People
The AIM Lab at UCL team members
I am a clinician and a neuroscientist studying mood and anxiety. I was appointed Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCL in January 2022. Until then, I was Senior Investigator and Chief of the Section of Clinical and Computational Psychiatry at NIMH/NIH in the USA and before that a Senior Lecturer and a Wellcome Trust Fellow at the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. I trained in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. I received the 2018 Outstanding Mentor Award by the National Institute of Mental Health, as well as the 2019 NIH Director Award, and this year I was amongst the World’s Highly Cited researchers, according to Clarivate Analytics. Our team attained 2nd place (tied) in the Open Neuro Hall of Fame for contributing our datasets to open science.
I joined UCL in January 2022 as an Associate Professor of Young People’s Mental Health and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). I co-lead the AIM Lab and AIM Clinic with Professor Stringaris, and am also the Research Director of UCL’s University Clinic . I am especially interested in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related conditions, such as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). My research focuses on improving our understanding of these disorders and their treatment. I am also interested in transdiagnostic processes, and understanding how conditions such as OCD and BDD relate to other disorders. I trained as a Clinical Psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London (KCL). After this I worked for over 15 years in a National and Specialist Clinic for Young People with Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Alongside my clinical work, I undertook a range of research including leading clinical trials of CBT. During this period, I was also awarded two fellowships and completed a PhD in behavioural genetics at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre of the IoPPN.
Dr Marjan Biria
I have a bachelor in Clinical Psychology and a master in neuroscience. During my PhD in cognitive psychology from University of Cambridge, I studied compulsivity in patients with OCD and clozapine treated patients with schizophrenia showing OCD symptoms as a consequence of their treatment. I also have experience with experimental task design and neuroimaging techniques such as EEG, fMRI and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. I joined the AIM Lab as a Postdoctoral researcher exploring my interest in understanding emotions. More specifically, understanding 1) how emotions can be influenced during therapy in individuals with high social anxiety but also 2) how they are valued by different individuals. To study the first, I will be looking at the impact of positive surprise and self-processing variables as causal mechanisms in reducing anxiety and improving mood during therapy. In parallel, I am also trying to understand how different individuals with different diagnoses (e.g. depression) across different age groups (adolescents vs adults) feel about and value different emotions.
Dr Isobel Ridler
I am currently investigating the underlying mechanisms of momentary mood changes and looking at predictors of parent-child interaction and irritability. To achieve this, I use a range of experimental, statistical, and computational modelling techniques. I also work as an honorary assistant psychologist in the AIM Clinic, assisting during therapy sessions for Body Dysmorphic Disorder. I have a background in applied biostatistics in the departments of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, and Social, Genetic, Developmental Psychiatry at the IoPPN, KCL. My research interests are mental health, biostatistics and psychiatric genetics.
Madeleine Moses-Payne
I am a Wellcome-funded Research Fellow in the group, interested in adolescent self-concept development and mental health. During my PhD at the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, I investigated how adolescents learn about themselves (what they’re like) and their preferences (what they like). I was interested in how adolescents use their new-found autonomy to explore and learn about their sense of self. I also assessed the association between symptoms of depression and anxiety and self-concept development during this crucial period of life. In my current role, I will continue to investigate self-relevant processes in adolescence, including negative self-concept, excessive self-focus and avoidance of embarrassment, considering the ways these processes might influence the outcomes of therapy. I will also be thinking about how we can incorporate the perspectives of young people in all stages of scientific research, from the conceptualization of an idea to the dissemination of the research findings.
Dr Chiara Causier
I joined the AIM lab as a Clinical Fellow in October 2023 following the completion of clinical psychology training at the University of Oxford. I am especially interested in symptom-specific approaches and improving the accessibility and acceptability of psychological treatments for mental health difficulties. My research focuses on how approach-supporting behaviours such as emotional support may work to reduce the safety-seeking behaviour of excessive reassurance-seeking in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I am undertaking a PhD in this area, supervised by Dr Georgina Krebs. My second supervisor is Professor Roz Shafran (Chair in Translational Psychology, UCL), and Professor Paul Salkovskis (Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford) is an external supervisor.
Dr Elizabeth Hogg
I joined UCL as a Clinical Research Fellow in October 2023, following the completion of my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London (KCL). I am passionate about researching body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) to improve detection, early intervention and treatment of the condition. In the AIM Lab I am undertaking a PhD, supervised by Dr Georgina Krebs, which will focus upon the detection and diagnosis of BDD, the treatment of BDD, and underlying mechanisms maintaining symptoms. Alongside my research, I provide assessment and treatment of BDD and related anxiety and mood concerns in the AIM Clinic - a specialist NHS mental health service within the University Clinic and part of Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust.
Elena Bagdades
I am a research assistant in the AIM lab at UCL, investigating the therapeutic mechanisms of cognitive therapy for social anxiety disorder (SAD) and depression. Before joining the lab, I completed an MRes in Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at UCL and Yale University, where I studied the mechanisms of social learning in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and the effects of childhood trauma. I am particularly interested in computational models of mental health and how these can inform clinical practice.
Charlotte Burman
I am a Research Assistant at UCL working on a project investigating whether positive surprises generated during treatment contribute to symptom improvements in young people experiencing social anxiety and depression. I enjoy working directly with young people, and my prior research experience has pertained primarily to improving the mental health outcomes of children and adolescents through innovation in healthcare delivery. I also possess clinical experience working as a psychologist overseas, and have a strong interest in therapeutic interventions for anxiety and mood disorders, and improving these treatments through high quality, clinically relevant research.
Lucy Blacker
I am a current MSc student at UCL, and I have mainly been working on the clinical side of the team, within the AIM Clinic, as an Honorary Assistant Psychologist. I am aiding in its set-up and supporting onboarding of clients. The AIM Clinic offers assessment and treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and related concerns. The service is a collaboration between UCL and the NHS and aims to provide clinical services which are integrated with research. From a wider research perspective I am also working on a psychometric evaluation of BDD measures and working alongside other members of the University Clinic in building out a predictive model for dropout from therapeutic services.
Paul Moreau
I am a passionate student finishing my MSc degree at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland with a specialisation in computational neuroscience. In March 2023 I joined the AIM Lab to complete my master’s Thesis under the supervision of Prof. Argyris Stringaris. I am studying the “Mood Drift Over Time” phenomenon in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) using behavioural data analysis and magnetoencephalography (MEG) techniques.
Jamilah Silver
I am Jamilah, a dedicated fifth-year graduate student at Stony Brook University. My research focuses on unraveling the intricate nature of irritability during early childhood and adolescence. I am particularly intrigued by the characterization of early childhood depression and the complex field of preschool psychopathology. As a visiting research scholar, I have eagerly joined the AIM lab, where I can further nurture my passion for understanding the nuances of irritability and emotions. Through this opportunity, I am excited to continue my exploration of these fascinating subjects and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this field.
Lily Orme
I am a second year DClinPsy trainee at UCL. I am undertaking a project that aims to investigate the trajectory of self-focused attention in a non-clinical adolescent sample, and to test the association between self-reported levels of self-focussed attention and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), social anxiety (SAD) and depression. My project is being supervised by Georgina Krebs and Argyris Stringaris
Emma Thurgood
I am a second year DClinPsy trainee at UCL. My background is in eating disorders with young people, and I have a particular interest in body image and the way it relates to mental health. I am undertaking an experimental project, looking at the role that self-focused attention plays in body image perception, appearance satisfaction and perceived social performance in adolescents. I will investigate this using an experimental paradigm, in which self-focused attention will be manipulated in a digital social interaction. My project is being supervised by Georgina Krebs and Argyris Stringaris.
Laura Pattison
I’m Laura, a second year DClinPsy trainee at UCL. Before training, I worked predominantly with Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), through which I developed an interest in how shame and self-compassion influence mental health. These ideas continue to influence both my clinical work and research interests. For my major research project, I am investigating the role of shame in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), supervised by Dr Georgina Krebs (UCL Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology) and Dr Benedetta Monzani (National Specialist OCD, BDD & Related Disorders Service). Specifically, we are exploring: (1) whether a relationship between BDD symptoms and shame exists above and beyond its link with other negative emotions, such as anxiety; (2) whether the known association between adverse childhood experiences and BDD symptoms is moderated by shame; and (3) whether self-compassion moderates the relationship between shame and BDD.
Zoe Delaney
I am currently a second year Trainee Clinical Psychologist at UCL. I have over seven year’s experience working in mental health and research in the NHS, and have a particular interest in working with anxiety disorders. My doctoral research is looking at the association of emotionally unstable traits with Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in young people. The project is supervised by Dr Georgina Krebs and Dr Amita Jassi (Consultant Clinical Psychologist, National & Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People, South London & Maudsley NHS Trust).
Michelle Eskinazi
I am an NIHR Clinical Academic Fellow at UCL and a higher trainee in general adult psychiatry working for Camden and Islington NHS Trust. I am currently working in liaison psychiatry at UCLH and training to become a consultant medical psychotherapist. My research focusses on non-suicidal self-injury in adolescents and young adults.