Martha Newson1

Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Greenwich
Martha Newson joined Greenwich in 2023 as Associate Professor in Psychology. Though working with modern human populations, Martha’s research is strongly informed by evolutionary theory. Her highly inter-disciplinary research draws from anthropology, psychology, evolutionary theory and criminology, so she has connections across academic disciplines.

Her research and consultancy practice is guided by the themes of social cohesion, ritual, and belonging. Her primary focus is on the rituals underlying social cohesion and the ensuing cooperation and conflict emerging from tightly bonded groups.

Dr Newson has worked with a range of challenging populations, from fundamentalist Indonesian Muslims to London’s ravers. She has particular experience working with football fans, including surveys and interviews with hardcore Brazilian, Indonesian and Australian fans (ultras) and collecting hormonal samples from fans at live World Cup events.

She gained a BSc in Human Sciences from the University of Sussex then taught English in Vietnam and Spain, before completing her postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology. She remains a Research Affiliate at the University of Oxford (Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion).

Dr Newson provides consultancy and commentary on issues related to group psychology, belonging, conflict, and cooperation. This concerns human behaviour and evolutionary psychology in general terms, and with regard to football fandom specifically. Previous consultancy clients include Guinness, the Premier League, Manchester City and Hyundai among others.

Martha has contributed to Discovery’s Why We Hate, produced by Steven Spielberg, as well as numerous BBC and Sky TV features in the UK, such as BBC News and Sky News, alongside a number of radio shows including Radio 4’s World at One and PM programmes. Her research has also featured in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, International Business Times, The Daily Mail, The Sun, Haaratz, Der Spiegel and many others.