Laura’s contributions to the field of autism research centre around conducting research that meets the highest standards of originality, rigour, and significance, while also making a genuine difference to the lives of autistic people and their allies (especially in the fields of education, healthcare, and criminal justice). Underpinning all of this work is Laura’s commitment to championing participatory approaches to autism research: ensuring that research is conducted with, as opposed to on, about, or for autistic people.

 

Laura has secured 22 research grants as principal or co-investigator, has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, and has personally presented her work at over 70 conferences and events nationally and internationally. In recognition of Laura’s expertise in participatory autism research, she has won several prestigious awards, including the UK charity Autistica’s Community Engagement Award (2018), a UCL Provost’s Prize for Public Engagement (2018), and a Rising Star Engagement Award from the British Academy (2017). 

Laura is committed to building capacity within the next generation of autism researchers and has a sustained track record of doctoral student completions. Laura has also been awarded Recognised Research Supervisor status from the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) as a marker of her high-quality supervisory practices. Please note that Laura is not accepting applications from prospective doctoral students at present.