About
Emma Richards is a senior researcher in the Centre for Innovative Ageing, and for the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research, within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science.
Emma is currently Chief Investigator on a UKRI funded grant examining Hearing Loss and Place (HELP), and CI on a RWIF funded project examining white matter changes and otological symptoms in older people.
Previous roles included:
- CI on a project examining group support for people living with dementia and their carers during Covid.
- Identifying what individuals living with dementia want in order to facilitate and support their potential to ‘Live Well with Dementia’ within Swansea Bay. The aim being to create a benchmark in order to target action points within the Dementia Action Plan for service provision across the region and the development of a strategic framework. This piece of work will form an integral part of the development of the local health board Dementia Strategy.
- South Wales Project lead on the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS)
Emma’s PhD was looking at Characterising Vascular Cognitive Impairment (Vascular dementia) in terms of brain processing speeds. The aim was to increase our understanding of early signs and symptoms of the disease. This involved protocol development, R&D and NHS ethical approvals, testing participants on a battery of neuropsychological tests, examining neuroimaging, and statistical and qualitative analysis.
She has a master’s degree in psychology, specialising in the brain and ageing, including non-pharmacological treatments for dementia and alcohol consumption and the risk of dementia, from the Open University.
She also has her PGCE (Post Compulsory Education and Training) from the University of South Wales.
Emma started her academic career at Swansea University, gaining a BSc (hons), with her research project examining the effects of varying amounts of misinformation over time on children’s eyewitness testimony, and a dissertation: Alzheimer's disease: Assessment, cognitive deficits and treatment. Subject areas: Psychopharmacology, Neuropsychology, Research methods, Cognitive and Developmental Psychology.
Researcher Emma has personal reason to fight dementia - Wales Online