Area of expertise

Dr McKenna’s work focuses on how emerging technologies affect people’s beliefs, decisions, and everyday lives. His main interests include artificial intelligence (AI), human–robot interaction, trust in technology, and the psychology of misinformation. He has a particular interest in how people understand, evaluate, and place trust in both human and AI information sources.

Research Methods Expertise

Dr McKenna specialises in modern quantitative research methods, including experimental design, advanced statistical analysis, and meta-analysis. He teaches and researches cutting-edge research methods to ensure they keep pace with developments in data science, AI, and behavioural research.

Disciplinary Intersections

His research sits at the intersection of psychology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and information science. He draws on concepts from social cognition, ethics, and communication to understand trust, social influence, and decision-making in technology-rich environments.

Key Research Collaborations

Dr McKenna works in interdisciplinary teams across psychology, computer science, and robotics. He collaborates closely with colleagues through Heriot-Watt initiatives such as Heriot-Watt Engage and the National Robotarium, and contributes to public and policy-facing discussions on AI through partnerships with organisations including Panmure House.

Funded Projects

Dr McKenna is a Co-Investigator on the interdisciplinary TAS Node in Trust project, which examines how human-like robot behaviours influence user trust. This work has led to international conference recognition and peer-reviewed publications in leading human–robot interaction journals. He is currently extending this research into the domain of misinformation, supervising projects that investigate how source credibility and trustworthiness shape beliefs and information sharing.

Teaching responsibilities

Dr McKenna is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Research Methods and Practice (RMP). His teaching focuses on designing and delivering high‑quality research methods training for postgraduate students across the social sciences, with an emphasis on modern, data‑driven approaches.

He is Programme Director for the MSc Social and Behavioural Research Methods | Heriot-Watt University. In this role, he leads curriculum development, oversees and contributes to course delivery (see below), and supports students throughout their training on the programme.

Leadership

As Programme Director, Dr McKenna provides academic leadership for the MSc Social and Behavioural Research Methods, ensuring the programme reflects current best practice in social science research and methodology.

He leads two core postgraduate courses:

• Advanced Statistics using R (C91AR), developing students’ data science and statistical analysis skills using the R programming language.
• Advanced Experimental Design (C91ED), focusing on contemporary experimental methods for modern social science research.

He also supervises Postgraduate Research (PGR) and Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students across a range of disciplines, topics, and research methodologies. 

Citizenship

Dr McKenna contributes actively to the postgraduate research community through the design and coordination of professional development opportunities. He is committed to supporting early‑career researchers and fostering an inclusive and supportive research environment.

Internal roles

Dr McKenna is the School of Social Sciences PGR Workshop Programme Lead. In this role, he designs and coordinates a wide-ranging programme of professional development workshops for Heriot‑Watt and Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) postgraduate research students. Topics span the full postgraduate lifecycle, including career development, research skills, and qualitative and quantitative methods.

He is also Chair of the RMP Department Research Ethics committee. In this role he oversees implementation of policies and procedures relating to research ethics at Departmental level, and provides a formal point of communication between the RMP department and the School Research Ethics Committee.

External roles

Dr McKenna serves as the EPSRC Internships and placements – UKRI (EPSRC Vacation Internships) Representative for the School of Social Sciences. He works with academic colleagues to recruit undergraduate students to EPSRC-funded summer internships, supporting skills development and pathways into postgraduate research.