TARG was established in 2007, originally as the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group. Since then, both our team and our research focus have grown significantly. In 2025, we updated our name to reflect this broader scope - TARG now stands for the Translational and Applied Research Group. Our work explores the psychological and biological factors that drive health-related behaviours, with a particular focus on nicotine and tobacco use, alcohol, other drugs, mental health, and neurodiversity. Our research has shaped legislation and public health policies in the UK and internationally.

TARG is led by three Directors, Professor Angela Attwood, Dr Olivia Maynard and Professor Ian Penton-Voak. Get in touch if you’re interested in working with us. 

TARG aims to produce high quality, innovative research into: 1) the causes and consequences of health behaviours, 2) their relationship to physical and mental health outcomes, and 3) novel behavioural and pharmacological interventions, in order to advance scientific knowledge and improve individual and population health. 

To achieve this, we take a translational approach that begins with epidemiological methods to identify associations between behaviours and outcomes that are likely to be causal. We next interrogate these using methods including human laboratory, online and qualitative studies to explore underlying mechanisms. This knowledge is then used to develop and evaluate novel interventions.

We achieve this by: 

  • Conducting rigorous research to a high standard using open science principles;
  • Integrating multiple methodological approaches;
  • Working with academic and non-academic partners.

Our core values are integrity, collaboration, mutual support, transparency and diligence. You can find out more about the group and how we operate in our lab handbook. 

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