Tom Huxtable
Newcastle
Summary
Research Assistant in psychology with experience in cross-cultural naturalistic behavioural and cognitive research, specialising in the operationalisation and quantitative analysis of real-world imitation behaviour in children. Currently working at Durham University on large-scale observational datasets. Research interests centre on imagery-based cognitive mechanisms, emotion regulation, and the translation of experimental and clinical findings into everyday contexts. Seeking doctoral training in cognitive and clinical psychology.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Research assistant
Durham University
Durham
2025.01 - Current
- Conducted large-scale behavioural coding of naturalistic video data examining spontaneous imitation in children across four culturally distinct populations
- Applied and refined a novel formal behavioural coding scheme developed to operationalise imitation in real-world social contexts.
- Performed ongoing inter-observer reliability checks (~5% of coded data) to ensure coding consistency and data quality.
- Contributed to the drafting of methodological sections for peer-reviewed publications based on the project dataset.
- Worked collaboratively within a cross-institutional research team on cross-cultural cognitive development research.
Chess Coach
Wallace Chess
London
2023.09 - 2024.12
- Taught chess to over 100 children of varying across more than 10 different schools and clubs each week in both English and French, working both independently and in teams.
- Created and implemented specific curricula dependent on the ability levels of each class.
- Developed the business through establishing and fostering working relationships with prospective and current clients to create more private and group lessons.
- Assisted the management team with the administration of numerous clients.
Psychology Student Research Assistant (Placement)
University of Reading
Reading
2022.11 - 2023.08
- Assisted Dr. Eva Feredoes and Dr. Dan Jones across the duration my MSc.
- Designed and conducted a sports psychology experiment investigating the efficacy of visualisation and mental-imagery training on athletes.
- Led the in-person experimental sessions at numerous squash clubs across South England.
- Responsible for the administration and organisation of the research, including submitting ethical approval, recruitment of participants, and recording and organising data.
- Utilised SPSS to conduct quantitative data analysis on participants' data.
Recruitment Consultant
Vivid Resourcing
London
2022.01 - 2022.07
- Handled the end-to-end recruitment process of freelance IT engineers across the Benelux region speaking both English and French.
- Worked in tandem, as a third-party recruiter, for a number of multinational corporations with the responsibility for sourcing, interviewing, and placing desired candidates.
- Successfully completed two placements cumulatively worth over £50,000.
- Organised meetings with C-suite executives on a regular basis to maintain current and foster new working relationships with hiring managers.
Education
Master of Science - Psychology Conversion
University of Reading
2022.09 - 2023.09
Bachelor of Arts - Modern Languages - French
University of Exeter
2018.09 - 2021.06
A-Levels -
King's College School, Wimbledon
GCSEs -
King's College School, Wimbledon
Skills
- Leadership and administration skills
- Experience running multiple ethically approved psychology experiments
- Proficient with SPSS to conduct quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- TEFL Certified (Merit)
- Proficient in French (C2)
Timeline
Research assistant
Durham University
2025.01 - Current
Chess Coach
Wallace Chess
2023.09 - 2024.12
Psychology Student Research Assistant (Placement)
University of Reading
2022.11 - 2023.08
Master of Science - Psychology Conversion
University of Reading
2022.09 - 2023.09
Recruitment Consultant
Vivid Resourcing
2022.01 - 2022.07
Bachelor of Arts - Modern Languages - French
University of Exeter
2018.09 - 2021.06
A-Levels -
King's College School, Wimbledon
GCSEs -
King's College School, Wimbledon