Hayley's research focusses on characterising behavioural and mental health outcomes in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders associated with intellectual disabliity. Her work to date has primarily focussed on understanding autism, anxiety, ADHD and behaviours that challenge in children and adults with rare genetic syndromes through describing behavioural profiles, developmental trajectories, risk markers, and mechanistic underpinnings.

Hayley studied Psychology at the University of Birmingham and then completed an ESRC-funded Masters of Research Degree and PhD at the Cerebra Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Her doctoral research investigated social cognition and social behaviour in children and adults with rare genetic syndromes associated with intellectual disability and was awarded the 2014 Patricia Howlin Lecture Prize by the Society for the Study of Behavioural Phenotypes. Following her PhD, Hayley was appointed as Assistant Professor at Coventry University where she led research into the identification of anxiety in individuals who are unable to self-report, as well as genetic markers for behavioural and mental health difficulties. In 2020, Hayley moved to University of Warwick where she leads the Neurodevelopmental Conditions Research @ WMS Lab which focusses on research into clinical outcomes for children and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders. Hayley is a Specialist Advisor to the Fragile X Society and Co-Director of the Cerebra Network for Neurodevelopmental Disorders.