About
Dr. Gemma Williams serves as an Honorary Visiting Lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, while maintaining key affiliations as an Associate Member of the Heasman Flow Lab at York St John University and a Member of the Westminster Commission on Autism. An interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of cognition, linguistics, and critical neurodiversity studies, she centers lived autistic experience to advance social justice through participatory methodologies.
Her research program critically examines how neurodivergent experiences are shaped by social, sensory, and structural contexts. Core interests include autistic communication (particularly the Double Empathy Problem), healthcare access barriers, loneliness and belonging, sensory environment design, autistic reproductive health, and flow states. She employs qualitative, creative, and autoethnographic methods—always co-produced with neurodivergent communities—to develop frameworks promoting neurodivergent flourishing rather than pathologization.
Dr. Williams' publication record demonstrates significant impact across academic and practical domains. Her work appears in leading journals including Autism, Neurodiversity, and Journal of Pragmatics, with recent articles establishing foundational concepts in autistic flow theory and co-created research models. She has authored the influential monograph Understanding Others in a Neurodiverse World (2024) and is finalizing Neurodiversity in English Language Teaching: A Primer (2026).
Scientific recognition includes:
- ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Social Policy
Her research translation extends beyond academia through commissioned reports for NHS England, the National Development Team for Inclusion, and international organizations. She actively supervises graduate researchers and delivers professional training to healthcare systems globally. Current projects include co-leading the 'Time for Autism' programme at BSMS and contributing to the Heasman Flow Lab's investigations of autistic wellbeing.
Dr. Williams operates research-practice integration through her consultancy, translating findings into organizational change via workshops, accessibility audits, and policy development—demonstrating how academic rigor directly improves neurodivergent lived experience.
