Psychologist and Educator

I am a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), researcher, and psychology educator based in Greater Manchester, England.

I hold a PhD in Psychology from The University of Manchester, where my doctoral research examined the relationship between romantic attachment and social support in couples.

Since 2007, I have been the founder and editor-in-chief of Simply Psychology, one of the most widely read psychology education websites in the world.

I also own and administer ClinPsy.com, the UK’s leading online forum and resource hub for clinical psychology professionals and trainees.

My work sits at the intersection of academic psychology, science communication, and technology.

Alongside writing about psychological theories and research methods, I am actively exploring how AI agents and Large Language Models can transform academic research workflows: from systematic literature search and evidence synthesis to content strategy informed by real behavioural data.

AI-Assisted Academic Research

I am currently pioneering the use of AI agents and Large Language Models (LLMs) to optimise academic research workflows and literature synthesis.

This work involves designing and building agentic systems that connect LLMs to academic databases, automate systematic review processes, and bring data-driven rigour to editorial decision-making.

In practice, this means:

• Agentic research pipelines: Connecting AI coding tools such as Claude Code to academic APIs (Semantic Scholar, PubMed, OpenAlex) via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling automated literature search, citation graph traversal, and gap analysis.

• Systematic review acceleration: Building structured workflows (encoded as reusable skill files) that guide AI agents through the stages of a systematic literature search: database querying, screening, data extraction, and evidence synthesis.

• Embedding-based content systems: Using vector embeddings to power semantic search and related-content recommendations across large article libraries, informed by both textual similarity and real-world engagement data from Google Analytics.

• Data-driven editorial strategy: Integrating Google Search Console data, Microsoft Clarity behavioural analytics, and website changelogs to identify which content to update, what interventions work, and where information gaps exist relative to the published literature.

I document these methods, tools, and findings on this blog, with the aim of making these approaches accessible to researchers, educators, and publishers who want to apply AI meaningfully in academic contexts.

Credentials

• CPsychol: Chartered Member of The British Psychological Society (2023)
• International Affiliate Member: American Psychological Association (2023)
• PhD in Psychology: The University of Manchester (2021). Research focus: romantic attachment and social support.
• MRes in Experimental Psychology with Data Science: The University of Manchester (2012)
• PGCE in Further, Higher and Adult Education: University of Bolton (2002)
• BSc (Hons) Psychology: University of Bolton (2002)

Research & Publications

• Mcleod, S., Berry, K., Taylor, P., & Wearden, A. (2024). Romantic attachment and support adequacy in new mothers. The Journal of Social Psychology, 164(1), 112-135.
• McLeod, S., Berry, K., Taylor, P., Wearden, A., & Oakes, L. (2024). Attachment styles in romantic relationships and perceived support in postpartum couples. Journal for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, 38(2).
• McLeod, S., Berry, K., Taylor, P., & Wearden, A. (2021). Romantic attachment and support preferences in new mothers: The moderating role of stress. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(5), 1535–1552.
• McLeod, S., Berry, K., Hodgson, C., & Wearden, A. (2020). Attachment and social support in romantic dyads: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(1), 59–101.

Over the past 18 years, Dr Saul Mcleod has been linked to and trusted by thousands of institutions worldwide, including:

• Berkeley University of California
• Harvard University
• Cambridge University Press
• University of Toronto
• Christ’s College: University of Cambridge
• University College London
• London School of Economics
• The Guardian Newspaper

My articles are regularly incorporated into psychology curricula and cited in research.

According to Google Scholar, Dr Saul Mcleod has been referenced in academic publications over 24,000 times.

Simply Psychology

I founded Simply Psychology in 2007 to help A-level psychology students in the UK access clear, evidence-based explanations of key theories and research.

Over the years, the site has grown well beyond its original audience.

Today it publishes more than 1,700 articles and serves millions of readers each month, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, educators, clinicians, and anyone curious about how psychology explains human thought and behaviour.

Every article is grounded in peer-reviewed research and reviewed by qualified psychologists or subject-matter experts.

Our editorial team includes psychology graduates from institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Birmingham.

Simply Psychology has been referenced by numerous major publications and media outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, BBC, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Telegraph.

ClinPsy

In June 2025, I took ownership of ClinPsy.com (formerly ClinPsy.org.uk) from Dr Miriam Silver.

ClinPsy is the UK’s leading online forum and resource hub for clinical psychology.

With almost two decades of archived discussions and guidance, it supports thousands of psychology graduates, DClinPsy trainees, and mental health professionals navigating the clinical psychology career pathway.