Professor Edward R. Watkins is an internationally recognized clinical psychologist specializing in cognitive therapy to target negative repetitive thoughts. He holds a personal chair at the University of Exeter, where he works as a researcher and teacher. He is also Director of the Study of Maladaptive to Adaptive Repetitive Thought Laboratory and the Mood Disorders Centre.

Professor Watkins has held research fellow positions at the Institute of Psychiatry, London and the Medical Research Council. His research is published in leading scientific journals and is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.

Professor Watkins is co-editor and author of several books, including Rumination-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression, an innovative approach for therapists to target the persistent mental habit of rumination in their clients.

In 2004 Professor Watkins was awarded the British Psychological Society's May Davidson Award for his outstanding contribution to the development of clinical psychology within the first ten years of his career as a qualified clinical psychologist.