Summary
I am a psychologist, broadly interested in how psychological factors influence motor control (specifically with respect to balance and gait). I have experience using a number of neuropsychological and human movement science techniques, including eye tracking, EEG, EMG, 3-D motion analysis and force plates.
I gained my PhD from Brunel University London in 2019, receiving the Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research. This work explored how psychological influences - specifically anxiety, and associated changes in cognitive processing - impact the way that individuals control walking behaviours. Particular focus was placed on exploring how these psychological factors influence visuomotor control (i.e., visual search and gaze behaviour during walking) in older adult populations with balance problems. Following the completion of my PhD, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the university's Department of Life Sciences, before joining the University of Exeter as an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow.
In 2021, I was awarded a 4-year Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Wellcome Fellowship to join Imperial College London, where I will explore the psychological and attentional factors contributing to dizziness in older adults.
Publications
Journals
Guerra S, Ellmers T, Turabi R, et al., 2024, Factors associated with concerns about falling and activity restriction in older adults after hip fracture: a mixed-methods systematic review., Eur Geriatr Med, Vol:15, ISSN:1878-7649, Pages:305-332
Ellmers T, Durkin M, Sriranganathan K, et al., 2024, The influence of postural threat-induced anxiety on locomotor learning and updating, Journal of Neurophysiology, Vol:131, ISSN:0022-3077, Pages:562-575
Ellmers T, Kal E, 2024, Exploring the role of attention towards balance in chronic dizziness: development of the Balance Vigilance Questionnaire, European Journal of Neurology, Vol:31, ISSN:1351-5101
Hill M, Brayne L, Hosseini E, et al., 2024, The influence of fear of falling on the control of upright stance across the lifespan, Gait and Posture, Vol:109, ISSN:0966-6362, Pages:226-232
Miwa T, Richardson JK, Murphy SL, et al., 2024, Short-latency reaction time and accuracy are impaired in patients with cirrhosis: An international multicenter retrospective study., Geriatr Gerontol Int, Vol:24, Pages:25-31