Professor Ellen Townsend leads the Self-Harm Research Group (SHRG) within the School of Psychology at the University of Nottingham.

She is a Visiting Professor at the Institute of Mental Health and co-leads the MRC Programme ‘Adolescent Mental Health and Development in the Digital World' with Prof Chris Hollis of NIHR MindTech. SHRG research has influenced a range of policy related to the prevention and treatment of self-harm and suicidality – including policy and practice guidelines created by the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, the Samaritans and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. SHRG research has been funded by the NHS, NIHR, MRC, Mental Health Research UK, Wellcome Trust and the ESRC.