Holly E. A. Sutherland

Holly E. A. Sutherland

Postdoctoral Research Associate

University of Edinburgh

Bio

Autistic autism researcher and postdoctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge. Currently studying the linguistics of midrash and other unusual reading practices. I have experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods and analysis techniques, in a variety of cognitive science fields.

Download my academic CV.

Interests
  • Neurodevelopmental differences
  • Communication & social interaction
  • Neurodiversity framework(s)
  • Mixed methods research
  • Theory development
Education

  • PhD in Clinical Brain Sciences, 2020-25

    University of Edinburgh

  • MPhil in Theoretical & Applied Linguistics, 2017-18

    University of Cambridge

  • BSc Hons in Linguistics, 2014-17

    University College London

Skills

Research Design

Interviews | Cognitive Testing | Observational

Quantitative Analysis

Descriptive Stats | Data Vis | Modelling

Qualitative Analysis

Thematic Analysis | Codebooks | Grounded Theory

Software

R Studio | NVivo | Qualtrics

Science Communication

Academic | Public | Training

Open Science

Preregistration | Preprints | Open Access Data

Experience

 
 
 
 
 
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Cambridge
Sep 2024 – Aug 2026 Cambridge, UK
Exploring the linguistics of midrash; whether we can teach people to do midrash-like reading, and whether this improves their linguistic creativity; and what midrash and creative reading practices can tell us about neurodiversity.
 
 
 
 
 
EDI Intern
Development and Alumni Office, University of Edinburgh
Sep 2023 – Aug 2024 Edinburgh, UK
Worked to support the planning and delivery of initiatives to, attract, develop, and retain diverse staff working in the Development & Alumni office.
 
 
 
 
 
Administrative Intern
ITAKOM
Jan 2023 – Mar 2023 Edinburgh, UK
Assisted with administration and promotion for an international conference of 1000+ attendees.
 
 
 
 
 
Research Intern
Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh
Oct 2021 – Dec 2022 Edinburgh, UK
Surveyed/interviewed Medical School staff and student experiences with and opinions on equality, diversity, and inclusion at the university, and analysed the resulting data. Managed a team of 10 undergraduate medical students acting as research assistants.
 
 
 
 
 
Research Assistant
Winton Centre, University of Cambridge
Oct 2019 – Sep 2020 Cambridge, UK
Ran two 1,000+ participant online studies assessing risk matrix designs for improved communication of risk. My improved design was used by the Cabinet Office in the 2020 UK National Risk Register.
 
 
 
 
 
Research Assistant
University of Sussex
Sep 2018 – Aug 2019 Brighton, UK
Developed cognitive profiling measures to assess individual differences in diagram comprehension, and deployed them to 100+ participants via online survey.

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