Dr Ellie Smith

Ellie began her academic journey with an undergraduate degree in Psychology at Lancaster University where she developed an interest in mental health and how psychological health experiences within families could impact each family member individually. Ellie was awarded a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholarship to explore these interests as part of her PhD, which she continued at Lancaster University in Psychology. Her PhD concentrated on the impact of maternal psychological health on their 6-month-old infants; specifically focusing on electrophysiological biomarkers of mental health disorders. After her PhD she worked as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge where she developed new research methods to explore prediction and learning capabilities in pre-verbal infants, integrating neuro-imaging and eye-tracking methodologies. Here she established her passion surrounding the use of data to drive change and impact the relationship between psychological wellbeing and resilience in the individual.

Ellie has a number of publications exploring different biomarkers of mental health disorders across a range of methodologies and continues to develop new ways of exploring mental health in developing populations. At Positive, she combines her research method experience and statistical knowledge to support a data-informed journey for clients.