Rovan Bahnassy

Rovan Bahnassy

School of Social Policy and Society
Research Associate

Contact details

Address
Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS)
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Rovan is a Research Associate within the Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS) at the University of Birmingham. With a background in Child Psychology, Rovan specialises in special educational needs and neurodevelopmental conditions, with experience in developmental research and working with children and families across applied intervention settings.

Qualifications

Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS), 2025

MSc in Applied Child Psychology, Birmingham City University, 2025

BA in Psychology, The American University in Cairo, 2020

BBA in Business Administration, The American University in Cairo, 2020

Graduate Member of Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology, 2018

Biography

Rovan’s work is centred on understanding developmental pathways and contributing to research that informs inclusive, evidence-based practice for children and families with diverse needs. Her previous research particularly focused on early parent-child interactions and children’s socio-emotional development.

Rovan holds a First-Class equivalent BA/BBA (Hons) double major in Psychology and Business Administration from the American University in Cairo. Building on this foundation, she then pursued an MSc in Applied Child Psychology with distinction at Birmingham City University, where she developed a strong foundation in developmental theory, psychological assessment, and qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her graduate research project focused on exploring the relationship between early parent-child attachment and social outcomes of autistic children, including their emotional regulation abilities.

Her previous work experience involves working closely with children with diverse neurodevelopmental profiles, including autism, intellectual disabilities, and developmental language disorders. Her role entailed supporting early intervention programmes through implementing structured, evidence-based strategies, and working collaboratively with parents and families to support children’s developmental progress across various settings.

Research

Rovan is currently a Research Associate on the Digital Family Support study (DAISY). The study evaluates an online digital family support programme called Stepping Stones Online, designed specifically for parents of children with intellectual disabilities. The aim is to determine the effectiveness of the programme for parent carers of children (between ages 2-11 years) and whether it helps improve children’s behavioural and emotional difficulties.