Team

Kristina Curtis

PhD, BSc, MSc | Managing Director

Experienced psychologist specialised in leveraging the latest evidence and methods in behaviour change science for optimising uptake and engagement with products, services and campaigns.

  • Dr Kristina Curtis has a background in Psychology and Human-Centred Design and pioneered the application of a popular behavioural science framework and model known as the ‘Behaviour Change Wheel’ and the ‘COM-B model’ to the digital sphere. Kristina is also one of the trailblazers of the ‘Behavioural Design Thinking’ approach which combines behavioural science with design thinking.

    Kristina has over a decade of experience in developing services and products addressing people’s health and well-being and supporting organisations with behavioural change management and the adoption of new working practices. Kristina is founder of Applied Behaviour Change and an Honorary Lecturer and Associate for UCL’s internationally renowned Centre for Behaviour Change where she delivers teaching and PhD supervision.

Dorothy Szinay

PhD, MSc, BSc, CPsychol | Director
Dr Dorothy Szinay

Behaviour Change Expert and Health Psychologist specializing in the development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions to optimize uptake and engagement with products, services, and public health initiatives.

  • Dr Dorothy Szinay is a Chartered Psychologist with a PhD in Health Psychology and Behavioural Science, alongside a professional doctorate-level training in Health Psychology. With several years of experience, Dorothy has led and contributed to numerous projects supporting public health authorities and the private sector, providing expert consultancy on behaviour change and public health initiatives.

    Dorothy has demonstrated strong leadership in mentoring PhD students and Trainee Health Psychologists, and her teaching experience includes lecturing on health behaviours, research methods, and behaviour change. She has also delivered workshops and developed comprehensive training modules in behaviour change, sharing her expertise with both academic and professional audiences.

    As Director at Applied Behaviour Change, Dorothy leads as the Behaviour Science Integration Lead for an innovative, cutting-edge project that integrates AI and behavioural science. Her leadership in this role ensures the successful application of research and behavioural science to drive impactful, real-world solutions.

Nicole Jiang

MSc, BSc | Behavioural Science Researcher

Nicole Jiang

Behavioural Science Researcher with expertise in applying behavioural science theories to design and evaluate interventions that drive meaningful change at various levels.

  • With a Master’s degree in Behaviour Change from University College London, Nicole Jiang specialises in behavioural design, diagnostics, and intervention development using frameworks like the Behaviour Change Wheel. Participating in the Human Behaviour-Change Project (HBCP) at University College London, she also experienced leveraging the AI-based tool, known as the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology (BCIO), to translate and design behavioural interventions in more innovative and meaningful ways. Nicole is passionate about leveraging behavioural insights to solve complex human-centred challenges.

    Nicole is a core member of the Applied Behaviour Change Team.

Stefanie Williams

PhD, CPsychol AFBPsS | Associate Senior Behavioural Scientist

Chartered Psychologist specialising in the development and evaluation of evidence-based applied health behaviour change interventions.

  • Dr Stefanie Williams is a Chartered Psychologist with a PhD in Health Psychology. She has over 15 years experience in the development and evaluation of applied health behaviour change interventions, focused predominantly in the area of physical activity and weight management. Stefanie’s PhD research significantly contributed to the field of health psychology by improving our understanding of which behaviour change techniques work best for changing physical activity behaviour and its important theoretical predictor, self-efficacy.

    Stefanie has a passion for translating academic theory and evidence into public health practice and has extensive experience of working with local authorities to design, adapt and evaluate public health interventions, utilising behavioural science models and theory.

    Stefanie has a keen interest in the application of novel experimental methodologies for the development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions. Stefanie has demonstrable research leadership skills and has expertise in evaluation design, systematic reviews and meta-analysis, survey research, intervention fidelity assessment and randomised controlled trials. Stefanie is currently a freelance research consultant and an associate here, at Applied Behaviour Change, and also works as an advisor for the NIHR Research Design Service at the University of Hertfordshire.

Ella Howes

MSc, BSc, PhD researcher| Associate Behavioural Scientist

Behavioural scientist with expertise in developing novel methodologies and translating the science.

  • After completing a masters in Behaviour Change in 2020, Ella worked as a researcher in translational behaviour science on the Human Behaviour-Change Project (HBCP) at University College London. Ella’s work on the HBCP predominantly involved developing a language (known as an ontology) to better describe behaviour change interventions. Ella also led dissemination efforts and produced a 14-part webinar series about the project and its outputs. You can find out more about the HBCP here.

    You can watch Ella talk about the Behaviour Change Intervention Ontology here! Ella is a PhD researcher at the University of Leeds looking into the remote delivery of complex interventions.

Charis Ng

BSc, MSc student, Health Psychology | Intern

Charis is an aspiring health psychologist with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from University College London and a student on UCL's MSc in Health Psychology.

  • Having worked on several mental health apps in Singapore and the UK, Charis firmly believes in the exciting potential and need for digital health services. With a strong background in quantitative and qualitative research methods, she hopes to apply scientific findings to improving such services.

Mengjie Dong

BA, MDes, MSc student, Behaviour Change | Intern

A behavioural designer with a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from Illinois Institute of Technology and is currently pursuing an MSc in Behaviour Change at University College London.

  • Before coming to the UK, Mengjie worked on several behavioural change projects in the healthcare and sustainability industries in China and the US. She is passionate about combining design thinking and behavioural science to create interventions that are both desirable and effective in shaping positive behaviour.

Albert Hewson

BSc, APM, Six Sigma, MBA | Operations & Project Management

Often behind the scenes, Albert leads the business operations and project management, ensuring seamless delivery of our projects.

  • Albert is a Project Management professional (APM - PMQ) & Engineer with a career spanning over 15 years, delivering advanced automotive & cutting-edge technology projects.

    His expertise in process design and complex problem-solving methodologies from the Engineering world, adds a captivating dimension to our approach in crafting effective and impactful behavioural science interventions.