Gemma L. Williams

Gemma is interdisciplinary researcher working at the intersection of cognition, linguistics and critical neurodiversity studies with a central focus on advancing social justice and improving the quality of life of neurodivergent people. Her Linguistics PhD investigated the breakdowns in mutual understanding that can occur between autistic and non-autistic people, based on the idea of the ‘double empathy problem’. Her doctoral research has also included a focus on loneliness in autism and the use of creative and participatory methodologies.

She is a Teaching Fellow in Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, an Honorary Visiting Lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, a member of the Westminster Commission on Autism and an Associate Member of the Heasman Flow Lab (York St John University). She also previously worked as an Associate with the National Development Team for Inclusion, contributing to a number of commissioned reports, projects and inquiries aimed at improving service provision for autistic and neurodivergent people within the UK, NHS England and Local Authorities.

Her research has utilised participatory and co-productive methodologies to investigate the intersections of neurodivergence and: healthcare access, loneliness, homelessness, women and AFAB people’s reproductive health, sensory environments, and flow states – with the aim of identifying systemic barriers and enabling neurodivergent flourishing.

Gemma's monograph ‘Understanding Others in a Neurodiverse World’, was published by Pavilion Press in July 2024 and her second book, 'English Language Teaching in a Neurodiverse World' was published by Pavilion ELT in April 2026.

https://neurodiverseuniverse.substack.com/