Nina Higson-Sweeney

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher within the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, working within the TOPIC Research Group as part of the Foulkes Lab. I am also a Lecturer at the University of Bath.

My main research interests are in child and adolescent mental health, particularly depression, anxiety, and OCD, with the overall aim of ensuring that how mental health is addressed aligns with young people's wants, needs, and lived experiences. I am trained as a mixed methods researcher, with expertise in qualitative methods and a keen interest in co-production and participatory research.

In my current role at Oxford, I am using qualitative methods to explore young people's attitudes towards and experiences of self-diagnosing with mental health problems. I am also involved in additional research projects, including collaborations with Dr Josefien Breedvelt at King's College London exploring young people's attitudes towards risk prediction modelling and personalised prevention, Dr Maria Loades at the University of Bath exploring young people's attitudes towards single-session interventions, and Dr Bethany Cliffe at the University of Westminster, exploring doctoral students' experiences of conducting self-relevant mental health research.

In 2026, I am due to start as a Research Fellow funded by the Wellcome Trust Accelerator Awards on a two-year programme of research focused on help-seeking for OCD among ethnic minority adolescents.