Catherine Preston

Catherine Preston is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of York, UK, where she has been since 2015. Previously, she held positions at Karolinska Institutet (2011–2015), Nottingham Trent University (2010–2011), and the University of Nottingham (2008–2010). She completed her BSc in Psychology with Neuroscience at the University of Leicester (2001–2004) and her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Nottingham (2004–2008).

Her research focuses on self-awareness, body perception, and their neural underpinnings, with applications to mental health and well-being. Specific projects include perinatal body changes, body perception's role in disordered eating and chronic pain, and the use of neuroimaging and behavioral experiments. She co-chairs the Body Representation Network (BRNet) and has secured grants from the Pain Relief Foundation, Dunhill Medical Trust, and others. Notably, her team won first prize in the 2012 Neural Correlate Society’s Illusion of the Year contest for the 'disappearing hand trick.'

Her work spans maternal-infant health, body satisfaction, and chronic pain management. She collaborates internationally and has published extensively in journals like Scientific Reports, Psychological Assessment, and BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. She serves as an editor for Scientific Reports.