Preethi Premkumar

Preethi Premkumar is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Applied Sciences. She leads on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), chairs the EquiNet staff race equality network, and oversees the School’s Athena SWAN initiatives. Previously, she held roles at Nottingham Trent University (2010–2020) and contributed to NICE clinical guidelines for mental health. Her PhD from King’s College London (2011) focused on neural predictors of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) responsiveness in schizophrenia.

Education:

• BSc Zoology (1993–1996)
• MSc Health Psychology (1997–1998)
• MPhil Psychology (2000–2004)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (2004–2005)
• PhD Psychology (2007–2011)
• Post-graduate Certificate in Higher Education (2011–2012)
• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership, Innovation, and Management (2020–2021)

Research Interests: Her work bridges neuroscience and family dynamics, exploring how criticism and praise influence mental health. She pioneers virtual reality (VR) interventions for social anxiety and hearing voices, integrating biofeedback. Recent projects include systematic reviews on disability and social support for the UK Cabinet Office, and a study on pandemic impacts on disabled researchers’ career trajectories.

Key Projects:

• VR therapy for social anxiety augmented with biofeedback (2024 RCT)
• Impact of pandemic on minoritized researchers (2024)
• Global ENIGMA study on schizotypy neurobiology (2024)

Awards/Grants: None explicitly listed, but her work aligns with UN SDGs for Quality Education (SDG 4) and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10).

Labs/Teams: Leads a multi-disciplinary team investigating EDI in academia and collaborates on VR therapy development with clinical partners.