Dr Georgie Agar MSci, PhD

• MSci Psychology and Psychological Practice (Hons), 2016, University of Birmingham
• PhD Psychology, 2021, University of Birmingham

Dr Agar graduated from the University of Birmingham in July 2016, with an MSci in Psychology and Psychological Practice. She was based within the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders for her final year placement, working with children who demonstrated self-injurious behaviour and autism. Georgie’s PhD work was funded by Cerebra, investigating poor sleep in people with rare genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability as part of the Cerebra sleep project. Georgie now leads work on the Sleep Impulsivity Behaviour project, which is funded by the Medical Research Council and Medical Research Foundation.

Dr Agar co-supervises a number of MSci and year out placement students at the Richards Lab.

Dr Agar’s research interests span several broad themes:

1. Characterising the prevalence and profile of poor sleep in rare genetic syndrome groups using actigraphy, direct observation and subjective methods.
2. Developing novel methodology for the assessment of poor sleep in groups where typical methods may not be tolerable/suitable – including individuals with rare genetic syndromes, autism and intellectual disability.
3. Investigating how poor sleep and executive function may contribute to the presence of self-injury in individuals with intellectual disability and autism – and intervention techniques to reduce these negative outcomes.
4. Understanding caregiver experiences and management of poor sleep and behaviours that challenge in these groups.

• Recipient of the Christian Guilleminault Endowment Fund Young Investigator Award
• Member of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, International Pediatric Sleep Association and Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes
• Former social media lead for Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (2015-2018) and Further Inform Neurogenetic Disorders (2016-2019)