Umaya is a Research Assistant on the Regulating Emotions – Strengthening Adolescent Resilience (RE-STAR) programme. She works on the "My Emotions and Me Over Time" (MEMO) Study, which aims to explore the relationship between neurodivergence and mental health, focusing on the role of emotional regulation difficulties and/or frequent distressing experiences in schools. She has a background in Neuropsychology, with experience as an Assistant Psychologist at North Bristol NHS Trust and Great Ormond Street Hospital, and as a Research Assistant Psychologist at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. In these roles, she has worked with both adults and children from diverse backgrounds, assessing and providing support for cognition, behaviour, and emotional well-being in the context of a range of health conditions (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke, Hypoxia). She holds a BSc in Psychology from Cardiff University and an interdisciplinary MA in Psychosocial Studies from Birkbeck, University of London.

Umaya's current research interests include:

• Child and Adolescent mental health
• Child health and neurodevelopment
• Autism & ADHD
• Psychosocial and contextual factors affecting health and well-being
• Interdisciplinary research
• School-based interventions