neel, L. A. G., McKenzie, J. G., Robus, C. M., & Hand, C. J. (2023). Emoji Alter the Perception of Emotion in Affectively Neutral Text messages. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 47, 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-022-00421-6
• Hand, C. J., Kennedy, A., Filik, R., Pitchford, M., & Robus, C. M. (2023). Emoji Identifcation and Emoji Effects on Sentence Emotionality in ASD‐Diagnosed Adults and Neurotypical Controls. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022- 05557-4
• Hand, C.J., Burd, K., Oliver, A., & Robus, C. M. (2022). Interactions between text content and emoji types determine perceptions of both messages and senders. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 8, 100242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100242
• Teoh, K., Robus, C. M., Harris, A., & Kinman, G. (2022). Recommendations to Support the Mental Wellbeing of Nurses and Midwives in the United Kingdom: A Delphi Study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 78(9), 3048–3060. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15359
• Robus, C. M. (2021). Postgraduate research during the COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of the Postgraduate Rapid Project Grant. The Cognitive Psychology Bulletin, 6 (Spring 2021), 66- 67.
• Robus, C. M., Hand, C. J., Filik, R., & Pitchford, M. (2020). Investigating effects of emoji on neutral narrative text: Evidence from eye movements and perceived emotional valence. Computers in Human Behavior, 109(February), 106361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106361 

• Robus, C. M. (2026). Factors Shaping Epistemic Trust in AI-Generated Information. Paper presented at BPS Cyberpsychology Section Annual Conference, York.
• Enrich Piza, L., & Robus, C. M. (2024). Effects of emoji and emoticons on reading comprehension of participants with dyslexia. Paper presented at BPS Cyberpsychology Section Annual Conference, Liverpool.
• Robus, C. M. (2021, July). An introduction to analysing within-subjects data in R using multilevel models. Workshop delivered at the PsyPAG 36th Annual Conference, online
• Robus, C. M. (2021, July). Emoji and sentence congruency: Effects on memory recall of neutral and affective text. Paper presented at the PsyPAG 36th Annual Conference, online.
• Robus, C. M., & Hand, C. J. (2020, September). The effects of Text-speak shortcuts and contextual congruency on lexical and sentence processing: Evidence from eye movements. Poster session presented at the BPS Cognitive Section Annual Conference, online.
• Robus, C. M., Hand, C. J., Filik, R., & Pitchford, M. (2019, July). Emoji position in neutral sentences: Eye movements and perceived emotional valence. Paper presented at the PsyPAG 34th Annual Conference, Sheffield, UK.
• Robus, C. M., & Georgiou, G. (2018, August). Assessing the saving-enhanced memory effect: The impact of user involvement and perceptual load. Poster session presented at the BPS Cognitive Section Annual Conference, Liverpool, UK.
• Robus, C. M., Hand, C. J., & Pitchford, M. (2015, May). Text vs. txt: An experimental analysis of eye movements during reading. Poster session presented at the University of Bedfordshire School of Psychology Undergraduate Conference, Luton, UK. 

Chris’s research interests include the use of textual shortcuts and icons in online communication, cyber-cognition, virtual reality, social media and virtual behaviour, human-AI interactions, and gaming behaviour. 

Chris supervises undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations, and is open to applicants with PhD proposals. 

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society

Course Leader:

• BA Psychology

Current Modules:

• Psychological Enquiry (BA Psychology) – Module Leader
• Psychology in Postmodernity (BA Psychology) - Module Leader
• Psychology and Mental Health (BA Psychology – Instructor
• Origins of Psychology (BA Psychology) - Instructor
• Psychology of Emotions (Special Elective) – Instructor
• Exploring Sleep and Dreaming (Special Elective) - Instructor
• Cyber-psychology: Understanding Digital Behaviour (Special Elective) – Module Leader
• Cognitive Psychology (MSc Psychology) – Module Leader 
• Biological Psychology (MSc Psychology) – Module Leader
• Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology (MSc) – Module Leader
• Research Project (B.Sc. Psychology; BA Psychology; BA Liberal Arts) – Project Supervisor
• Research Methods 3 and Research Project (MSc Psychology) – Project Supervisor & Module Leader 

Past Modules:

• Making Use of Data (Foundation) - Module Leader
• Foundation: Psychology (Foundation) - Module Leader
• Cognitive Psychology (BSc Psychology) - Module Leader
• Learning Perspectives (UG Common Curriculum) - Module Leader
• Conceptual and Historical Issues in Psychology (BSc Psychology) - Module Leader
• Introduction to Psychological Research Methods II (BSc Psychology) - Module Leader
• Applied Cognitive Psychology (BSc Psychology) - Module Leader
• Biological and Cognitive Psychology (BA Liberal Arts) - Module Leader