Dr Edyta Monika Hunter

Dr Edyta Monika Hunter is a Lecturer in Psychology, a Chartered Psychologist, researcher and educator with a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. Her work brings together cognitive neuropsychology, social cognition, lifespan development, women’s health and inclusive higher education. She is particularly interested in how psychological science can illuminate the ways people understand themselves, relate to others and flourish across the lifespan.

Her career combines academic leadership, clinical and honorary research work, consultancy and student-centred teaching. Dr Hunter has worked with older adults and clinical populations, including people living with Alzheimer’s disease and stroke survivors, and has held an honorary contract within a University of Edinburgh hospital setting. Her research and teaching span cognition, emotion, neuropsychology, social understanding, mixed-methods research, and the cognitive and emotional dimensions of the menopausal transition.

Dr Hunter is deeply committed to an educational experience that is intellectually ambitious, compassionate and inclusive. Her teaching is informed by compassionate psychology and a belief that students learn best where scholarly challenge is accompanied by psychological safety, respect and genuine encouragement. She is especially committed to educational quality, a strong student experience and the conditions in which students can think independently, contribute freely and develop their own informed voices.

Alongside her academic career, Dr Hunter has led consultancies and quality-improvement projects across higher education and healthcare. She is also the creator of 'The Menopause Brain', an evidence-informed programme that translates psychological and neuroscientific knowledge of menopause into meaningful support for individuals and organisations. A committed yoga practitioner, she brings an additional interest in embodied wellbeing to her broader work in psychology.

Dr Hunter holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh. She also holds a First-Class BSc (Hons) in Psychology, a BA, and postgraduate qualifications in Art Therapy and Higher Education / Academic Practice. Her academic and professional development reflects a distinctive integration of rigorous psychological science, creative and humanistic practice, and reflective higher education pedagogy.

She is a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS) and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Her professional interests include cognitive and clinical neuropsychology, psychology of ageing, social cognition, mixed-methods research, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, women’s psychological health, and compassionate and interdisciplinary education.

Dr Hunter received the University of Edinburgh Teaching Award in recognition of her contribution to supporting student learning. She has also contributed to disability support and inclusive educational practice, helping students to engage confidently and meaningfully with higher education.

• Independent Psychology and Higher Education Consultant / Founder, The Menopause Brain — 2025–present
• Assistant Professor in Psychology, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh — 2024–2025
• Senior Lecturer in Psychology, London Metropolitan University — 2019–2024
• Clinical Director, Specialist Clinical Practice, Harley Street, London — 2018–2020
• Lecturer in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy), Canterbury Christ Church University — 2014–2018
• Teaching Assistant, Clinical Research Associate and Honorary Researcher, University of Edinburgh and associated hospital settings — 2007–2013

Selected Book

Hunter, E. M. (2026). 'The Menopause Brain: What Nobody Tells You'. An accessible, evidence-informed book examining the cognitive, emotional and psychological dimensions of the menopausal transition. The work draws on Dr Hunter’s expertise in cognitive neuropsychology, women’s health and lifespan psychology.

Representative Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

Guerrini, S., Hunter, E. M., Papagno, C., & MacPherson, S. E. (2023). Cognitive reserve and emotion recognition in the context of normal aging. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 30(5), 759–777. https://doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2022.2079603

Wilkinson, M., Day, E., Purnell, J., Pilecka, I., Perdue, I., Murray, J., Hunter, E. M., & Goldstein, L. H. (2020 ). The experiences of therapists providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for dissociative seizures in the CODES randomized controlled trial: A qualitative study. Epilepsy & Behavior, 105, 106943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.106943

Charlesworth, J. E. G., Petkovic, G., Kelley, J. M., Hunter, M., Onakpoya, I., Roberts, N., Miller, F. G., & Howick, J. (2017 ). Effects of placebos without deception compared with no treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 10(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1111/jebm.12251

Cavallo, M., Hunter, E. M., van der Hiele, K., & Angilletta, C. (2016 ). Computerized structured cognitive training in patients affected by early-stage Alzheimer’s disease is feasible and effective: A randomized controlled study. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 31(8), 868–876. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acw072

Hunter, E. M., Phillips, L. H., & MacPherson, S. E. (2016 ). Where is my key? Where is his key? Perspective taking and social sensitivity of the Key Search task. Cortex, 76, 131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2015.11.008

Hunter, E. M., Phillips, L. H., & MacPherson, S. E. (2010 ). Effects of age on cross-modal emotion perception. Psychology and Aging, 25(4), 779–787. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020528

Selected Conference Presentations

Hunter, E. M. (2014 ). “The whole is more than the sum of its parts”. Presentation at the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize, Denmark.

Hunter, E. M., Phillips, L. H., & MacPherson, S. E. (2013). Multisensory integration of social cues in healthy adult ageing and stroke patients. Presentation at the British Neuropsychological Society Meeting, Institute of Neurology, London.

Professional and Public Engagement

Creator and presenter, 'The Menopause Brain' — a psychology- and neuroscience-informed programme for individuals and organisations, addressing the cognitive, emotional and workplace dimensions of the menopausal transition.

Training, consultancy and invited talks — Dr Hunter delivers applied sessions in women’s psychological health, cognitive ageing, neuropsychology, inclusive education, student wellbeing and the translation of psychological science into practice.

Dr Edyta Monika Hunter’s research is situated at the intersection of cognitive neuropsychology, social cognition, lifespan development and applied psychology. She is interested in the ways in which people perceive, interpret and respond to social and emotional information, and how these capacities change across adulthood, in neurological conditions and within different cultural contexts.

Her principal research interests include cognitive ageing; neuropsychology; social cognition and emotion recognition; multisensory integration; stroke and dementia; clinical and health psychology; women’s psychological health and menopause; and mixed-methods research. She is particularly committed to research that combines scientific rigour with attention to lived experience, translating psychological knowledge into meaningful practice in education, healthcare, workplaces and the wider community.

Dr Hunter also has a strong interest in inclusive and interdisciplinary higher education. Her work in this area considers student experience, compassionate pedagogy, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, psychological safety and the conditions that enable students to think independently, participate confidently and thrive.

Dr Hunter has supervised approximately 200 undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in applied psychology across the course of her academic career, as well as supporting six doctoral research to completion.

She welcomes supervision in qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches, particularly in the areas of cognitive and clinical neuropsychology mental health and wellbeing, women’s health and menopause or Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Her supervisory approach is rigorous, collaborative and supportive. Dr Hunter encourages students to develop intellectual independence while providing clear structure, thoughtful challenge and a psychologically safe space in which complex ideas can be explored with confidence. She is particularly interested in supporting research that bridges disciplinary boundaries and connects psychological theory with real-world questions.

• Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), British Psychological Society
• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS)
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member, British Psychological Society Division of Neuropsychology
• Member, British Psychological Society Cognitive Section
   

Undergraduate Psychology (BSc Course Leadership and Teaching)

Cognitive Psychology, including cognition, memory, attention, executive function, perception and decision-making.

Neuropsychology, including brain–behaviour relationships, cognitive impairment, neurological conditions, cognitive ageing, stroke and dementia.

Forensic Psychology, including the application of psychological theory and evidence to legal and forensic contexts.

Clinical Psychology, including psychological assessment, formulation, evidence-based practice and mental health across the lifespan.

Social Cognition, including emotion recognition, theory of mind, social perception, social norms, deception, sarcasm and interpersonal understanding.

Social Psychology, including social behaviour, identity, relationships and group processes.

Developmental and Lifespan Psychology, including cognitive, emotional and social development across adulthood and later life.

Biopsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, including the relationships among brain, body, behaviour and psychological processes.

Research Methods, including the design, conduct, ethical review, analysis and communication of psychological research.

Brain-wise Counsellor, supporting counsellors to understand the role of brain function in anxiety, depression and emotional wellbeing.

Postgraduate Psychology (MSc Course Leadership and Teaching)

Psychopathology in Counselling Practice, including mental health, diagnostic frameworks, formulation and counselling contexts.

Psychopathology, including psychological models of distress and evidence-based approaches to mental health.

Clinical Psychology and Applied Psychology, including research-informed practice and work with clinical populations.

Neuropsychology, including cognitive assessment, neuropsychological theory and applications in neurological conditions.

Mixed-Methods Research, including the integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches to complex psychological questions.

Doctoral and Professional Training (Doctoral Course Leadership and Teaching)

Neuropsychology on doctoral clinical psychology provision (DClinPsy).

Research Methods for doctoral and postgraduate trainees, including research design, ethics, analysis, dissemination and supervisor development.

Applied and Clinical Psychology Research Supervision, including supervision through to doctoral completion.

Quality Improvement in Healthcare, including the leadership of quality-improvement projects with NHS England, multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.

Training of Research Supervisors, including the development and support of internal and external research supervisors.

Experts by Experience work within doctoral clinical psychology training.