Riddhi Laijawala began her academic journey at King’s College London in 2021, enrolling in an MSc in Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology. A year later, she joined the Stress Psychiatry and Immunology Lab, where she developed a strong focus on perinatal psychiatric research.

Now a PhD researcher specializing in perinatal psychiatric research, she is contributing to pioneering work aimed at reshaping maternal and infant mental healthcare. She leads the UK’s contribution to the international HappyMums clinical study, positioning herself at the forefront of evidence-based research on mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Her work integrates cutting-edge innovations in femtech to design scalable, accessible interventions that can be embedded within healthcare systems, ultimately enhancing support for women at a critical stage of life.

She is particularly passionate about the mother–infant relationship within the context of perinatal psychiatric disorders, with a strong emphasis on understanding early relational dynamics and their long-term impact on child development. Trained in observer-rated measures, she brings methodological rigor and clinical sensitivity to her research, enabling nuanced assessment of maternal and infant interactions.

In addition to her leadership on HappyMums, she has contributed to a range of high-impact research projects, including the SHAPER Melodies for Mums programme, further broadening her expertise in innovative, arts-in-health interventions.

Beyond academia, she is deeply committed to science communication and public engagement. As a Managing Editor (Social Media) for Inspire the Mind, a mental health magazine, she plays a key role in translating complex scientific insights into accessible knowledge, ensuring that vital information reaches and empowers wider audiences.

Research Interests

• Maternal mental health
• Infant mental health
• Digital health technologies
• Research dissemination
• Health tech
• Antenatal depression
• Mother infant interaction
• 1001 days of life

Research Groups

Stress, Psychiatry and Immunology Lab & Perinatal Psychiatry

Teaching

Psychology and Neuroscience of Mind-Body Interface MSc- supervisor for research projects and placements.

Expertise and Public Engagement

Early in my career, I became heavily involved with Inspire the Mind (https://www.inspirethemind.org), our lab’s digital publication, where I began by writing articles translating mental health research into content understandable by non-specialist audiences (https://www.inspirethemind.org/post/the-happymums-project-can-a-smartphone-application-predict-antenatal-depression, https://www.inspirethemind.org/post/federated-learning-analysis-revolutionising-global-research-data, https://www.inspirethemind.org/post/recurrent-pregnancy-loss-matters-so-let-s-talk-about-it) connecting them to everyday life, and highlighting how mental health and wellbeing are embedded in pop culture, media, and daily experiences.

Beyond Inspire the Mind, I have contributed to Postpartum Support International (https://postpartum.net/depression-in-pregnancy-why-is-it-so-important-to-treat/, https://postpartum.net/recurrent-pregnancy-loss-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-impact-mental-health/), writing about the work I do in perinatal psychiatric research and its implications. Through these contributions, I aim to raise awareness of overlooked or 'taboo' aspects to reduce stigma, and provide evidence-based information in a format that is accessible for the broader public.

My public engagement extends beyond writing. I have also been featured in a YouTube video discussing the SHAPER Melodies for Mums trial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFAgvQ9_EQ4&pp=ygURbWVsb2RpZXMgZm9yIG11bXM%3D), following on from a recent paper published by our lab which got significant media attention.

Key Publications

HappyMums mobile application study protocol: use of a smartphone application to gather data predictive of antenatal depression