Rowena Piers
Postdoctoral Research Associate - Site Coordinator
Background
As a mixed-methods researcher in applied psychology, my research explores how young people use technology for their mental health needs, as well as the development and evaluation of digital interventions to support youth mental health, particularly among marginalised populations who may be underrepresented in current research. At the University of Edinburgh, I work as a postdoctoral research associate and the site coordinator for the Contextual Mental Health research group, where I support a variety of multidisciplinary research projects. Within my current work, I often use both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including participatory and arts-based approaches, as well as Ecological Sampling Methodology (ESM) / Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). My key research interests include digital mental health, participatory research methods, coproduction and codesign, intersectionality and inequalities, and adolescent development.
Qualifications
- PhD in Clinical Psychology (University of Edinburgh, 2024)
- MSc in Research Methods in Psychology (Strathclyde University, 2019)
- BSc in Psychology (University of Glasgow, 2018)
Current research interests
Digital mental health, adolescent mental health, developmental psychology, health equity, marginalisation, mental health literacy, intersectionality, social justice, coproduction, participatory action research methods, PPIE, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), decolonial perspectivesAffiliated research centres
Project activity
Current projects and roles:
- Current study coordinator for the Edinburgh site of the IMMERSE study. Within IMMERSE, we aim to further transform ESM/EMA into an innovative, clinical digital health tool, Digital Mobile Mental Health (DMMH), in close collaboration with stakeholders, while also specifically evaluating the implementation of this tool in routine mental health care in four countries in Europe.
- Collaborator on a project with researchers in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to better understand young people's mental health experiences in Kazakhstan using ESM/EMA. This builds upon a previous project that I contributed to, which involved a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh, Data for Children Collaborative and UNICEF project officers in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.
- Lead for a series of public engagement and knowledge exchange projects, including running events in the Festival of Social Science in 2024 and 2025, and the Contextual Mental Health Seminar Series in 2024-25.