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Udita Iyengar

Dr Udita Iyengar

Lecturer

Biography

Udita completed her MSc from University College London and Yale University and conducted her doctoral research at the Attachment and Neurodevelopment Lab at Baylor College of Medicine (USA) focusing on maternal attachment and brain response to infant cues using fMRI.

Udita completed her PhD in 2016 from University College London with Professor Peter Fonagy and Dr. Lane Strathearn on the neuroscience of attachment behaviours and trauma, and is trained in administering and coding a variety of attachment measures using the DMM model of Attachment and Adaptation.

Udita joined King’s College London IoPPN in 2016 as a postdoctoral researcher at the SGDP, coordinating the c-VEDA project (2016-2017) and project managed the Best Services Trial in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2017-2022). Udita has previously contributed to the KCL BSc Psychology and MSc CAMHS courses and was a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Roehampton, lecturing on attachment and the brain. Udita joined the Department of Psychosis Studies as a lecturer in 2022 and teaches on the MSc Mental Health Studies and MSc Early Intervention in Psychosis programmes. She also is project lead for a student advisory group of racially minoritised students at the IoPPN: CORE-UNITY: Coalition for Outreach, Reform, and Empowerment and works toward improving student wellbeing.

Research Interests:

  • maternal and infant attachment
  • perinatal mental health
  • the neuroscience of attachment
  • integrating lived experience in MSc teaching
  • minoritised student experience and student wellbeing

Udita co-leads the Basic Mental Health and Women’s Mental Health module and supervises a number of MSc projects as part of a SLaM/IoPPN Collaboration (SLIC) initiative.

Udita is also the module lead of the first ever Lived Experience module at the IoPPN, which was co-produced and entirely delivered by experts and carers with lived experience of psychosis and other mental disorders.

Expertise and Public Engagement

Udita enjoys engaging with the public and translating research to a variety of audiences and being involved in co-production initiatives. She received a KCL Public Engagement Award in 2023 (co-applicant) for a co-produced workshop to share learning on embedding creativity in PPI work in research and teaching at the IoPPN, and in 2017 (primary applicant) to co-create a parenting course for mothers participating in a Family Drug and Alcohol Court.

Udita has also contributed to the Mental Elf Blog and was a panel speaker on “Oxytocin: Birthing the World” event in 2017.  

    Events

    22MayBreaking the mould of co-production

    Breaking the Mould: A showcase of connection through creativity

    An interactive drop-in showcase and learning event, sharing creative ways to involve people with lived experience in research and education.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    30Apr61 Maudsley Debate

    61st Maudsley Debate

    Motion: High Time: This house believes that cannabis should be legalised in the UK within 5 years.

    Please note: this event has passed.

    Features

    IoPPN Research Festival 2024 'Origins and new beginnings'

    The 2024 IoPPN Research Festival covered the theme ‘Origins and New Beginnings.’

    Rainbow Origami Cranes From Origin to End

      Events

      22MayBreaking the mould of co-production

      Breaking the Mould: A showcase of connection through creativity

      An interactive drop-in showcase and learning event, sharing creative ways to involve people with lived experience in research and education.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      30Apr61 Maudsley Debate

      61st Maudsley Debate

      Motion: High Time: This house believes that cannabis should be legalised in the UK within 5 years.

      Please note: this event has passed.

      Features

      IoPPN Research Festival 2024 'Origins and new beginnings'

      The 2024 IoPPN Research Festival covered the theme ‘Origins and New Beginnings.’

      Rainbow Origami Cranes From Origin to End