Research

She completed her PhD in Cognitive and Neuroimmune responses to Survival Situations under the supervision of Dr John Leach at Lancaster University. Her PhD research was carried out using simulated emergency situations (such as Helicopter Underwater Evacuation Training) to examine how the biological changes in the body and people‘s perceptions of threat impact on mental processing. Prior to this she obtained a BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Lancaster University, and a Masters degree in Cognitive Science at Manchester University. Once being awarded her PhD in 2004, Sarita took up a post at the University of Lancashire where she continued to expand her research focusing on the disaster preparedness, behaviours during a disaster and recovery post disaster.

As well as lecturing and researching in Survival Psychology, Sarita served as a committee member of the British Psychological Society’s Crisis, Disaster and Trauma and still retains membership of this BPS section. She is also a Psychobiology section member.

Sarita’s current research study areas:-

1) Preparedness behaviours: What behaviours does a person who is likely to be a victim engage in before a disaster strikes? What behaviours set survivors apart (and what are the barriers to us all adopting these behaviours)? For example, the UK is a nation of pet lovers. We really love our fur babies. Unfortunately, it would appear that we might not properly prepare for our pets if we need to evacuate our homes in a hurry. This means we might not leave our homes even if a major disaster has occurred (like a chemical incident or a flood). Sarita has researched the issues which are major barriers to survival and offers talks and training on how to psychologically prepare yourself in order to face emergency situations with confidence.

2) Response during a disaster: Sarita has explored how the body and brain respond in high threat situations by examining how people respond during a simulated disaster situation. In the past Sarita has worked closely with institutions, Fleetwood Nautical College, Lancashire Fire and RAF St Mawgan, to take a hands-on approach to understanding the impact of emergency situations. Sarita’s work can help us build resilience that can help us cope not only with disasters but with everyday life.

Sarita worked for four years (2020-2024) on the EU funded SECRA project (Strengthening University-Enterprise Collaboration for Resilient Communities in Asia) which aimed to promote the establishment of more resilient communities in Asia through university-enterprise collaboration. The project included 13 partners over six countries (UK, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, Estonia and Sweden.

The project was nominated for the University of Lancashire’s Research Project of the Year in 2025.

In addition to her survival psychology research Sarita has also evaluated Wellbeing and Pedagogical approaches.

To read some of Sarita’s academic papers you can view them via her academic webpage (click here to transfer).