Anna Sedda

Anna Sedda is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences and Psychology Department at Heriot-Watt University. Her research focuses on body representation, emotional processing, and their interaction with the environment. She investigates how sensory-motor systems, emotions, and cognition shape human-environment interactions through experimental psychology and clinical neuroscience methods.

Her work addresses disorders such as anorexia nervosa, phantom limb experiences, and Parkinson’s disease, emphasizing embodied cognition principles. She explores perceptual illusions (e.g., supernumerary fingers), motor imagery deficits, and the impact of disgust on body perception. Collaborations span neuroscience, clinical psychology, and rehabilitation technology, with a focus on virtual reality applications.

Key contributions include studies on somatic rubber hand illusions, peripersonal space, and neurorehabilitation strategies. She has received the Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2022) for excellence in teaching. Sedda actively participates in international conferences and workshops on topics like compassionate teaching and interdisciplinary research.

Her research also examines disorders of body ownership (e.g., Body Integrity Identity Disorder) and emotional processing deficits in neurological conditions. She advocates for patient-centered approaches that integrate cognitive, sensory, and motor perspectives.