Dr. Eleanor Bryant

Dr Eleanor Bryant is Associate Professor in Health and Eating Behaviour Psychology, a Charted Psychologist and Psychology Research Lead at the University of Bradford. She established and co-leads the Bradford Mental Health Research Centre (2025) and is recognised as a leader in psychology, with an established programme of research focused on improving mental health outcomes for children and young people. 

She co-leads a £2.5 million NIHR Mental Health Leaders Award (2025–2030), driving capacity building in mental health and applied psychology through interdisciplinary, place-based research. Her work is defined by strong partnerships with the NHS, local authorities, schools, and the voluntary sector, and a sustained focus on reducing inequalities in children and young people’s mental health. From 2025, she represents the University of Bradford on the Children and Young People’s Strategy Partnership Board at Bradford Metropolitan District Council. She is also a member of the Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research and the Centre for Applied Educational Research (CAER). 

Dr Bryant has an internationally recognised research profile in eating behaviour and appetite regulation. Her work on disinhibition and uncontrolled eating has contributed to understanding their role in weight regulation across the lifespan. She developed and validated the Child Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (CTFEQr17), a novel psychometric tool now translated and validated across multiple international contexts. 

Dr Bryant also contributes to Dying 2 Talk, an AHRC-funded programme that works with children and young people to co-produce evidence-based resources to support conversations about death, dying, and bereavement. 

She completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology (BSc Hons) and a fully funded PhD at the Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, supervised by Professor John Blundell and Professor Neil King. She subsequently held an Associate Research Fellow position at the University of Leeds (2007–2010) and joining the University of Bradford in 2007, where she progressed to Associate Professor. Her international experience includes a Research Fellowship at Queensland University of Technology (2009) and a Visiting Scholar position at the University of Oxford (2015). 

Dr Bryant’s work extends beyond academia into policy, practice, and public engagement. She works with national media—including The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, BBC News, and ITV News—and industry partners, providing expert psychological insight on health and behaviour. As a British Psychological Society Press Expert, she contributes evidence-informed commentary to national and international audiences. 

She has been recognised for her contributions to teaching through multiple nominations for teaching excellence awards, and was a finalist for Inspirational Woman of the Year in 2015.