Supervisors and steering committee

The UCL Wellcome 4-year PhD Programme in Mental Health Science is an exciting opportunity for students to train in a wide range of the latest methods and techniques in the field of mental health research. This programme, funded in 2019, is the first of its kind in the UK, representing an investment of over £5 million by the Wellcome Trust. It is based in the UCL Institute of Mental Health, and will recruit six students per year from 2020-2024.

A call for supervisors for the programme is issued on an annual basis, typically in March. The criteria for being approved as a supervisor are as follows:

Be eligible to be primary supervisor according to UCL regulations, including completion of the required courses.
Have either an open-ended position or proleptic appointment with UCL, or a substantive fixed-term contract that would outlast the length of a studentship (for example, for students starting in September 2023, the contract must end no earlier than September 2027).
Have experience of supervising (either as primary or as secondary supervisor) at least one PhD student to the point of thesis submission.
Have a strong track record of research directly relevant to mental health, which is a good fit with the programme.

Additionally, once approved, all supervisors must undertake a mandatory half-day supervisor training course specifically designed for the programme and submit at least two examples of possible rotation projects.

Consistent with the interdisciplinary ethos of the Programme, the steering committee is drawn from a wide range of disciplines relevant to mental health research.

Steering committee member
Prof Jonathan Roiser (Director)	Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health in the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. He founded and directs the UCL-NIMH Joint Doctoral Training Program in Neuroscience, and previously directed the UCL MRC 4-year PhD Programme in Mental Health.
Dr Alexandra Pitman (co-Director)	Associate Professor in the UCL Division of Psychiatry and Honorary NHS Consultant Psychiatrist. She uses epidemiological approaches to identify risk factors for suicide and self-harm, and designs preventative interventions to address modifiable risk factors.
Prof Sunjeev Kamboj (co-Director)	Professor of Translational Psychology. He works at the interface between clinical psychology and neuroscience to develop novel psychological and pharmacological treatments (and their combination) for addiction, anxiety, depression and trauma-related disorders.
Prof Anna Remington (on sabbatical leave 2022/23)	Professor and Director of the Centre Research in Autism and Education at the UCL Institute of Education. She holds a Wellcome Hub Award on wellbeing and productivity in people with autism and learning disability, and has received awards for her public engagement and participatory work.
Prof Marcus Richards	Professor of Psychology in Epidemiology, and leader of the Mental Ageing Programme for the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing. He is heavily involved in UCL’s Inclusive Advocacy scheme for black and minority ethnic (BAME) students and staff.
Dr Rachel Hiller	Associate Professor in Child Mental Health, Head of Postgraduate Studies for the child mental health postgraduate programmes, which are delivered at the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families.
Prof Anthony David	Professor of Mental Health, Director of the UCL Institute of Mental Health

The supervisor list comprises ~80 leading researchers at UCL, including several early-career researchers, distributed across the three themes of the programme.

Name	Position	Research Area
Dr Rick Adams	Clinical Research Fellow	Computational modelling of the brain and behaviour in schizophrenia (Mechanism)
Dr Vaughan Bell	Associate Professor	Social cognition in psychosis and neuropsychiatric disorders (Mechanism)
Prof Elvira Bramon	Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health	Biological markers for psychosis and their genetic influences (Mechanism)
Dr Marc Busche	Programme Leader	Cellular and circuit mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders (Mechanism)
Dr Laura Crane	Associate Professor	Mental health conditions in autistic children, adolescents and adults (Mechanism)
Dr Michael Devine	Group Leader	Mitochondrial regulation of neuronal function in health and disease (Mechanism)
Prof Ray Dolan FRS	Mary Kinross Professor of Neuropsychiatry	Computational and neural basis of motivation in health and disease (Mechanism)
Prof Stephen Flemming	Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience	Mechanisms supporting conscious awareness and metacognition in the adult human brain (Mechanism)
Prof Aikaterini Fotopoulou	Professor of Psychodynamic Neuroscience	Body representation and interoception in eating disorders (Mechanism)
Prof Sarah Garfinkel	Professor of Clinical and Affective Neuroscience	Emotion processing in anxiety, autism, PTSD and psychosis (Mechanism)
Prof Alasdair Gibb	Professor of Pharmacology	Dopaminergic neuron NMDA receptor function and pharmacology (Mechanism)
Prof Antonia Hamilton	Prof of Social Neuroscience	Social skills in autism, neural mechanisms of social interaction (Mechanism)
Dr Tobias Hauser	Senior Research Fellow	Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (Mechanism)
Prof Michael Hausser	Professor of Neuroscience	Cellular basis of neural computation in the mammalian brain (Mechanism)
Dr Quentin Huys	Clinical Senior Lecturer	Developing computational and cognitive methods to address clinical problems in psychiatry (Mechanism)
Prof Josef Kittler	Professor of Molecular Neurobiology	The genetic mechanisms driving synaptic dysfunction in neuropsychiatric conditions (Mechanism)
Prof Jennifer Linden	Professor of Neuroscience	Central auditory processing and disruption in brain disorders affecting hearing (Mechanism)
Dr Andrew MacAskill	Senior Research Fellow	Synaptic and circuit process in rodent analogues of mental illness (Mechanism)
Dr Liam Mason	Lecturer in Clinical Psychology	Mechanisms of mood instability and decision-making in bipolar disorder (Mechanism/Intervention)
Prof Eamon McCrory	Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology	Neurocognitive mechanisms implicated in mental health vulnerability following childhood maltreatment (Mechanism)
Dr Andrew McQuillin	Associate Professor	Genetic underpinnings of a range of mental illnesses and substance misuse disorders using large scale molecular genetics (Mechanism)
Dr Michael Moutoussis	Clinical Lecturer in Neuroscience	Computational psychotherapy, targeted research on mechanisms directly relevant to psychological therapies (Mechanism)
Prof Anna Remington (on sabbatical leave 2022/23)	Professor, Programme Committee	Cognitive skills and abilities in autism and their practical application (Mechanism)
Dr Oliver Robinson	Principal Research Fellow	The neurocognitive and computational basis of mental illness, focusing on anxiety (Mechanism)
Prof Jonathan Roiser	Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Programme Director	Neural and cognitive mechanisms driving mental illness, especially depression (Mechanism)
Prof Anette Schragg	Prof of Clinical Neuroscience	Imaging and clinical correlates of anxiety and depression in Parkinson's (Mechanism)
Prof Tali Sharot	Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience	Information seeking and mental health, Belief formation and mental health, Affective disorders (Mechanism)
Prof Trevor Smart	Schild Professor of Pharmacology	The molecular, cellular and circuit basis of mental health disorders from the perspective of dysfunctional brain inhibition (Mechanism)
Dr Nikolaus Steinbeis	Principal Research Fellow	The development of emotion regulation in children and its role in psychological wellbeing (Mechanism)
Prof Argyris Stringaris	Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	Mood and the mechanisms that lead to depression, particularly in adolescents (Mechanism)
Prof Essi Viding	Professor of Developmental Psychopathology	Genetic, environmental and neurocognitive mechanisms contributing to the development of antisocial behaviour (Mechanism)
Prof Jason Warren	Professor of Neurology	Systems neuroscience of auditory, socioemotional and other complex behaviours in neurodegenerative disorders (Mechanism)
Dr Sarah White	Senior Research Fellow	Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying autism (Mechanism)
Dr David Bann	Associate Professor in Population Health	Effects of societal changes in physical and mental health (Population)
Dr Rochelle Burgess	Associate Professor	Mental wellbeing, experience of common mental disorders, social interventions in Global Mental Health (Population)
Dr Alexandra Burton	Senior Research Fellow in Behavioural Science	Relationship between social support and health outcomes and the development and testing of psychosocial interventions to improve outcomes for people with mental health problems (Population)
Dr Daisy Fancourt	Associate Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology	Links between social, cultural and community engagement and psychological, biological, social and behavioural factors (Population)
Prof Eirini Flouri	Professor of Developmental Psychology	Social and biological influences on children’s emotional and behavioural problems (Population)
Dr Steven Jivraj	Associate Professor in Epidemiology and Public Health	Mental health of ageing populations and social inequality (Population)
Prof James Kirkbride	Professor of Psychiatric and Social Epidemiology	Social epidemiology of psychotic disorders, including migration, ethnicity and urbanization (Population)
Dr Karoline Kuchenbaecker	Associate Professor	The genetics of depression in diverse populations (Population)
Dr Gemma Lewis	Senior research fellow and lecturer in psychiatric epidemiology	Epidemiology of common mental health disorders (Population)
Prof Glyn Lewis	Professor of Epidemiological Psychiatry	Epidemiology of psychiatric disorders and randomised clinical trials of depression (Population)
Dr Clare Llewellyn	Associate Professor	How genes and the environment impact habits, obesity and mental health (Population)
Dr Louise Marston	Associate Professor	Applied statistics in randomised control trials and digital healthcare records in mental health (Population/Intervention)
Dr Peter Martin	Associate Professor of Statistics and Psychological Methods	Applied statistics in psychology, epidemiology, and health services research (Population/Intervention)
Dr Emily Joan Midouhas	Associate Professor of Psychology	Role of risky, promotive and protective environments in the longitudinal patterns of mental health and behaviour of typically-developing children and children with special educational needs (Population)
Prof Janaina Mourão-Miranda	Professorial Research Fellow	Development and application of machine learning models to neuroimaging (Population)
Prof Irwin Nazareth	Professor of Primary Care and Population Science	Mental health in lower & middle income countries (Population)
Prof Courtenay Norbury	Professor of Developmental Disorders of Language and Communication	Developmental relationships between language disorder and social, emotional, and mental health outcomes (Population)
Dr Bonamy Oliver	Associate Professor in Developmental Psychology	Child and family factors in association with children’s socio-emotional and behavioural development and mental health (Population)
Prof David Osborn	Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology	Mental health epidemiology including outcomes in psychosis and physical comorbidity (Population)
Dr Praveetha Patalay	Associate Professor	Mental health across the lifecourse; developmental trajectories, antecedents and consequences (Population)
Prof Irene Petersen	Professor of Epidemiology and Health Informatics	Links between physical and mental health in primary care (Population)
Dr Jean-Baptiste Pingault	Associate Professor	Genetic and environmental pathways to childhood and adolescent mental health (Population)
Dr Snehal Pinto Pereira	Associate Professor in Population Health and Applied Statistics	Understanding (i) long-term implications of child maturement, (ii) the inter-play between physical and mental health and (iii) feelings of loneliness throughout the pandemic (Population)
Prof George Ploubidis	Professor of Population Health and Statistics	Antecedents and consequences of common mental disorders over the lifecourse (Population)
Prof Marcus Richards	Professor of Psychology in Epidemiology, Programme Committee	Life course approaches to mental ageing: depression and cognitive function (Population)
Prof Nick Tyler	Chadwick Chair of Civil Engineering	Understanding human/environment interactions considering the physical and sensory state of the environment and the sensory, cognitive and physical state of the person (Population)
Prof Kate Walters	Professor of Primary Care & Epidemiology	Predicting and improving mental health outcomes in people with complex needs (Population)
Prof Ian Wong	Professor of Pharmacy Practice / Medicines Use	Population-based studies of medication use in child mental illness (Population)
Dr Georgina Charlesworth	Associate Professor	Caring and coping in later life (Intervention)
Dr Ravi Das	Associate Professor	Translating novel methods of targeting maladaptive neuroplasticity into experimental interventions in drug use and stress disorders (Intervention)
Prof Anthony David	Professor of Mental Health	Insight and awareness, depersonalisation disorder and functional neurological disorders (Intervention)
Dr Jessica Deighton	Reader in Child Mental Health and Wellbeing	Evaluation of interventions to support mental health and well-being in children (Intervention)
Prof Julian Edbrooke-Childs	Professor of Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health	Evaluations of new treatment and approaches for young people with multiple needs, particularly mental health and forensic needs, within community services and also secure settings (Intervention)
Prof Peter Fonagy	Professor of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Developmental Science	Psychosocial treatments for youths and individuals with persistent mental disorders (Intervention)
Prof Rebecca Gould	Professor of Psychological Therapies	Psychological interventions in mental and physical health disorders (Intervention)
Dr Amy Harrison	Lecturer in Psychology	Developing treatments for eating disorders through understanding their cognitive, social and emotional mechanisms (Intervention)
Prof Angela Hassiotis	Professor of Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability	Interventions and epidemiology of neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disability (Intervention)
Dr Joseph Hayes	Principal Research Fellow	Epidemiology and social psychiatry, data science (Intervention)
Dr Rachell Hiller	Associate Professor in Child Mental Health	Complex child trauma and mental health, improving the identification and support of the mental health needs of care-experienced young people (Intervention)
Prof Robert Howard	Professor of Old Age Psychiatry	Improving treatment for psychosis, anxiety, depression and symptoms of dementia (Intervention)
Prof Sonia Johnson	Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry	Development, evaluation of psychosocial interventions; social influences on mental health (Intervention)
Prof Sunjeev Kamboj	Professor of Translational Clinical Psychology	Memory modification as a therapeutic strategy for psychological disorders (Intervention)
Prof Helen Killaspy	Professor of Rehabilitation Psychiatry	Evaluation of effectiveness of specialist services for people with complex mental health needs (Intervention)
Dr John King	Associate Professor	Virtual reality embodiment as a tool for modifying self-compassion in mental illness (Intervention)
Prof Gill Livingston	Professor of Psychiatry of Older People	Life course interventions to prevent and delay dementia, treat neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia and improve mental health of family carers (Intervention)
Prof Bryn Lloyd-Evans	Senior Lecturer	Mental health services research, especially crisis care (Intervention)
Dr Will Mandy	Associate Professor	Improving recognition and clinical care of autistic people (Intervention)
Dr Natalie Marchant	Associate Professor	Influence of mental health and lifestyle on healthy ageing, neurodegeneration, cognitive impairment and dementia
Prof Nick Midgley	Professor of Psychological Therapies with Children and Young People,	Child and adolescent psychotherapy (Intervention)
Dr Nicola Morant	Associate Professor	Qualitative methodologies to understand the experiences and perspectives of stakeholders n mental health, and inform treatment and service development (Intervention)
Dr Vasiliki Orgeta	Associate Professor	Psychological and psychosocial interventions for people with dementia, risk factors for dementia, trauma and ageing. (Intervention)
Prof Stephen Pilling	Professor of Clinical Psychology and Clinical Effectiveness	Effectiveness of psychological interventions, including prognosis and prediction of response (Intervention)
Dr Alexandra Pitman	Clinical Associate Professor, Programme Committee	Risk factors for suicidality; links between loneliness and mental illness (Intervention)
Prof Greta Rait	Professor of Primary Care and Health Services Research	Dementia and common mental disorders in primary care and complex interventions: epidemiology and trials (Intervention)
Prof Katrina Scior	Professor of Clinical Psychology and Stigma Studies	Stigma associated with disability and mental health problems (Intervention)
Prof Roz Shafran	Professor of Translational Psychology	Development and evaluation of psychological interventions (Intervention)
Prof Aimee Spector	Professor of Old Age Clinical Psychology	Development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions and outcome measures for people with dementia (Intervention)