Dr Katie Carpenter

Katie Carpenter is a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology with a background spanning both psychological research and clinical practice. Prior to this role, she worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Psychology, contributing to a project led by Dr Kirsten Abbot-Smith that explored the cognitive processes underlying conversational topic maintenance.

Katie completed her Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded PhD at the University of Kent, where she investigated metacognition in autistic adults. Alongside her academic work, she has held several clinical roles as a Senior Assistant Psychologist, supporting individuals with a range of mental health difficulties and developmental differences across diverse clinical settings.

Katie's research focuses on the cognitive mechanisms underlying developmental differences, particularly in autism. Her doctoral research examined the relationship between metacognition and mindreading in autistic and non-autistic adults.

More recently, her work has explored the cognitive factors that influence conversational topic maintenance. This research investigates how factors such as cognitive flexibility and attention affect autistic and non-autistic children's ability to engage in and sustain conversations.

Katie is increasingly interested in developing applied research that bridges cognitive psychology and clinical practice. She is particularly interested in combining her expertise in autism, psychological therapies, and mental health to develop research with direct implications for assessment, intervention, and improving outcomes for neurodivergent individuals.

Funding

Economic and Social Research Council (+3 studentship)