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Academic Staff
Academic Staff
Prof Beatriz López is a Professor of Developmental Psychology and Director of the Autism Centre for Research on Employment (ACRE) and the Centre for Interaction, Development and Diversity, at the University of Portsmouth. Her research explores heterogeneity in autism and how understanding variability can shape more inclusive support systems, especially in employment. She currently leads the Employment Project exploring neurodivergent staff experiences working in higher education.
Dr Emine Gurbuz (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Her research focuses on improving the experiences and wellbeing of autistic students in higher education, with a particular interest in social inclusion, stigma, mental health, and support needs. Emine currently leads the University Project, which explores the needs and experiences of both autistic and non-autistic students using co-designed online surveys.
Dr Iris Nomikou is an Associate Professor in Communication and Language Development and Deputy Director of the Centre for Interaction, Development and Diversity at the University of Portsmouth. Her research focuses on early development, communication, and how individual differences and diverse environments shape social interaction and learning. She is particularly interested in observational research and participatory approaches that include neurodivergent voices in research and practice. Iris currently leads two projects on needs-led models and Neurodiversity Profiling, working with Local Authorities, the Integrated Care Board, and the NHS Trust to co-develop tools that identify and support the individual needs of neurodivergent children.
Dr Alessandra Fasulo is a Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. She studies how identities and social relationships are shaped through everyday communication, with a particular interest in autism and neurodiversity. Her work often uses qualitative and discourse-based methods to examine how people express agency and construct meaning in interaction. Alessandra leads the Assessment Project, which explores how autism assessments are conducted in practice and how they can be made more inclusive and reflective of neurodivergent ways of functioning.
Dr Steven Kapp (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth whose work focuses on autism and neurodiversity. His research explores the lived experiences of autistic people, including identity, stigma, and social inclusion. He also produced the edited collection Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontline, the first history of the neurodiversity movement told through first-hand accounts of advocates and activists. Steven leads the Neurodiversity Project, which examines how research and practice can be reshaped to support neurodivergent ways of being.
Dr Leanne Chrisostomou is a Teaching Fellow in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Her research focuses on autism diagnosis in the NHS, including interactions during the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2). Leanne has further interests in the gendered experience of autism and ADHD, and neurodivergent strengths and flourishing.
Dr Jessica Massonnie is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology within the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth. She is the Course Leader for the Professional Doctorate in Education. Her research focuses on understanding and valuing individual differences within educational settings. She is particularly interested in how primary school children experience their physical and sensory environment. The majority of her projects are led in collaboration with educators and educational professionals. She teaches on a diversity of topics including child development, mental health, and research methods.
Postgraduate Research students
James Baggott
James Baggott
James Baggott is a PhD candidate in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. His research focuses on the auditory differences of autistic children, and how this might affect their educational experience. He is currently conducting a scoping review to examine how prior research has defined and conceptualised sensory differences, noise, and autism.
Elinor Lim
Elinor Lim
Dr Elinor Lim (she/her) recently completed her PhD in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. She was funded by the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership and her PhD research focused on autistic students’ experiences of university, specifically in relation to family dynamics. Elinor used a mixed-method approach in her thesis to capture the complexity of family dynamics and support in shaping the experiences of autistic students.
Terry Loftus
Terry Loftus
Terry Loftus is a PhD candidate in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Terry has over thirty years' experience within the adult social care sector, which has influenced his choice of research study. His research focusses on experiences of 'third places' (casual social places) for people with learning disabilities, utilising ethnographic research methods and an emphasis on inclusive research practices.
Melanie Trojan
Melanie Trojan
Melanie is a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth and a Senior Lecturer in Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Applied Sciences Campus Vienna. Her research focuses on assessment of social pragmatic communication within speech and language therapy. Through her work, she aims to advance understanding of how observing interaction contributes to evaluating social pragmatic communication.
Glenda Truscott
Glenda Truscott
Glenda Truscott is a Professional Doctorate candidate in Education, with a research focus on advancing equity for neurodivergent individuals. Drawing on her expertise as a neurodiversity coach and business consultant, she is leading a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project that explores how neurodivergent students experience careers support within higher education. Her work aims to inform inclusive practices and foster meaningful change across academic and professional pathways.
Konstantina Klimantaki
Konstantina Klimantaki
Konstantina is a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth. Her doctoral research examines the role of autistic adolescents’ early experiences in the development of identity and social camouflaging, as well as the impact of camouflaging on mental health outcomes. Through her work, Konstantina aims to inform and guide therapeutic practices that support autistic adolescents in leading fulfilling lives, while raising awareness of how social environments influence the presentation of autism and autistic individuals’ psychological experiences.
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