Chris Ashwin

Chris Ashwin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, where he is a core member of the Centre for Applied Autism Research. He actively contributes to academic teaching, research supervision, and is currently accepting doctoral students for mentorship.

His research employs cognitive and neuroscience methodologies to investigate both strengths (sensory processing, attention to detail, deliberation) and challenges (emotion processing, empathy, gaze processing) in autism spectrum disorders. He develops practical interventions to support autistic individuals during critical life transitions, particularly into university and employment settings. His work directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health, well-being, and inclusive education.

Recent publications (2024-2025) reveal strong thematic trends: intersectional analysis of autism with gender identity, neural mechanisms of social interaction through EEG and hyperscanning techniques, and diagnostic barriers for autistic females. His work spans qualitative healthcare studies, quantitative neural synchrony experiments, and systematic reviews of clinical assessment tools.

Dr. Ashwin has secured significant research funding including the active “Autism friendly university” project (2019-2025) funded by The John and Lorna Wing Foundation, a UK-Japan cross-cultural transition study, and projects with EPSRC and The Leverhulme Trust. He has supervised 11 students to date across autism-focused research. As a principal investigator and co-investigator on multiple grants, he collaborates internationally on initiatives spanning brain network mapping, emotion recognition via EEG, and large-scale autism support programs through the Centre for Applied Autism Research.