Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
- Lecturer
- IOE - Psychology & Human Development
- UCL Institute of Education
I completed my BSc. (Hons) and Ph.D in Psychology at Bangor University, Wales. My research focus was in resilience and behavioural and emotional difficulties in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Since starting my BSc. I have worked in various charitable organisations supporting children and adults with neurodevelopmental conditions, mental health conditions, and physical disabilities. Upon completing my Ph.D. I became a clinical and research lead in industry, leading the clinical development of telehealth based therapies and mobile APPs. I developed a telehealth resilience-building intervention for adults with multiple sclerosis and their support partners. In addition, I have led the clinical development of a sleep mobile application (winner of the Medtech Innovate award 2019) to treat insomnia in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and major depressive disorder. At the University of Pennsylvania, I completed training in advanced cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Currently, I am the co-director of the Sleep Education and Research Lab leading two research projects focusing on paediatric and family sleep in neurodevelopmental conditions, and sleep and mental health in autistic adults. I am a British Psychological Society chartered psychologist and consult for organisations on resilience, mental health, and sleep.


My research focus is on improving mental health, sleep, and
well-being across at risk populations. I have a particular interest in
behaviour change and identifying protective factors to enable better physical
and mental health outcomes. Much of my research has focused on resilience and sleep,
including the development of a family based resilience-building intervention,
and behavioural sleep interventions. Recently, I have
focused on cultural factors that affect the delivery of successful support and
interventions.
I have experience in the design and use of mobile technology and telehealth to aid delivery of therapies and support. In addition, I have expertise in moderation analysis and other statistical models to explore risk and protective factors. I have published using research methodologies including cross-sectional surveys, longitudinal data, qualitative analysis and systematic reviews. Additionally, I have contributed as an author to National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines. I enjoy a collaborative approach to projects and research, and I have developed academic, industry and third sector collaborations both nationally and internationally.
I began teaching during my Ph.D with a focus on mental health
and resilience. I have taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels,
including BPS accredited courses, and more recently I have led research
methodology modules and dissertation co-ordination. Currently, I lecture on the
Atypical Development Module, and the Cognitive Psychology Module.
For my Fellowship Higher Education Academy qualification, I conducted a study to increase
engagement in dissertations and research of Masters level student on healthcare
and clinical courses, which included additional online support, webinars, and
workshops. I currently supervise Masters and Ph.D students and have successfully mentored students to publish in peer reviewed journals.