Emeritus Professor Graham Hitch has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science at the July graduation ceremonies.

A former Lancaster University Professor, he is an eminent psychologist known for his contributions to the development of models of short-term working memory, particularly in collaboration with Alan Baddeley of the University of York.

Graham Hitch obtained a BA in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge before converting to experimental psychology with an MSc at the University of Sussex.

Following a PhD at Cambridge’s Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit, his postdoctoral research with Alan Baddeley saw publication of their model of human working memory.

He went on to a lectureship in Psychology at the University of Manchester followed by a Professorial Chair at Lancaster University, during which time the British Psychological Society gave him the Cognitive Psychology Award together with Neil Burgess for their neural network model of working memory.

His last move was to the University of York where he was given the British Psychological Society’s President's Award for his outstanding contribution to psychology.