This session will bring together the unique opportunities and challenges of supporting mental wellbeing in isolated, confined, and extreme environments. We will discuss some of the latest technological advances in remote psychological monitoring and how technology is being used to foster mental wellbeing on Earth and beyond.

Laura Thomas is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with a passion for extreme environments and innovative tech. She has over 13 years of experience across public, private, and tertiary settings and has practiced internationally. Her career highlights include creating and piloting a longstanding emotional wellbeing programme for military personnel while based at DCMH Colchester, working on the Optimal Leadership Resilience Programme for senior corporate leaders, and providing consultation to media about mental health.

Laura has recently completed an MSc in computational neuroscience and cognitive robotics to allow her to develop meaningful psychological tools using novel technologies. Her dissertation at the University of Birmingham utilised machine learning to investigate the relationship between personality traits and spatial awareness within a virtual environment. She has subsequently published on the use of VR countermeasures for long duration spaceflight.

Outside of work, Laura is a member of the B.I.G. North Pole Sea Ice Research Expedition team headed to the North Pole in April 2024. She will also be conducting her own research on salutogenesis during her upcoming analogue space mission in the Mojave Desert this October.