Professor Huw Williams

About me:

Huw Williams is a Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology and Co-Director of the Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research (CCNR) at Exeter University. Current projects include: Neuro-Trauma in adolescents and young adults in society and in prisons (Cape Town (South Africa) and London); Traumatic Brain Injury and Neuro Disability Screening & Support in Prisons (with Do-It Profiler); processing of emotions after brain injury; Neuroimaging of Sports Concussion in Elite athletes; how to use Neuroscience to influence public policy and tax spending; Post-Concussion Syndrome in sports populations; Neuroimaging of Affective Systems underlying Personality; Anorexia and Eating Disorders in UK and India; Injury & stress in Police Officers.

He has published papers and books and held grants in a range of areas of Clinical Neuropsychology – particularly on neuro-rehabilitation and recently regarding crime.

See: http://www.upen.ac.uk/blogs/?action=story&id=66

Awarded Fellowship of the BPS in 2019 and the Barbra Wilson Award for Lifetime Achievement in Clinical Neuropsychology.

https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/featurednews/title_701871_en.html

In the area of crime he:

- produced an overview for practitioners and policy makers and practitioners on TBI & Crime, Repairing shattered lives (French version also available);

- led on a report for the British Psychological Society (BPS) working group on Neuro-Disability in children and young people in custody;

- with Nathan Hughes a report on Neuro-disability and TBI in young offenders in children in custody for the Office of the Children's Commissioner (England);

- established, with Child Brain Injury Trust (CBIT) and General Lord Ramsbotham, the Criminal Justice and Acquired Brain Injury Group (CJAABIG) and produced an infographic to illustrate the links between TBI and crime;

- wrote, with Dr Prathiba Chitasabesan, a report on the use of linkworkers for young offenders to manage TBI in custody,

- supported the Centre for mental health in producing a report on the economic costs of crime due to TBI. He also recently edited a special issue on TBI and Crime for the Journal of head Trauma Rehabilitation.

- In March 2015 he was guest editor of the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation on TBI & Crime in young people

- In November 2017 contributed to Lancet Neurology - Traumatic Brain Injury: Integrated approaches to improve prevention, clinical care, and research http://www.thelancet.com/commissions/traumatic-brain-injury

TALK: Williams, H. Brain Trauma and Crime: Managing Complexity in Justice Systems. Keynote. Youth Justice Board (UK). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7RlHdpLcA0&index=11&list=PLn-1STalh8-mC-yKoG8lUjubLqRdZveMg

Interests:

Prof H Williams works on a number of themes that revolve around the influence of injuries to the brain and emotional stress factors. With a goal of providing evidence to guide pollicy and practice to enhancing care and rehabilitation. From athletes who may get concussed, to young people in prisons.

Grants/funding

2002: Awarded, with Dr Janice Kay, £40,000 PhD studentship ESRC-Case funding, in collaboration with the Encephalitis Society, for research in Neuropsychological Profiles and Psychosocial Outcome in Encephalitis.

2003: Awarded British Academy grant of £800 for travel to the conference of the Australian Brain Injury assoc. and the International Neuropsychological Society in Brisbane/Uluru.

2004: Awarded, With Dr Richard Hague, Candy McCabe, Ian Summers and Tom Hodgson, £60,000 for fMRI patterns in pain related brain activity – before and after intervention, from DDART medical charity.

2004: Awarded – additional funds, With Dr Richard Hague, Candy McCabe, Ian Summers and Tom Hodgson, £21,750 for fMRI patterns in pain related brain activity - from DDART medical charity.

2006: Awarded – with Prof A. Haslam (PI), Prof Tom Postmes, Prof J Jetten, Dr Cath Haslam, Dr Michelle Ryan, £1,250,000 from ESRC UK for research in Social identity change, trauma and Neuropsychology

2007: Awarded – with Richard Hague, Candy McCabe, Ian Summers and Tom Hodgson, £10,000 for fMRI patterns in pain related brain activity - from DDART medical charity

2008: UK Acquired Brain Injury Forum: Big Lottery funding, £10,000, for research in Crime and Brain Injury.

2009: Awarded, ESRC £15,000, with Dr Karen McAuliffe and Dr Atina Krajawska (Law), for Seminar series on Advances in Paediatric neuroscience for Lawyers and Policy makers (in UK and EU)

2011: Awarded, Barrow Cadbury Trust, £10,000, for research based review on Criminal Justice System and Brain Injury

2012: Awarded, British Psychological Society, with Dr Anna Adlam (UEA), £3,000 for web-seminars between UK, US and Australian Paediatric Neuropsychology Research Groups

2012: Awarded, Childrens’ Commissioners (England), £25,000, for research based review of needs of children with neuro-developmental and acquired conditions in justice system

2013: Awarded, Barrow Cadbury Trust to Disabilities Trust £60,000 – of which £7,000 to Ex U re: research consultancy. Role of Link workers in rehabilitation of young offenders with brain injury

2014: Awarded, Barrow Cadbury Trust £25,000: Health Economic Analysis of Brain Injury and Crime. Williams, Fazel, McMillan, Parsonage and BPS/DoN

2016: Great Western 4 Research Initiative: £75,000. Neuroimaging of Concussion – Rugby. Lead: Prof Derek Jones, CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Imaging Centre), and Co-I Andrew Gardner, University of Newcastle, Australia.

2017: Awarded, Medical Research Council £200,000: Institutional Award: Confidence in Global Mental Health Research: Trauma and Adverse Childhood Effects Springboard. PI J Burns, Co.I: Mill, Watkins, Adlam, Ford, Berry, Karl, Morgan

2018: Awarded, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, $AU 25,000. The UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty: Putting the health of vulnerable children and adolescents on the global development agenda. Lead PI: Stuart Kinner, Louise Southalan, Emilia Janca, Rohan Borschmann, Nathan Hughes, H Williams, Manfred Nowak, Georges Younes, Manu Krishan

2018: ESRC IAA Rapid Response Fund: Criminal Justice in Acquired Brain Injury. £4,000. For report for All Party Parliamentary Group on Traumatic Brain Injury – with UK Brain Injury Forum.

2018: Awarded. ESRC Impact Accelerator: £25,000. Neurodisability & Trauma and Brain Injury for UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty & UN agencies.

2019: Awarded. Barrow Cadbury Trust. £67,000. Revealing & Reducing Trauma in Young adults in the Criminal Justice System

Qualifications:

BA PhD D Clin Psych (Wales)

Career:

Prof Huw Williams gained his PhD and his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wales, Bangor. he then worked in London (Hackney, and West London) as a Clinical Psychologist in various services (Stroke, Neurorehabilliation, Neuro-Disability and Primary Care). Then he was on the founding staff team of the Oliver Zangwill Centre (OZC) for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in Ely. He was also a Visiting Scientist at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge. In 2006 he was a Visiting Scholar at the Rehabilitation Studies Unit, University of Sydney, Australia. He has honorary positions with the OZC and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital’s Emergency Department.

He has services as Secretary and Chair of the Division of Neuropsychology of the British Psychological Society.

He is on the HCPC register as a Clinical psychologist, the Specialist Register of the DoN of the BPS as a Clinical Neuopsychologist.

He was awarded a Fellowship of the BPS and the Barbra Wilson Award for Lifetime Achievement in Clinical Neuropsychology in 2019.

Appointments

1991-1994 Trainee Clinical Psychologist, North Wales training course, Bangor University

1994-1995 Clinical Psychologist, Community Learning Disability & Neuropsychology, Hackney Community Disability Team and St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London

1995-1996 Clinical Psychologist, Post-acute Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, Learning Disability and Primary Care, St Charles Hospital, London

1996-2000 Clinical Neuropsychologist, Oliver Zangwill Centre for Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, Princess of Wales Hospital, Ely

1996-2000 Visiting Scientist at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge

2000-2004 Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Exeter

2004-2007 Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, University of Exeter

2007-2021 Associate Professor in Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Exeter

2021-present Professor in Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Exeter