Staff profile

I am an Associate Professor of Behavioural Science at Durham University. I previously worked at Newcastle University, first at the Population Health Sciences Institute (2013-17) and then as a lecturer in the School of Psychology (2017-21). I obtained my PhD from Durham University in 2013.

Research interests

My research focuses on the psychology of eating and weight. I am particularly interested in understanding change in eating behaviours, body image, and concomitant psychological factors with a view to intervention development. Examples of current projects include:

- understanding the effectiveness of interventions to reduce eating disorder risk in low and middle income countries;

- examining constructions of weight stigma in UK media and charity campaigns;

- coproducing autistic-led priorities for research to understand eating behaviour in autism;

- intervening to reduce eating disorder risk and perfectionism amongst UK undergraduates;

- a family of systematic reviews summarising the relationships amongst body image, sociocultural variables, and media use in low and middle income countries;

- establishing expert consensus on research priorities in children's body image research for the coming decade.

Availability for research supervision

I am happy to discuss PhD or MRes supervision in the following areas:

- disordered eating & eating behaviour;

- body image;

- weight-related psychological variables (e.g., weight stigma);

- intervention design and evaluation.

I am particularly interested in work that focuses on developmental aspects of the above, and work that involves populations that have not been (sufficiently) included in existing research.

Funding

2025 – 2027 Mytton, O., Llwelyn, C., (joint PIs) Evans, E.H. (Co-I) Evaluating the National Child Measurement Programme: impact on mental health and wellbeing, and delivery cost models. National Institute of Health Research: Policy Research Programme. £499,994.10. 

2025 - 2028 Nagpal, T., (PI), Evans, E.H. (Co-I) Open Research Area 8 (ESRC, SSHRC, DFG). An international and intersectional exploration of weight stigma across the life-course of women. £981,728.

2024 - 2029 Boothroyd, L.G. (PI), Evans, E.H. (Co-I) et al. ERC Advanced Grant / UKRI Frontier guarantee scheme. Building body image resilience in populations undergoing rapid economic development. €2,500,000

2023 - 2024 Evans, E.H. & Maclennan, K. Building ground-up hypotheses of disordered eating in autism: stakeholder engagement and rapid scoping review. Durham University Seedcorn Fund, £4245

2020 - 2022 Boothroyd, L.G., Evans, E.H., Thornborrow, T., Diedrichs, P. Establishing best practice in eating disorder prevention for rapidly developing populations. Wellcome Trust Seed (RF010135) £96,958

2020 - 2025 Adamson, A.J., Araujo-Soares, V., Arnott, B.M., Evans, E.H., Oluboyede, O.A., Matthews, J.N.S., Jones, A., Basterfield, L. A definitive trial of the MapMe tool and its impact on child weight. NIHR-PHR £1,722,198.82 

2015 - 2016 Sniehotta, F.F. & Evans, E.H. Development and stage 2 RCT with internal pilot of a weight loss maintenance intervention for obese adults after clinically significant weight loss. MRCMR/J000477/1 (full-cost project extension) £73,177

2014 - 2015 Parkinson, K., Adamson, A., Pearce, M., Basterfield, L., Jones, A., Newbury-Birch, D., McGovern, R. & Evans, E.H. Gateshead Millennium Birth Cohort study: 15-year data collection. Children’s Foundation. £17,000

2006 - 2011 Evans, E.H. & Drewett, R.F. Predictors of disordered eating attitudes in preadolescent girls. Economic and Social Research Council Open competition (personal) 1+3 doctoral studentship. ~ £72,000

Teaching & administrative activities

I am deputy chair of the Board of Examiners for Psychology and a member of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee. I lead the Level 3 module Eating Disorders and lead the clinical component of Differential and Clinical Psychology. I contribute to a range of other teaching across the department and as a regular guest lecturer at Newcastle University Medical School.

Doctoral supervision

2023-2027: Charlie Greenall (ESRC 1+3 studentship; first supervisor, with Dr Keren Maclennan, Durham University & Dr Fiona Gullon Scott, Newcastle University)

2022-2025: Shuang Hua (co-supervisor with Prof Lynda Boothroyd)

2021-2025: Alice Roberts (SPHR studentship, co-supervisor with Dr Suzanne Spence & Dr Frances Hillier-Brown, Newcastle University)

2020-2025: Manya Sawhney (co-supervisor, with Dr Amy Fielden & Dr Efstathia Tzemou, Newcastle University)

2021-2024: Louise Hanson (ESRC +3 studentship; co-supervisor with Prof Lynda Boothroyd & Prof Dorothy Cowie, Durham University) - successful completion

2021-2024: Farhana Chowdhury (Newcastle University studentship, co-supervisor, with Prof Candy Rowe, Newcastle University & Prof Vera Araujo-Soares, Uni Heidelberg) - successful completion

2018-2021: Vicky Roberts, DClinPsy (first supervisor, with Dr Fiona Gullon-Scott, Newcastle University) - successful completion.

2018-2024: Katy Jacques; part time (co-supervisor, with Prof Lynda Boothroyd) - successful completion.