Rhiannon Hawkins

r.hawkins.1@research.gla.ac.uk 

Research title: Rain rain go away … come back another day': Understanding Scotland's changing relationships between climate change and mental health

Research Summary

This inderdiciplinary PhD research project examines the impact of climate change on community mental health in Scotland, specifically areas prone to flooding and drought. The research will be conducted in three research sites Wick, Highland (drought); Dumfries, Dumfries & Galloway (flood); Ayr, South Ayrshire (hydrohazard). The research will adopt social surveys, interviews, creative workshops and walking workshops to co-produce resources which particpants can use to support their mental well-being and improve coping capacity during floods and droughts.

Publications

Hawkins, R. (2025). Mental Health Vulnerability Index (MHVI): preparing communities, societies and authorities for the impacts of climate change on mental health. UCL Warning Research Centre. [ONLINE]. 

Hawkins, R., Parr, H., and Thomas, R. (2025). 'Rain, Rain go away ... Come back another day': Understanding the mental health risk associated with hydrological extremes in Scotland. National Centre for Resilience. [ONLINE].

Hawkins, R. (2023). Commentary: Reviewing neurodiversity, autism, and healthcare by Jonathan Green (2023) from an autistic perspective. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 28(3), pp. 446-448.

Hawkins, R. (2022). Debate: Inequalities within Understanding of Eco Distress. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 27(1), pp. 73-74.

Supervisors

Grants

  • 2025-2026: Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) Research Grant (£95k), project titled: "Household flood plans in Scotland - applying behavioural learnings to inform best practice and uptake"
  • 2023-2027: ESRC 1+3 Studentship (SGSSS Supported)
  • 2021-2023: Mansfield College Academic Scholarship 
  • 2020-2023: Foresters Financial Competative Scholarship

Conferences

"Diverse Minds, New Insights: Researchers with disabilities" and "The Zero Project Young Voices Perspectives: Navigating Employment and ICT", Speaker, The Zero Project Conference 2025: Employment and ICT, United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria (5-7th March, 2025).

Teaching

Physical Geography (Level 1) Labs

Human Geography (Level 1) Labs 

Geography 1 Workshops

Additional Information

  • 2023-2024: MSc Earth Futures Research (Distinction), University of Glasgow (Supported by ESRC 1+3 Studentship). 
  • 2020-2023: BA Geography, University of Oxford.