Dr Nicholas M. Almond

Nick suffers from cerebral palsy due to medical negligence at birth. Despite his disability Nick has gone on to complete a BSc Honours degree in Psychology and complete a PhD in Cognitive Neuropsychology, both at the University of Leeds. Currently Dr Almond is conducting post-doctoral research with Dr Catriona Morrison from the University of Leeds. The research focuses on cognitive (mental) decline in older adults. Nick's main interest is investigating cognitive interventions which can resuce the mental decline in healthy aging, however his PhD research indicates that cognitive interventions such as commercially available games on well known consoles may not benefit mental abilities and may actually increase cognitive decline in healthy older adults. Nick has publications in Aging, Neuropsychology and Cognition which focus on psycholinguistic factors in younger and older adults ability to recall certain words.

Apart from the day job Dr Almond has become interested in writing crime fiction thrillers. He has recently published one book and is currently working on the sequel. His childhood memories of being on holiday and remembering his Grandma reading Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie books to him as well as his fascination with Jimmy McGovern's Cracker and the TV series The X-Files has encouraged him to pursue this sideline career in his spare time.More information about the book can be found at www.murderthroughdisabledaccess.co.uk.