Dr Blessing Marandure

Dr Marandure is a Chartered Psychologist who's expertise is in substance use, mental health, and resilience. She is interested in interdisciplinarity in research, and has collaborated with scholars from multiple disciplines including Journalism, Education, & Allied Health. Her research spans local and international contexts, with current projects in Zimbabwe, India, and Leicester. 

She is  passionate about advancing racial equity in Higher Education, and is an active member of the Decolonising DMU project as a Fair Outcomes Champion. She is a founding member of the Decolonising HE Network,  and is also interested in research in anti-racism, racialisation and decoloniality in education. 

Dr Marandure is the Programme Leader for MSc Health Psychology. She serves on the governance board of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network, and has consultancy experience for organisations such as the British Council. 

Please contact Dr Marandure if you would like to pursue PhD research in topics related to her research interests outlined below. 

Mary Seacole Research Centre

Health and Wellbeing Research Group

• Marandure, B.N, Hall, J., & Noreen, S. (2024). “…They’re talking to you as if they’re kind of dumbing it down.” A thematic analysis of Black students’ perceived reasons for the university awarding gap. British Educational Research Journal https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3963 
• Marandure, B. (2024). Journey into the academia at the intersection of race, class and gender. In Cureton, D. et al. (2024) The lives of early career researchers. Project Report (HEPI Report 169). Higher Education Policy Institute. The-lives-of-early-career-researchers.pdf (hepi.ac.uk)
• Marandure, B.N., Mhizha, S., Wilson A. & Nhunzvi, C (2023). Understanding the nature of substance use in Zimbabwe: State of the art and ways forward: A scoping review protocol. Plos One, 18(3): e0272240. https://doi.org/10.1371/ journal.pone.0272240
• Marandure, B. N., Mhizha, S. & Wilson, A (2023). "Spice was made, by the devil himself": A thematic analysis of the experience of an addiction to synthetic cannabinoids. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
• Marandure, B. (2022a). Representation matters: Reflections on Academia’s ‘Leaky Pipeline’. Higher Education Policy Institute Blog https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2022/10/17/representation-matters-reflections-on-academias-leaky-pipeline/
• Marandure, B (2022b). Emotional labour in the ivory tower: highlighting the experiences of academics of colour. Higher Education Policy Institute Blog https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2022/10/31/emotional-labour-in-the-ivory-tower-highlighting-the-experiences-of-academics-of-colour/
• Mhizha, S., Marandure, B. N., & Chikoko, W. (2021). Resilience Based Interventions to Street Childhood Among Street children in Zimbabwe. In Chirisa, I. & Chigudu, A. (Eds).  Resilience and Sustainability in Urban Africa. Springer Nature, Singapore, p115-129.
• Scase, M. O. & Marandure, B. N. (2019). Development of and adherence to a gamified environment promoting health and wellbeing in older people with mild cognitive impairment. International Neuropsychological Society Conference (89th INS meeting and 18th SBNp meeting), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Marandure, B.N. (2017). The association between adolescent substance use and mental health: A developmental psychopathology perspective. Joint Workshop: Building Resilience Through the Lifespan, Funded by the British Council, Dubai
• Scase, M., Marandure, B.N., Hancox, J., Kreiner, K., Hanke, S. & Kropf, J. (2017) Development of and adherence to a computer-based gamified environment  designed to promote health and wellbeing in older people with mild cognitive impairment. Studies in Health Technologies and Informatics In eHealth (pp. 348-355).
• Marandure, B. N., & Graham, H. L. (2017). Self-reported reasons for voluntary abstinences by adolescent cannabis users. Drugs and Alcohol Today, 17 (1), pp. 23-31.

• Marandure, B.N. (2017). Resilience and depression in adolescents: Exploring the moderation effects of alcohol use. Alcohol Research UK Early Career Symposium, London

• Musian D., Alvino S., Vozzi F., Parodi O., Parolini M., Giugni F., Sandys R., Lupiáñez-villanueva F., Ferro E., Fauli C., Ascolese A., Palumbo F., Gallicchio C., Scase M., Bacciu D., Micheli A., Kropf J., Marandure B., Monton E., Hanke S., Kreiner K., Dutton R., Northwood D., Hall S., Cannon D., La Rosa D. (2016). DOREMI - Final report from the pilot site. Deliverable 6.6. Document - DOREMI - Final report from the pilot site (cnr.it)

• Marandure, B. N. & Graham, H. L. (2016). Self reported reasons for voluntary abstinences by adolescent cannabis users. Society for the Study of Addiction, Annual Symposium, York, UK.

• Substance use(licit and illicit substances; addiction experiences, community approaches)
• Mental Health (including health inequalities, socio-cultural factors, mental health literacy and community mental health)
• Racial equity & racialised experiences
• Mixed methods, quantitative, & participatory approaches

• Module Leader: Theories and Perspectives in Health Psychology (MSc Health Psychology)
• Psychology of Social Problems (L5)
• Dissertation Supervisor (UG & PG)

• BSc (Hons) Psychology (University of Birmingham)
• PhD Psychology (University of Birmingham)
• Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (De Montfort University)

• DMU Climate Award Nominee, [Climate Justice Category: Recognition for Racial Equity Work & Developing Networks Nationally] November 2024
• DMU Staff Recognition Event [Category: Contribution to National Projects and Awards], June 2024
• Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence; Advance HE, August 2023
• International Green Gown Awards [Highly Commended] [Category: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Sustainability], October 2024
• VC Garden Party  [Recognition for contribution to DMU Race Equality Charter, Silver Award] June 2023
• UK and Ireland Green Gown Award, [Category: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Sustainability] October, 2023

• British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Governance Board
• British Academy Early Career Researcher Network Equality Diversity and Inclusion Group 

• Chartered Member: British Psychological Society
• Fellow of The Higher Education Academy

• Akshata Parekh (1^st Supervisor)

Project Title: Development of a mental health literacy intervention utilising expressive arts therapy for nurses: A pilot study in Pune, India 

• Hadassah Andrews (1^st Supervisor)

Project Title: Exploring creative coping strategies used by Black women within white educational spaces 

•  Rajvir Gil (Additional Supervisor)

Project Title: Exploring British South-Asian Women Academics’ Experiences in Higher Education 

• Nkiruka Emodi (1st Supervisor)

Project title: Finding a place to call home? Exploring post-covid-19 spatial inequalities, housing, and wellbeing for Black ethnic minority people with sickle cell 

• [PI] Research and intervention strategies for substance use: A co-creation pilot study with substance users, family members and service providers, Harare, Zimbabwe. £4000 (QR Participatory Research Fund, DMU) Awarded November, 2022
• [PI] An exploratory study of joint working between traditional/faith healers and allopathic mental health practitioners in the East Midlands. £1,900 (DMU) Awarded November, 2022
• [PI] Exploring substance use disorders in the Zimbabwean context: State of the art and ways forward £1500 (DMU Seed fund award) Awarded April, 2022

•  Arts and Humanities Research Council Peer Review College (Grant Assessment & Moderation Panels; Peer Reviewer)
• Review Editor in Public Mental Health (Specialty section of Frontiers in Public Health, Frontiers in Psychiatry and Frontiers in Sociology)
• Reviewer: PLoS One; Journal of Psychoactive Drugs; Journal of Research on Adolescence; Drugs, Habits and Social Policy; African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; BMJ Open