Anna Cook

Dr. Anna Cook is a Senior Research Fellow and Surrey Future Fellow in the School of Psychology at the University of Surrey, specializing in neurodiversity and improving educational access for autistic children and young people. She holds a PhD (2019), MSc, MA, and BSc (Hons). Her research focuses on inclusive pedagogy, teacher training, and interventions to support neurodivergent students, including evaluations of specialist resource centers and school inclusion models. Current projects include examining early career teachers' conceptualizations of neurodiversity (ESRC-funded) and assessing the National Autistic Society’s Cullum Centres. She lectures on undergraduate courses such as Psychology and Education, and supervises postgraduate students.

Education: PhD in Developmental Psychology (2019), MSc, MA, BSc (Hons). Previous roles include Senior Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Education and Teaching Fellow at the University of Surrey.

Research interests emphasize co-produced, inclusive approaches to neurodiversity education. Recent work critiques traditional 'normal child' paradigms in teaching and explores how teacher perspectives impact classroom inclusivity. She prioritizes participatory methods to ensure authentic stakeholder involvement.

Major projects include a £1.2M ESRC grant (2024-2027) examining neurodiversity conceptualization among new teachers and a 2021-2024 evaluation of autism resource centers. Her publications analyze autistic university students' social experiences, teacher efficacy in supporting neurodivergent pupils, and gender differences in autistic adolescents' wellbeing.

Awards: None explicitly listed. Grants: ESRC New Investigator Grant, Cullum Family Trust/NAS funding, Autism Education Trust support.