Claire Williams

My principal research interests include neurobehavioural disability after acquired brain injury, emotional processing and regulation, dysregulated behaviours, and outcome measurement. I have a strong track record of applied and translational research in the field of brain injury, including leadership experience of delivering projects with clinical impact and experience of developing specialist tools for use in brain injury (St Andrew’s – Swansea Neurobehavioural Outcome Scale).

I am also particularly interested in the emotional mechanisms underpinning emotional eating and body mass index, and notably, the possible role of alexithymia; a personality trait characterised by difficulty identifying feelings and distinguishing them from the somatic sensations accompanying emotion, difficulty describing feelings to other people, constricted imaginal processes, and a stimulus-bound, externally oriented thinking style.

More recently, I have also become interested in whether the experience of feeling fat may mediate the relationship between alexithymia and emotional eating, and in turn body mass index. In addition, my research interests also include the impact of maternal birth experience on perceived infant temperament and the role of neuroscience in legal decision making.

I am keen to establish interdisciplinary work at the boundaries between scientific disciplines and I am committed to raising aspirations in under-represented groups in higher education. I am also keen to explore ways to make research accessible for everyone and routinely participate in public engagement events (e.g., British Science Festival; Swansea Science Festival).