Dr. Julia Pearce

Biography

Julia Pearce is a social psychologist whose research focuses on understanding public responses to disasters and extreme events. She emphasizes the likely reactions and appropriate communication strategies for groups at particular risk during emergencies. Her research addresses psychological and behavioral responses to low-likelihood, high-impact extreme events such as chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism, and marauding terrorist firearms attacks. Her work challenges prevailing assumptions about public panic, suggesting that under-responses can be more problematic than over-responses during crises, and emphasizes the significance of communicating effectively with the public during extreme events. Pearce has contributed to numerous collaborative, multi-institution projects, including a 3-year EU-funded project on lone-actor terrorism and a recent 18-month project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to develop tailored public health guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on ethnic minority groups in the UK. Currently, she conducts research related to risk perceptions and behavioral responses to health threats across diverse populations. Pearce is a Chartered Psychologist and serves as an Honorary Public Health Academic Consultant for the UK Health Security Agency, providing expert guidance on significant national committees during critical events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Research Interests

Courses