About Zainab

Dr Al-Attar is a practicing and academic Forensic Psychologist specialising in terrorism and forensic mental health. She has 22 years’ experience in forensic psychology. Prior to that, she worked in neuropsychology at the doctoral and post-doctoral levels. Dr Al-Attar has worked in academia for 24 years and currently teaches and supervises post-graduate and post-doctoral research in forensic mental health and terrorism. She has published widely in the field of terrorism and forensic mental health and is a reviewer for many peer-reviewed international journals in this field.

In addition to her forensic psychological specialism, Dr Al-Attar has extensive experience in autism spectrum disorder and neurodevelopmental conditions, has delivered training on autism and neurodiversity to thousands of practitioners over the past two decades and has developed guidelines for forensic practitioners working with individuals with autism and ADHD, which have been employed internationally by forensic practitioners working across settings.

Dr Al-Attar is a Senior Lecturer at University of Central Lancashire and an honorary research fellow at University College London. She leads and supervises several research projects on terrorism, neurodiversity and mental illness. She is also a member of the terrorism and extemism expert group of practicing psychologists in the British Psychological Society.