The Behavioural Science Unit (BSU) is based in the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre on ‘Investment for Health and Wellbeing’, Policy and International Health Directorate, Public Health Wales. We provide specialist expertise on behavioural science, and champion and enable the increasingly routine application of it, to improve health and wellbeing in Wales.
Our team
Ashley Gould
Ashley is a Consultant in Public Health, and Programme Director of the Unit. He is responsible for the strategic leadership and co-ordination of the Unit’s work, providing specialist policy, technical and ad-hoc support and developing capability and system capacity in using behavioural science to improve health and well-being. He is Co-Chair of the Risk Communication and Behavioural Insights Sub Group of the Welsh Government COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group, and has been a member of the group through acute response to the pandemic. Previously Ashley led the Wales tobacco control system, that delivered five years of consecutive growth in the proportion of smokers choosing to quit with NHS support – attained in part through behaviourally-informed campaigning and systems improvement. Outside of work, he’s got four children….lives in Beacons National Park, and coaches age-grade rugby.
Jonathan West
Jon manages the team, leading our research programme and academic network, mobilising and connecting behavioural science expertise and resources where they can be used to improve impact benefitting the people of Wales. Jon is proud to be a Member of the Faculty of Public Health by Distinction in recognition for almost 25 years service to public health in a variety of core public health roles in England and Wales, at local, regional and national levels. He’s worked on a large number of population behaviour change projects from insight gathering, through intervention development and implementation to evaluation. Prior to this post Jon was Head of Behaviour Change and Public Information in the Health Improvement Division of Public Health Wales, providing behaviour change expertise across a range of topics. During the pandemic Jon provided specialist behavioural science support to infection prevention and control efforts across NHS and Welsh Government and was a member of the Risk Communication and Behavioural Insight sub-group of TAG.
Katarina Chacon
Kat graduated Swansea Metropolitan University with a BA (Hons) in Design for Advertising. She joined as PA to Ashley Gould in October 2021 and has an administration background in both public and private sectors. Kat is a creative who loves music and being sustainable, so started her own business this year making festival hats using upcycled materials.
Nicky Knowles
Nicky joined the WHO CC in February 2022 as a Senior Behavioural Science Specialist based within the Behavioural Science Unit at Public Health Wales. Nicky is a trainee Health Psychologist currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. Nicky’s role focuses on increasing behavioural science capability and capacity across the system with a view to maximising the impact of public health policies, services, and communications. Nicky has twenty years’ experience in the health and social care sector working for a number of providers, within a variety of settings, and with diverse populations, in both operational and strategic roles. Within public health, Nicky’s portfolio has included Tobacco Control, Substance Misuse and Whole System Approaches to Obesity. Through this experience Nicky has developed, delivered and evaluated a range of evidence based, behaviour change interventions and policies at individual, community and population levels. In her spare time, Nicky loves yoga, walking, and exploring the great outdoors.
Alice Cline
Alice joined Public Health Wales as a Senior Behavioural Science Specialist in February 2022, initially working within health protection with a focus on vaccine uptake – Alice moved to the Behavioural Science Unit in August and now supports work involving climate change, the Healthy Weight Healthy Wales strategy and capability building. Alice has worked on a broad range of topics including increasing uptake of the HPV vaccine, improving access to services as a response to the Cost of Living Crisis, safe anti-biotic prescribing in healthcare settings, and weight management motivation and goal-setting. Prior to Public Health Wales, Alice worked in local government whilst completing her PhD, which explored how behavioural science could be used to help increase levels of physical activity within primary school classrooms. Her interests include qualitative research, evaluation and impact, intervention design, and her sprocker spaniel Hugo.
Paulina Kuczynska
Paulina joined Public Health Wales as a Senior Behavioural Science Specialist in March 2023. Paulina will lead the provision of specialist behavioural science support to Health Protection in this joint post between the Behavioural Science Unit and Health Protection Training and Guidance Team. Previously, Paulina worked in a behavioural science role for Suffolk County Council, where she developed a behavioural science curriculum and designed and delivered a series of behavioural science learning sessions to increase capability amongst staff to use behavioural science in their practice. Additionally, Paulina adopted collaborative approach to developing bespoke tools for staff such as behaviourally informed script and Motivational Interviewing in vaccine hesitancy training for the Contact Team. Paulina has significant strategic experience leading on health protection agenda in London boroughs working with multiple stakeholders and ethnically diverse communities. Additionally, she has gathered important frontline experience working in acute mental health and prison drug and alcohol services, which aids her understanding of service provision and behavioural problems ‘on the ground’. Paulina is completing her Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at City, University of London, which will lead her to become a Chartered Health Psychologist upon qualifying. Health psychologists are specialists in doctor patient communication, patient symptom perception, healthcare seeking behaviours, medication adherence, long-term illness management, lifestyle changes etc. Paulina occasionally delivers academic teaching on behaviour change models for staff and students in psychology, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, psychology etc. Paulina is Polish and although she currently lives in England, she used to live and study in Cardiff during her undergrad, so working for PHW feels like coming back home to her.
James Smolinski
James is a Trainee Health Psychologist undertaking the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. He joined the WHO CC in July 2023 as a Senior Behavioural Science Specialist based within the Behavioural Science Unit at Public Health Wales. James is passionate about improving mental health, physical health and community/social connectedness. In his spare time he enjoys travelling, films, music and reading.
Jason Roberts
Jason joined Public Health Wales in September 2022, and joined the Behavioural Science Unit in July 2023 as Senior Behaviour Science Research and Evaluation Officer. He is currently completing his PhD thesis at Cardiff University’s School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, which examines the emergence of politically partisan news outlets. He has an MSc Social Science Research Methods and a BA in Journalism Studies, also both from Cardiff University. His research interests include examining resistance to behaviour change and other Public Health initiatives, as well as discourse analysis of digital communication. In his spare time, he enjoys attending gigs and festivals of all types, as well as walking and cycling in nature.