University of Bolton to host inaugural lectures from internationally renowned professors

A renowned psychiatry professor who has worked with serial killers in prison will give his inaugural lecture at the University of Bolton on Wednesday 9 November.

Professor Bob Johnson’s lecture is entitled ‘Using warmer emotions to melt past traumas – lessons from working with serial killers’.

He will be joined at the event by Dr Alan Grant PhD, a Visiting Professor (Psychology) at the University who will also be presenting his own inaugural lecture - ‘Autoethnography: In Praise of Subjectivity’.

The evening will begin at 5.30pm, with the two lectures from 6pm.

Professor Johnson was a GP for 20 years, where he identified the long-term effects of child abuse.

As a prison psychiatrist in Parkhurst, he worked with 50 murderers, including serial killers, exploring why they killed.

He said: “It transpired that one serial killer I talked to regularly was taking revenge for his father throwing his mother downstairs when he was the age of four. Once he was able to discard this, he grew up emotionally.”

Professor Johnson added: “Emotions can never be investigated scientifically. This is because Science prioritises objectivity, whereas emotions are 100 percent subjective.

“The trouble is that science has such a grip on the popular imagination, that discussing emotions in this way struggles to be heard.”

He said: “Case histories show that childhood traumas can last a lifetime – but they needn’t. For example, a 40-year-old who, as a child, had been threatened with an axe by her late father, was enabled first to talk about, and then to discard, her crippling toxic memories.

“I am very excited and looking forward to giving my inaugural lecture at the University of Bolton.”

Professor Grant will be talking about autoethnography - a form of qualitative research in which an author uses self-reflection and writing to explore anecdotal and personal experience, then to connect this autobiographical story to wider cultural, political, and social meanings and understandings. 

He has developed an international profile in autoethnography over more than two decades, with many single- and joint-authored articles, book chapters, and books to his name.

In 2020, Professor Grant was the recipient of the International Conference of Autoethnography (ICAE) inaugural Lifetime Contribution Award, “in recognition of making a significant contribution to the development and nurturance of the field of autoethnography and those working within it”.

To reserve a place for the event on Wednesday 9 November at the University of Bolton, please email p.a.foster@bolton.ac.uk.