Cyrus Willmott

Cyrus is interested in systems-based approaches to psychedelic science, examining how physiological, psychological, and social processes interact to shape the psychedelic experience and its therapeutic outcomes. His particular focus is on peripheral physiology as both a target of psychedelic action and a modulator of psychedelic outcomes, with a broader goal of enhancing treatment prediction and developing precision approaches for psychedelic therapy. His work draws upon Ayurvedic Medicine, specifically its tridosha siddhanta and its long-standing attention to the gut and nervous system as determinants of mental state, as a hypothesis-generating framework. Cyrus' PhD focuses on the gut microbiome, autonomic nervous system, and the gut-brain axis, exploring how these systems may shape the psychedelic experience and contribute to interindividual variability in treatment response. 

Cyrus joined the University of Exeter's Psychology Department in 2024, having completed his MSc in Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition at UCL in 2022. He also began his training in Ayurvedic Medicine in 2019 northern India, in Dharamshala and Jaipur.

He coordinates the University of Exeter Psychedelic Colloquium, a seminar series inviting speakers from across the field to present on array of topics in psychedelic research. He is also a visiting PhD student in the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, working on an upcoming trial of psilocybin for Gambling Disorder.