Dr Emma Richards

Research Officer

Public Health

+44 (0) 1792 604219

e.v.richards@swansea.ac.uk

Intermediate Welsh Speaker

Office (CADR) - 212
Second Floor
Talbot Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1063-2576

ResearchGate

Google Scholar

ResearcherID

Scopus

About

Emma Richards is a senior researcher in the Centre for Innovative Ageing, and for the Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research, within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science.

Emma is currently Chief Investigator on a UKRI funded grant examining Hearing Loss and Place (HELP), and CI on a RWIF funded project examining white matter changes and otological symptoms in older people.

Previous roles included:

CI on a project examining group support for people living with dementia and their carers during Covid.
Identifying what individuals living with dementia want in order to facilitate and support their potential to ‘Live Well with Dementia’ within Swansea Bay. The aim being to create a benchmark in order to target action points within the Dementia Action Plan for service provision across the region and the development of a strategic framework. This piece of work will form an integral part of the development of the local health board Dementia Strategy.
South Wales Project lead on the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS)

Emma’s PhD was looking at Characterising Vascular Cognitive Impairment (Vascular dementia) in terms of brain processing speeds. The aim was to increase our understanding of early signs and symptoms of the disease. This involved protocol development, R&D and NHS ethical approvals, testing participants on a battery of neuropsychological tests, examining neuroimaging, and statistical and qualitative analysis.

She has a master’s degree in psychology, specialising in the brain and ageing, including non-pharmacological treatments for dementia and alcohol consumption and the risk of dementia, from the Open University.

She also has her PGCE (Post Compulsory Education and Training) from the University of South Wales.

Emma started her academic career at Swansea University, gaining a BSc (hons), with her research project examining the effects of varying amounts of misinformation over time on children’s eyewitness testimony, and a dissertation: Alzheimer's disease: Assessment, cognitive deficits and treatment. Subject areas: Psychopharmacology, Neuropsychology, Research methods, Cognitive and Developmental Psychology.

Researcher Emma has personal reason to fight dementia - Wales Online

Areas Of Expertise

Various aetiologies of Dementia
Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Sensory changes in ageing and dementia
Hearing loss
Cognitive testing
Executive functioning
Information Processing speed
Visual attention
Carer Stress
Public Involvement and Engagement

Career Highlights

Research

PhD Scholarship from Alzheimer’s Brace Charity

UKRI grant holder (HEaring Loss and Place - HeLP) Hearing Loss and Place (HeLP) - SBDRP (ageing-sbdrp.co.uk)

PI Investigating white matter changes and otological symptoms in older adults.

Co applicant on Cosmo project - COVID-19 impact on the Support and Management of Older people in Wales COVID-19 impact on the Support and Management of Older people in Wales: The COSMO Study – research opportunity | Health Care Research Wales (healthandcareresearchwales.org)

PhD supervision:

The Trends of Using Web-Based/Internet-Based Technologies in the Process of Accessing Health Information and Health Services of Informal Caregivers of Dementia Patients ” (current)
Influence of sleep psychophysiological and cognitive functions in healthy older adults and people with vascular dementia (current).
Environmental risk factors for Cardiovascular Disease and Dementia at population level.

Award Highlights Collaborations

Publications

Research Highlights

Richards, E., Cunningham-Burley, S., Porteous, C., Tully, M., Aitken, M., & Jones, K. (2018). International Consensus Statement on Public Involvement and Engagement with Data-Intensive Health Research. International Journal of Population Data Science, 3(4)
https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v3i4.837, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43727
https://ijpds.org/issue/archive
Richards, E., Bayer, A., Hanley, C., Norris, J., & Tales, A. (2019). Reaction Time and Visible White Matter Lesions in Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 72(3), 859-865.
https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-190823, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52247
Richards, E., Bayer, A., Hanley, C., Norris, J., & Tales, A. (2019). Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Insights from Reaction Time Measures. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 72(3), 845-857.
https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-190889, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52248
Aitken, M., Tully, M., Porteous, C., Denegri, S., Cunningham-Burley, S., Banner, N., Black, C., Burgess, M., Cross, L., Delden, J., Ford, E., Fox, S., Fitzpatrick, N., Gallacher, K., Goddard, C., Hassan, L., Jamieson, R., Jones, K., Kaarakainen, M...., & Willison, D. (2019). Consensus Statement on Public Involvement and Engagement with Data-Intensive Health Research. International Journal of Population Data Science, 4(1)
https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v4i1.586, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53727
Torrens-Burton, A., Hanley, C., Wood, R., Basoudan, N., Norris, J., Richards, E., & Tales, A. (2020). Lacking Pace but Not Precision: Age-Related Information Processing Changes in Response to a Dynamic Attentional Control Task. Brain Sciences, 10(6), 390
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060390, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54544
Richards, E., Cutter, J., & Tales, A. (2020). Dementia-based services in Swansea Bay
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55154
Richards, E., Bayer, A., & Tales, A. (2020). Characterising vascular cognitive impairment compared to cognitively healthy ageing with respect to reaction time, the intra‐individual variability of RT, and error production, practice effects and the task used in their measurement. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 16(S6)
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.042899, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56105
Richards, E., Thornton, I., Bayer, A., & Tales, A. (2021). Inhibitory control deficits in vascular cognitive impairment revealed using the MILO task. Neuropsychologia, 155, 107794
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107794, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56282
McKeown, K., Richards, E., Richardson, J., & Tales, A. (2021). The Trails Making Test. Does a Single Trial Reflect Performance Capability?. OBM Neurobiology, 05(02), 1-1.
https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102100, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57052
Richards, E., Tales, A., Bayer, A., Norris, J., Hanley, C., & Thornton, I. (2021). Reaction Time Decomposition as a Tool to Study Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports, 5(1), 625-636.
https://doi.org/10.3233/adr-210029, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57313
Norris, J., Tales, A., Badger, J., Cousins, A., & Richards, E. (2024). Autistic Trait Level and Reaction Time in Older Adults: The Influence of Sex and Task upon Study Outcome. Autism in Adulthood, 0
https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0120, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66907
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/aut.2023.0120

All Research

Journal Articles

Norris, J., Tales, A., Badger, J., Cousins, A., & Richards, E. (2024). Autistic Trait Level and Reaction Time in Older Adults: The Influence of Sex and Task upon Study Outcome. Autism in Adulthood, 0
https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2023.0120, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66907
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/aut.2023.0120
Richards, E., Tales, A., Bayer, A., Norris, J., Hanley, C., & Thornton, I. (2021). Reaction Time Decomposition as a Tool to Study Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease Reports, 5(1), 625-636.
https://doi.org/10.3233/adr-210029, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57313
McKeown, K., Richards, E., Richardson, J., & Tales, A. (2021). The Trails Making Test. Does a Single Trial Reflect Performance Capability?. OBM Neurobiology, 05(02), 1-1.
https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.neurobiol.2102100, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa57052
Richards, E., Thornton, I., Bayer, A., & Tales, A. (2021). Inhibitory control deficits in vascular cognitive impairment revealed using the MILO task. Neuropsychologia, 155, 107794
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107794, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56282
Richards, E., Bayer, A., & Tales, A. (2020). Characterising vascular cognitive impairment compared to cognitively healthy ageing with respect to reaction time, the intra‐individual variability of RT, and error production, practice effects and the task used in their measurement. Alzheimer's & Dementia, 16(S6)
https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.042899, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa56105
Torrens-Burton, A., Hanley, C., Wood, R., Basoudan, N., Norris, J., Richards, E., & Tales, A. (2020). Lacking Pace but Not Precision: Age-Related Information Processing Changes in Response to a Dynamic Attentional Control Task. Brain Sciences, 10(6), 390
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060390, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa54544
Richards, E., Bayer, A., Hanley, C., Norris, J., & Tales, A. (2019). Reaction Time and Visible White Matter Lesions in Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 72(3), 859-865.
https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-190823, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52247
Richards, E., Bayer, A., Hanley, C., Norris, J., & Tales, A. (2019). Subcortical Ischemic Vascular Cognitive Impairment: Insights from Reaction Time Measures. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 72(3), 845-857.
https://doi.org/10.3233/jad-190889, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa52248
Aitken, M., Tully, M., Porteous, C., Denegri, S., Cunningham-Burley, S., Banner, N., Black, C., Burgess, M., Cross, L., Delden, J., Ford, E., Fox, S., Fitzpatrick, N., Gallacher, K., Goddard, C., Hassan, L., Jamieson, R., Jones, K., Kaarakainen, M...., & Willison, D. (2019). Consensus Statement on Public Involvement and Engagement with Data-Intensive Health Research. International Journal of Population Data Science, 4(1)
https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v4i1.586, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa53727
Richards, E., Cunningham-Burley, S., Porteous, C., Tully, M., Aitken, M., & Jones, K. (2018). International Consensus Statement on Public Involvement and Engagement with Data-Intensive Health Research. International Journal of Population Data Science, 3(4)
https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v3i4.837, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa43727
https://ijpds.org/issue/archive

Other Research Outputs

Richards, E., Cutter, J., & Tales, A. (2020). Dementia-based services in Swansea Bay
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55154

Supervision

Investigation into the effects of green and blue spaces on vascular health, and the likelihood of developing vascular dementia. (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Rich Fry
The Use of Internet-Based Health Technologies to Access Health Information and Health Services by Unpaid Carers of People with Dementia (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Andrea Tales
Sleep, Memory, Cognition and Wellbeing in Participants with Vascular Dementia and in Healthy Older and Younger Adults (current)

PhD

Other supervisor: Prof Andrea Tales

Other supervisor: Prof Mark Blagrove

Key Grants and Projects

Hearing Loss and Place (HeLP) 2022 - 2024

, with Andrea Tales, Gary Christoper, Charles Musselwhite, Barry Bardsley, Jane Mullins, £100000

Career History

Senior Research officer, Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research

November 2012 - Present

Affiliated Positions

Group Lead, Sensations in Ageing, Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Research

2022 - Present
Trustee, Dementia Hwb

2021 - Present

Public Engagements

Patient and Public involvement Co-Lead for Health and Care Economics Cymru

Invited Presentations, Lectures and Conferences

CADR Conference

March 2024

Bangor University

Dr Emma Richards

Telephone number

Email address

Welsh language proficiency

Twitter Account

LinkedIn Account

Research Links

About

Areas Of Expertise

Career Highlights

Research Highlights

All Research

Investigation into the effects of green and blue spaces on vascular health, and the likelihood of developing vascular dementia. (current)

The Use of Internet-Based Health Technologies to Access Health Information and Health Services by Unpaid Carers of People with Dementia (current)

Sleep, Memory, Cognition and Wellbeing in Participants with Vascular Dementia and in Healthy Older and Younger Adults (current)

Senior Research officer, Centre for Ageing and Dementia Research

Group Lead, Sensations in Ageing, Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Research

Trustee, Dementia Hwb

CADR Conference