Professor Antonina Pereira
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
About
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
Executive Dean – Faculty of Health, Science and Engineering
Executive Dean – Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities
Professor of Neuropsychology and Neuroscience
Director – People & Well-Being in The Everyday (POWER) Research Centre
Principal Investigator – Cognitive Ageing and Dementia Research Lab
Professor Antonina Pereira is Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Health, Science and Engineering, at the University of Chichester, where she also holds a Chair in Neuropsychology and Neuroscience. As a member of the University’s senior executive leadership, she contributes to institutional strategy. She leads strategic development to support the University’s ambitions for academic excellence, sustainable growth, and societal impact.
Her executive portfolio spans a broad range of academic disciplines, bringing together leadership in education, research, innovation, student experience, financial sustainability and external engagement.
A values-driven higher education leader, Antonina brings over a decade of senior leadership experience in academic strategy, institutional governance, organisational development and inclusive innovation. Her leadership combines a commitment to educational opportunity, social mobility and belonging with a strong focus on strategic delivery, resource stewardship and institutional sustainability.
She has led significant academic portfolio development, supported growth in student recruitment and academic provision, and championed future-facing curricula that respond to evolving workforce needs, technological developments and societal challenges. Her approach is grounded in collaborative leadership, evidence-informed decision-making and the belief that academic excellence and organisational effectiveness must reinforce one another.
Antonina is passionate about the role of Higher Education as a catalyst for social, cultural and economic transformation. She champions interdisciplinary collaboration, research with demonstrable societal impact, knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships with industry, public services and international institutions.
Her work encompasses innovative approaches to employability, entrepreneurship, apprenticeships and workforce development, strengthening the relationship between academic provision, regional priorities and emerging opportunities for growth. She is committed to building an inclusive, ambitious and globally engaged University that delivers meaningful opportunities for students and staff while making a lasting contribution to the communities it serves and to wider society.
Research
As Professor of Research Methods, Neuropsychology, and Neuroscience, Antonina’s research explores Prospective Memory assessment and rehabilitation in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease through behavioural and neuroimaging (fMRI) paradigms. She has secured over €4 million in competitive research funding and led internationally recognised, policy-shaping projects in health, education, and social care.
Her work, supported by the UKRI, the European Regional Development Fund, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the Bial Foundation, and the Woodger Trust, has advanced understanding of memory, cognition, and the neurophysiological mechanisms of ageing.
Antonina leads collaborative research partnerships across national and international networks, including the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics at the University of Reading, the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at Radboud University, and the Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Lisbon.
PhD Supervision
Areas of Supervision: Aging, Alzheimer’s, Cognition, Dementia, Language, Memory, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Neurodegenerative Processes, Neuroplasticity, Neurorehabilitation, Quality of Life, Wellbeing.
Supervised to Completion
- 2022 – 2026
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities – University of Chichester
Supervision for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology provided to Susan Hindman. Dissertation entitled “Exploring the Efficacy of Virtual Reality-Based Cognitive Training in Schools”.
- 2019 – 2021
Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences – University of Chichester
Supervision for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology provided toSamuel Baeza. Dissertation entitled “Emotional Labour, Organisational Trust, and Turnover in Social Work” –awarded with minor corrections.
- 2019 – 2021
Institute of Education, Social and Life Sciences – University of Chichester
Supervision for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology provided toSuzanna McGregor. Dissertation entitled “Living out Faith at the Food Bank? Church-based Food Bank Volunteer Work” –awarded with minor corrections.
- 2015 – 2019
Department of Psychology and Counselling – University of Chichester
Supervision for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology provided toShane McLoughlin. Dissertation entitled “Relational Framing Training for Educational Contexts” –awarded with minor corrections.
Key Publications
BOOKS
- Pereira, A. (2010). Enacting the future: New Challenges for the Improvement of Prospective Memory. Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag. ISBN-10: 3639298489; ISBN-13: 978-3639298482.
PUBLICATIONS – ARTICLES IN INTERNATIONAL PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
- Stelz, S., Pereira, A., & Altgassen, M. (2026). Who benefits most? Exploring age effects of episodic future thinking and enactment encoding on prospective memory from childhood to middle adulthood. Memory, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2026.2719615
- King, R. L., Warren, S., Vass, E., Sharpe, B. T., Beaumont, K., Seymour, S., … & Pereira, A. (2026). Cost-effectiveness of a community-based dementia support model: evidence from a real-world economic evaluation. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12962-026-00782-5
- Hindman, S., King, R., & Pereira, A. (2026). Exploring virtual reality based executive function training for primary-aged students with executive dysfunction: A mixed methods case series. Learning in Context, 3, 100019 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lecon.2026.100019
- Spooner, R., Cleveland, M., Pereira, A., Sharpe, B. T., Newman, H., & Canessa-Pollard, V. (2026). Risk and Protective Factors of LGBTQ+ Identity Abuse in Romantic Relationships: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15248380261440363, https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380261440363
- Obine, E. A., King, R., Pereira, A., & Sharpe, B. T. (2026). Fully immersive virtual reality (IVR) for cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia: A scoping review. Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy, 6, 1004144. https://doi.org/10. 37349/ent.2026.1004144
- Docherty, G., Bennett, S., Clements, L., Pereira, A., & Mason, M. (2026). Psychological Well-Being and Adult Ballet: From the Perspective of the Adult Ballet Teacher. Journal of Dance Education, 26(1), 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2024.2447560
- Webster, R. A. J., Banerjee, M., King, R., Pacella, R., & Pereira, A. (2025). Does Non-Beneficial Nasogastric Tube Feeding Occur During End-of-Life Care? An Audit of Outcomes for Those with a Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool Score of 2. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 28(10), 1309-1316. https://doi.org/10.1177/109662182513647
- Hindman, S., King, R., & Pereira, A. (2025). Virtual Reality Based Executive Function Training in Schools: The Impact of Adaptivity on Executive Function and Motivation. Computers & Education, 105344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105344
- Sharpe, B. T., King, R., Banerjee, M., Keates, S., Tyndall, I., Kooner-Evans, P., Sivyer, L., Cotten, E., Obine, E., Tabet, N., Ronen, I., Davies, N., Lewis, I., Tabbner, S., Wilkins, T. and Pereira, A. (2025) Experiences of individuals living with dementia, caregivers, and service providers regarding independence-enhancing technologies: focus group insights. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 1-41. DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2025.2511996
Teaching
Antonina contributes to postgraduate teaching and supervision in Psychology, leading advanced modules in applied research methods and mentoring early-career researchers in developing evidence-based practice and impact-driven research.