Matt's research focus interests include human-nature and human-animal relations, multispecies, posthumanities, animal studies, human and more-than-human worlds and animist worldviews - especially in the context of the climate crisis and the Anthropocene. His teaching focus overlaps with his research interests, and incorporates ecopsychology, ecotherapy, critical environmental psychology and mental health.

From October 2022 - May 2024 he is undertaking an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Research, Development and Engagement Fellowship, titled 'Pavlov and the kingdom of dogs: Storying experimental animal histories through arts-based research'. His focus will be the development of creative, arts-based and visual methods to critically explore the experiences of animals in scientific research.

Dr Adams supervises PhD students addressing a range of topics including mental health and distress, social and cultural identity, critical psychologies of climate change, climate activism, nature-connection, Anthropocene studies, nature-based interventions, human-animal relations and posthumanities. He is especially interested in supervising students adopting qualitative methodological and critical theoretical approaches. Interdisciplinary projects are especially welcome. 

Dr Adams's specialist teaching areas are mental health and distress, human-animal relations, ecopsychology, environment and ennvironmentalism, climate crisis and the Anthropocene.

Dr Adams is the author of the books Anthropocene Psychology: Being Human in a More-Than-Human World (2020), Ecological Crisis, Sustainability & the Psychosocial Subject: Beyond Behaviour Change (2016) and Self & Social Change (2008). He has also written numerous academic articles, book chapters commentary pieces and reports, e.g.:

Adams, M. (2021). Critical psychologies and climate change. Current Opinion in Psychology, 42, 13-18.

Adams, M. (2020). The kingdom of dogs: Understanding Pavlov’s experiments as human–animal relationships. Theory & Psychology, 30(1), 121-141.

Adams, M. (2018). Towards a critical psychology of human–animal relations. Social and personality psychology compass, 12(4), e12375.

Adams, M. (2014). Approaching nature, ‘sustainability’ and ecological crises from a critical social psychological perspective. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8(6), 251-262.

For a complete list of publications see full research profile.