Dr Mercedes Sheen

PhD

Role
Associate Professor - Department of Psychology
Section
School of Social Sciences
Email
Mercedes Sheen

About

Professor Mercedes Sheen has been teaching at university level in the United Arab Emirates since 2002. Mercedes joined Heriot-Watt University, Dubai in 2019 and is the Head of the Psychology Department and Associate Director for Research for the School of Social Sciences.

Mercedes received her PhD at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand for her work on false memories, in which she coined a new type of memory error called 'disputed memories', which resulted from many differing recollections about her shared past with her identical twin sister. 

Her main research interests now lie in the field of social cognition, a branch of psychology that investigates how our brains process social information, particularly how human facial attractiveness influences our perceptions of others.

Biography

Academic Leadership and Affiliations:

  • Head of Psychology Department, Heriot-Watt University Dubai
  • Associate Director for Research – School of Social Sciences
  • Visiting Professor at Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul, Turkiye

Qualifications:

  • PhD - University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
  • BSc Hons – Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom