Elliot Howard

I am a PhD student in the School of Psychology under the supervision of Prof. Elaine Fox in association with Dr. Stephane Verhaeghe, CEO of medical tech innovator Brain Vector, and co-supervisor Dr. Ancret Szpak.

Supported by the Australian Government’s National Industry PhD program, my research will investigate the use of Virtual Reality to induce personalised positive affect and explore how personalised VR experiences, alone and in combination with cognitive bias modification (CBM) interventions, can stimulate positive emotions in people varying in levels of dysphoria and negative mood states, with a particular focus on anhedonia.

My research interests are largely focussed on exploring the development of psychological interventions which prioritise enhancing positive affect in individuals who struggle to find enjoyment in daily life, rather than predominately focussing on alleviating negative emotions.

More broadly, I seek to further the interdisciplinary potential of integrating emerging technologies such as VR with cognitive psychology and develop innovative, non-pharmaceutical interventions to help address the growing global mental health crisis.