Gemma Williams

I am a Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, with a background in linguistics, critical neurodiversity studies and interdisciplinary research into health and social experiences. I completed my PhD in Linguistics at the University of Brighton in 2021, following an MA in English Language Teaching.

Before joining Portsmouth, I was an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Social Policy at the University of Brighton and subsequently a Research Fellow in Public Health at Swansea University. My research has spanned linguistics, psychology, public health and disability studies, with a particular focus on understanding and supporting neurodivergent people to thrive.

My first book, Understanding Others in a Neurodiverse World: A Radical Perspective on Communication and Shared Meaning was published in 2024, and my second book English Language Teaching in a Neurodiverse World: from theory to neurodiversity-affirming practice was published in 2026.

I am a Visiting Honorary Lecturer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) at the University of Sussex, a member of the Westminster Commission on Autism and an Associate Member of the Heasman Flow Lab at York St John University. I regularly review for numerous academic journals and I sit on the Editorial Board for Neurodiversity journal (Sage).

My research focuses on neurodivergent thriving and wellbeing, with interests including:

• Autistic communication and the Double Empathy Problem
• Language, communication and cognitive pragmatics (inc. relavance theory)
• Neurodiversity in education and English language teaching (ELT)
• Homelessness, social exclusion and neurodivergence
• Neurodivergent identity, belonging and inclusion
• Participatory and co-produced research
• Neurodiversity-affirming policy and practice

I am the module coordinator for Developmental, Social and Educational Psychology on the MSc Psychology (Distance Learning Conversion) course. I have previously coordinated the L6 BSc Social Construction Of Disability module. 

I supervise EdD students at the University of Portsmouth researching neurodivergent experiences within education settings, and supervise an MSc Psychiatry dissertation student at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

I also contribute to supervision on the MSc Psychology and Learning Disability course and undergraduate student research at the University of Portsmouth.