Throughout my career, my research has taken an evolutionary approach to understanding human behaviour, with a particular focus on the senses—especially the role of smell in our daily lives. The birth of my child in 2021 prompted a new direction for me, as I experienced challenges with the sensory aspects of breastfeeding and sought support from charities and online communities. These experiences have shaped my current research, which explores the sensory dimensions of infant feeding and aims to understand barriers that some may face when trying to feed their children. Through this work, I hope to contribute to improving the resources and support available to families. 

My research interests are underpinned by a focus on health related behaviour, particularly those focused on food, eating and body image. My own breastfeeding journey subsequently shaped my current research directions. I am keen to better understand the relationship between breastfeeding and body image including factors such as societal norms, stigma and the roles of partners, family and peers.  In addition I am keen to  understand the impact food insecurity has on breastfeeding.  Our research also aims to understand and give voice to the experiences of minoritised groups who have often been overlooked in research in this area. My aim is that the work we are doing will improve support and inform policy to ensure families are supported  with breastfeeding.

​I’m Cherry, I worked with the BULB lab during my placement year in 2024-25. The majority of my time with the lab was spent developing and conducting research related to Neurodiversity, Interoception, and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy. 

I'm Georgina Lea and I was a placement student for the BULB Lab in 2024-25. During my time on placement, I conducted my own research project investigating the relationship between body image satisfaction, partner support, and breastfeeding self-efficacy.​

I had immersed myself in this field of study, driven to contribute towards the improvement of women’s health and inspired by my older sister’s breastfeeding barriers and experiences. Attending research events, planning focus groups, co-creating our website, and developing a systematic review on how infant feeding is affected by food insecurity – working for BULB Lab has been an enlightening experience that I will cherish. 

I am an undergraduate psychology student currently undertaking a placement with the BULB lab as a research assistant. I decided to take this position due to my interest in matrescence and multisensory processing. In my role, I am conducting a systematic review on the breastfeeding experiences of ethnic minority mothers in the UK.

I am a Psychology Undergraduate student at Newcastle University and am currently undertaking a placement at the BULB lab. I joined this placement due to my interest in the topic of factors affecting breastfeeding and wanting to further my experience in research. My role at the placement involves doing a reflexive thematic analysis on sensory experiences during breastfeeding.