Skip to main content
Frances Rice

Professor Frances Rice

(she/her)

Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Frances Rice

  • Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences

    School of Medicine

Overview

I am Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Cardiff University, Co-Director of the Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health, a £10 million research centre dedicated to understanding anxiety and depression in young people, and Deputy Head of the Department of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences.

My research focuses on understanding how emotional problems develop from childhood through to adulthood, and why some young people recover while others experience longer-term difficulties. By identifying the key risk and protective factors that shape mental health, my work aims to improve prevention, early support, and treatment.

I am particularly interested in how family experiences, genetics, and everyday environments - such as schools - influence young people’s wellbeing. I work closely with young people, families, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure research makes a real-world difference.

 

Publication

2026

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

Articles

Book sections

Websites

Research

I use large long-term studies, clinical trials and genetic designs in my research which has contributed to new ways of understanding risk and protective processes involved in mental health difficulties and developed practical approaches to supporting young people experiencing difficulties. I have led and contributed to major research projects funded by organisations including the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, and NIHR.  My current active grants are funded by The Wolfson Foundation, The Wellcome Trust and NIHR.

I have been a member of several funding review panels and am currently a member of the Wellcome Trust Population and Public Discovery Research Advisory Group.

I work collaboratively with organisations such as the NHS, Public Health Wales, and policy makers to help ensure research findings and the voice of young people can inform the development and delivery of mental health policy and can make a difference to young people and their families.

Teaching

With others, I founded the successful annual Wolfson Centre International Summer School in Youth Mental Health Research which has attracted attendees from over 70 countries.  I lecture on the annual Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics Summer School. 

At undergraduate level, I supervise research projects for the intercalated Psychology and Medicine degree, supervise Student Selected Component projects on the MBBCh degree, and mentor undergraduate medical students.    

My postgraduate teaching and research activity involves MSc dissertation supervision, PhD supervision and monitoring, clinical psychology doctoral supervision and contributing to the MSc in Neuroscience. 

As Lead for the Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, my team works closely with  clinicians to co‑develop medical student training and contributes to specialist training in adult and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Biography

I studied Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford. Prior to my current position, I was Reader in the Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at University College London.  

Supervisions

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the areas of:

  • developmental psychopathology 
  • risk and resilience for depression and anxiety 
  • secondary analysis of clinical trial data
  • genetically sensitive designs that address important questions in youth mental health research 

 

News articles

A new publication highlights which mental health research topics matter most to parents with depression and their children.

New study explores mental health research priorities of families affected by depression

31 July 2025

A new publication highlights which mental health research topics matter most to parents with depression and their children.

Doctor and presenter to speak at Cardiff University’s Cardiff Conversations series about youth mental health

Dr Alex George ‘opened up’ talks about youth mental health challenges

14 May 2024

Doctor and presenter to speak at Cardiff University’s Cardiff Conversations series about youth mental health

Contact Details

Email [email protected]
Telephone +44 29206 88384
Campuses Hadyn Ellis Building, Room 2.18, Maindy Road, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ

Research themes