Dr Alexandra Adams is a Lecturer and early career researcher in the Discipline of Psychological Sciences at the University of Newcastle.

Her research examines how neurological and gastrointestinal functioning relate to cognitive performance, social behaviour, and emotional wellbeing. Her early work advanced understanding of social cognitive difficulties in populations experiencing neurological change, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and healthy ageing.

Dr Adams’ current research focuses on the microbiota–gut–brain axis, with a particular interest in how gut health and the gut microbiome relate to cognitive performance and subjective cognitive difficulties such as “brain fog”. Her work involves multidisciplinary collaborations across psychology, microbiology, dietetics, and exercise physiology to better understand links between gastrointestinal functioning, cognition, and wellbeing.