I study how humans build mental models of the world for behavioural control, with a focus on social behaviour. Social interaction is remarkably complex: an action that is rewarded in one context may be punished in another, and what we think or feel may clash with the behaviour that is required of us. I seek to understand how humans solve such problems, using behavioural testing, computational modelling and neuroimaging. These techniques allow me to characterise the cognitive processes underlying behaviour and study their implementation in the brain. A biologically-informed account of human social behaviour is important for advancing our understanding of disorders of mental health. Many mental disorders are social in nature – they manifest in interactions between people – but we lack a mechanistic explanation of what has gone awry.

Other research interests include

Cognition | Mood Disorders | Neuroscience | Neuromodulation

Chris Barker

Emeritus Professor, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Community Mental Health

Angela Barrett

Research and Communications Officer, Psychoanalysis Unit

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing

Jo Billings

Associate Clinical Professor/Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Division of Psychiatry

I have particular clinical and research interests in PTSD, trauma, resilience and the mental health and wellbeing of high-risk occupational groups. I have also published research related to the acceptability and impact of psychological interventions as well as qualitative research on a variety of topics.

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing | Trauma and PTSD

Jessica Bone

Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Statistics, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Jess has taught on various programmes in UCL Division of Psychiatry and Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, including the Clinical Mental Health Sciences MSc, Mental Health Sciences Research MSc and Dementia: Causes, Treatments and Research MSc. She has contributed to modules including Statistics for Mental Health Research, Core Principles of Mental Health Research, Current Research in Children's and Young People's Mental Health, and Current Research in Depression and Anxiety.

Other research interests include

Mood Disorders | Epidemiology | Children and Young People's Mental Health

Rochelle Burgess

Associate Professor in Global Health, Institute for Global Health

Other research interests include

Global Mental Health | Trauma | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Alexandra Burton

Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

I currently lead on the qualitative component of the Shaper-PND implementation trial to explore the experiences of new mothers with postnatal depression who take part in group singing sessions. I am also working on studies that explore the impact of social isolation on health and well-being during the covid-19 pandemic.

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Psychological Interventions | Dementia | Physical Health

Jennifer Cearns

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Anthropology

Other research interests include

Digital Health | Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing | Children and Young People's Mental Health

Christine Carter

Full time PhD student, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Neil Davies

Professor of Medical Statistics, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Jen Dykxhoorn

Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Other research interests include

Katherine Ellis

Associate Lecturer, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Cognition | Neurodevelopmental Conditions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Anne Gaule

PhD Student, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Neuroscience | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Cognition | Wellbeing

Eriko Gavinio

PhD Student and Clinical Psychologist, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Cognition | Neuroscience | Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing

Ishtar Govia

Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies

Other research interests include

Talya Greene

Senior Lecturer and Honorary Associate Professor, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Mood Disorders | Trauma | Epidemiology

Lisa Marie Gruenwald

Clinical Trial Manager and PhD Student, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Pharmacology | Psychological Interventions | Physical Health

Dan Hayes

Senior Research Fellow, Anna Freud Centre

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Epidemiology | Global Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Spencer Hayes

Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology, Centre for Educational Neuroscience

I am a researcher interested in sensorimotor learning and control in autistic and non-autistic individuals. I have published mainly in the area of imitation, imitation learning and motor control. I am currently working on projects looking into the contribution of the sensorimotor system in imitation, motor control, gait, exercise, and social interaction in autistic children and adults in the UK and Italy. I am currently working with Prof. Simon Bennett, Dr Joe Causer and Dr Richard Foster (RISES), Prof. Geoff Bird (Oxford), and Prof. Cristina Becchio and Dr Nathan Foster (Italian Institute of Technology).

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Physical Health

Vivian Hill

Programme Director Doctorate in Educational, Child and Adolescent Psychology, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society

Other research interests include

Cognition | Psychological Interventions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing

Ambrose Dominic Hogan

Lecturer in Education, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Boundary between normal school teaching and clinical practices

Marjan Jahanshahi

Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology and Neuropsychology, Queen Square Institute of Neurology

Our current areas of research interest are:
1. Role of the basal ganglia in motor control, cognition and motivation and the modulatory influence of dopamine investigated through study of patients with disorders of the basal ganglia and the effect of subortical surgery.
2. Modulation of movement speed by attention and motivation in health and disease
3. Impact of movement disorders such as Parkinsons disease and dystonia on the psychosocial functioning and quality of life of the patients and their carers and more recently the effect of chronic neurological illness of a parent on their children.
We adopt a multi-technique approach and use neuropsychology, functional imaging, electrophysiological recording, and TMS in our research.

Other research interests include

Sonia Johnson

Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry, Division of Psychiatry

My main interests are in the clinical and social needs and the treatment outcomes of people with significant mental health problems such as psychosis and bipolar disorder. The areas in which I've worked most have been acute care and early psychosis. I have had a major role in several studies of crisis services, including evaluations of crisis resolution teams and of alternatives to standard inpatient care. My clinical work is as consultant psychiatrist in the Camden and Islington Early Intervention Service for psychosis.

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Epidemiology | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Applied clinical research (development and testing of interventions)

James Kirkbride

Reader in Epidemiology, Division of Psychiatry

My lab, PsyLife (www.psylife.eu), aims to investigate the social determinants of psychosis at multiple levels of causation across the life course. I am particularly interested in understanding how our social, built and physical environments can affect the risk of psychosis, and why migrants and their descendants show elevated rates of psychotic disorder. This research is explored through series of multilevel and longitudinal epidemiological investigations. Our research currently includes two large, epidemiological studies of first episode psychosis: the Social Epidemiology of Psychoses in East Anglia study [SEPEA] (www.sepea.org) and the Cambridgeshire centre of the EUropean network of schizophrenia networks studying Gene-Environment Interactions [EU-GEI] (www.eu-gei.eu). Future research projects will focus on Swedish linked longitudinal datasets, the UK ALSPAC birth cohort and a Canadian cohort of young people (NLSCY). My past research has been predominantly conducted in the AESOP and East London First Episode Psychosis studies.

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Global Mental Health | Epidemiology | Psychosis

Rebecca Lacey

Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Lifecourse Epidemiology, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

I am a Lecturer in Quantitative Methods and Lifecourse Epidemiology. I am a social epidemiologist who applies a life course approach to understanding the importance of the early family social environment for health across the life course.

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Mood Disorders | Wellbeing

Stuart Linke

Clinical Psychologist, Institute of Digital Health

Other research interests include

Mood Disorders | Substance Abuse | Physical Health | Psychological Interventions

Gill Livingston

Professor of Psychiatry of Older People, Division of Psychiatry

I lead the Lancet standing committee on dementia prevention, intervention and care.

Other research interests include

Dementia | Epidemiology | Older Adult Mental Health | Cognition

Alex Lloyd

Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Dementia | Epidemiology | Older Adult Mental Health | Cognition

Maria Long

Trial Manager (NHS) and PhD student, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Eliazar Luna

PhD student, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Global Mental Health

Natasha Lyons

Research Assistant and PhD Student, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Psychosis | Peer Support | Politics of mental health;

Hei Wan (Karen) Mak

Research Fellow in Quantitative Social Science, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Having a background in Sociology, Karen (Hei Wan)'s research interests centre on using nationally representative data/cohort studies to examine the social determinants of health-related behaviours, mental health and mental wellbeing, including early life experiences, family relationships, neighbourhood factors, and arts and cultural community engagement. Her current research focuses on two main themes: (i) exploring the wellbeing benefits of the arts & cultural community engagement at a population level, and (ii) drawing on various theories from sociology, psychology and geography to understand what encourages some people to participate but acts as a barrier for others.

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing | Arts and Cultural Community Engagement

Rosalind McAlpine

PhD Student, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Jennifer McGowan

Lecturer, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

My research interests are focused primarily on health psychology. I am interested in projects into:

Public health (well-being, smoking, cancer, sexual well-being, lifespan ageing)
Positive psychology, resilience, and physical well-being
Sexual well-being in regards to abnormal sexuality

To date my research has explored the biopsychosocial well-being of adults ageing with HIV in relation to both age and time with diagnosed HIV, and project relating to cancer and smoking, and adolescent health and well-being.

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing

Daisy McInnerney

PhD Candidate, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Global Mental Health | Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing | Older Adult Mental Health

Alison Ruth McKinlay

Research Fellow, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Global Mental Health | Older Adult Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Carlos Mena

PhD Student, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

Other research interests include

Cognition | Mood Disorders | Neuroscience | Psychosocial | Anxiety

Nick Midgley

Professor of Psychological Therapies with Children and Young People, Anna Freud Centre

Nick Midgley's primary research interest is in psychological therapies with children and young people, with a particular focus on the use of qualitative methods. He has a strong commitment to examining the child's perspective on mental health and psychotherapy. Prof Midgley has been involved in the adaptation of contemporary psychodynamic treatments, including mentalization-based treatments, for use with children and families

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Mood Disorders | Psychological Interventions

Nicola Morant

Associate Professor, Division of Psychiatry

I am an Associate Professor in the Division of Psychiatry, and a specialist in qualitative research methods in mental health. I work across numerous research projects, leading qualitative work streams that aim broadly to explore and understand the experiences and perspectives of stakeholders (particularly service users) in mental health, and to bring these insights into treatment and service development.

Other research interests include

Serious Mental Illness | Global Mental Health

Paula Oliveira

Honorary Researcher, Anna Freud Centre

Other research interests include

Neuroscience | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Vasiliki Orgeta

Associate Professor, Division of Psychiatry

Dr Vasiliki Orgeta is a research psychologist interested in emotional well-being in people with dementia and their family carers. Her research focuses on the development and evaluation of psychological and psychosocial interventions in dementia and mild cognitive impairment. She is also interested in how stress could be influencing risk of dementia and the effect of caregiving on caregivers physical and mental health.

Other research interests include

Elise Paul

Senior Research Fellow in Epidemiology/Statistics, Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing | Self-harm

Eiluned (Ellie) Pearce

Research Fellow, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Loneliness

Kirrily Pells

Associate Professor of Childhood, Division of Psychiatry

My research and teaching are in the field of childhood studies and my work concerns global childhoods and children's rights especially in relation to violence, poverty and intersecting inequalities.

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Loneliness

Giulia Piazza

PhD Student, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

Other research interests include

Mood Disorders | Psychological Interventions | Pharmacology | Neuroscience | Cognition

Liam Pikett

Research Assistant, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Dementia | Psychological Interventions | Cognition | Children and Young People's Mental Health

Lydia Poole

Research Fellow in Mixed Methods, Institute of Health Informatics

Lydia 's research focuses on the psychobiology of chronic disease. She is particularly interested in how depression is linked to physical illness and the biobehavioural pathways through which depression can explain disease onset and progression. Her ESRC funded fellowship comprised a body of work exploring the similarities and differences in depression across different physical illnesses. Lydia has a growing number of first-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored five book chapters. She has participated in several international conferences hand has received travel awards to present her work.

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Mood Disorders | Physical Health | Wellbeing

Claire Powell

Senior Research Fellow, GOS Institute of Child Health

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Health and Social Care | Trauma

Juliet Singer

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Global Mental Health | Neuroscience | Psychological Interventions | Wellbeing

Ramya Srinivasan

Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Division of Psychiatry

I am a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow and ST6 in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. I am interested in adolescent mental health, neurodevelopmental disorders and how childhood mental health is related to adult mental health. My PhD focusses on childhood irritability and adolescent depression.

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Serious Mental Illness | Children and Young People's Mental Health

Aimee Spector

Professor of Old Age Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

My research broadly focuses on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions and outcome measures for people with dementia. My recent research has taken a more global focus, for example I lead an MRC funded implementation trial of CST in Brazil, India and Tanzania. I work closely with colleagues from Hong Kong University and Peking University through formal strategic partnerships, with several joint projects adapting and evaluating psychosocial interventions for dementia (including digital interventions) and cultural adaptations of outcome measures. I have developed and published a range of outcome measures including measures of dementia knowledge, sense of competence, hope and resilience, and independence and engagement.

Other research interests include

Cognition | Dementia | Global Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Thomas Steare

UCL Wellcome PhD Student in Mental Health Science, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Serious Mental Illness | Epidemiology | Mental Health Services

Hara Trouli

Programme Lead Performing Arts Medicine, Division of Surgery & Interventional Science

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Physical Health | Substance Abuse | Wellbeing

Essi Viding

Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

I combine cognitive experimental measures, twin model-fitting, brain imaging, and genotyping to study different developmental pathways to persistent antisocial behaviour and mental health problems more generally.

Other research interests include

Neuroscience | Cognition | Children and Young People's Mental Health

Muhammad Waqar Ashraf Bhatti

Clinical Psychologist, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Katey Warran

Research Fellow in Social Science (Assets for Resilient Communities in Mental Health [MARCH] Network), Institute of Epidemiology and Health

Katey is an interdisciplinary researcher who draws upon the fields of sociology, psychology, performance science, and philosophy to examine complex arts interventions and how they impact upon mental health and wellbeing. More specifically, she is interested in how group arts engagement can support social cohesion and improve social relationships, exploring this from multiple perspectives. For example, using theories from sociology to understand collective emotions and how they cement social bonds, drawing upon social psychology to explore the benefits of shared group identities, and applying theories from the philosophy of religion to unpack the more tacit, experiential aspects of creativity that unite people through shared ineffable experiences.

Other research interests include

Psychological Interventions | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing | Arts and Mental Health

Jennifer Wenborn

Senior Clinical Research Associate - Occupational Therapist, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Dementia | Older Adult Mental Health | Wellbeing | Cognition

Emily West

Research Fellow, Division of Psychiatry

Other research interests include

Older Adult Mental Health | Dementia | Cognition

Kaja Widuch

Data Manager, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology

Other research interests include

Jeanne Wolstencroft

Research Fellow, GOS Institute of Child Health

I have two main research interests; one is focused on understanding the impact of co-occurring mental health difficulties in children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders and/or rare genetic disorders. The other is how best to use technology to improve the identification of autism in children, and digital approaches to psycho-social intervention.

Other research interests include

Children and Young People's Mental Health | Digital Health | Global Mental Health | Psychological Interventions

Keri Wong

Assistant Professor of Psychology, IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society

My research interests are in the early assessments of childhood mental wellbeing, childhood paranoia/suspiciousness, antisocial and aggressive behaviours, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (schizotypal personality disorder) across cultures.

Other research interests include

Ruihan Wu

PhD Student, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

Other research interests include

Epidemiology | Neuroscience | Cognition | Autism

Sedigheh Zabihi

Research Assistant, Division of Psychiatry

I studies my MSc in Clinical Mental Health Sciences at UCL, Division of Psychiatry and I received my BSc in Clinical Psychology from University of Tehran

Other research interests include

Global Mental Health | Epidemiology | Dementia | Cognition

Francesca Zanatta

Associate Lecturer (Mental Health), Institute of Epidemiology & Health

Other research interests include

Health and Social Care | Children and Young People's Mental Health | Wellbeing

Zhongyao Zhang

PhD student, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences

Other research interests include

Psychosocial

Sarah Ashley

Ignacia Azocar

Angela Barrett

Jennifer Cearns

Christine Carter

Ishtar Govia

Talya Greene

Dan Hayes

Stuart Linke

Maria Long

Daisy McInnerney

Paula Oliveira

Juliet Singer

Jennifer Wenborn

Kaja Widuch

Expertise areas