Michelle Moulds

Professor Michelle Moulds is a Clinical Psychologist and Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales. Her academic career spans over two decades with a consistent focus on understanding cognitive processes underlying emotional disorders.

Her primary research interests center on repetitive negative thinking, particularly rumination in depression and anxiety disorders. She investigates how repetitive thinking interacts with other cognitive deficits, such as autobiographical memory disturbances, to maintain psychological disorders. Her work has evolved to examine these processes across various populations including perinatal women, healthcare workers during the pandemic, and university students across different cultural contexts.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in developing and testing interventions targeting repetitive negative thinking, with increasing emphasis on digital mental health solutions, culturally adapted approaches, and transdiagnostic frameworks. Her work frequently examines the role of intrusive memories and cognitive processing styles across multiple clinical conditions.

Professor Moulds maintains an active research program with numerous international collaborations, particularly evident in her recent work with Indonesian researchers on culturally adapted mindfulness interventions. Her research consistently bridges basic cognitive science with clinical applications, demonstrating strong translational impact.

She has supervised numerous students who have become established researchers in their own right, with many continuing to collaborate with her on cutting-edge research in cognitive and clinical psychology. Her work has increasingly focused on developing early interventions for at-risk populations, particularly in perinatal mental health and trauma-exposed groups.