Dr Olivia Maynard is an interdisciplinary behavioural scientist working at the interface of psychology, public health, and policy. Her research examines how environments, communications, and regulation influence health-related behaviours, with a particular focus on tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and harm reduction. Across a large and diverse body of work, she has contributed influential evidence to inform population-level interventions and public health policy.

A core strand of Dr Maynard’s research centres on tobacco and nicotine regulation. She is widely recognised for her work on plain packaging, health warnings, and e-cigarette communication, using experimental methods, eye-tracking, neuroimaging, and natural experiments. Her research has shaped understanding of how visual design and messaging influence attention, risk perceptions, and behaviour among young people and adults, and has informed evaluations of the EU Tobacco Products Directive and standardised packaging policies.

Dr Maynard has also conducted extensive research on alcohol harm reduction and choice architecture, including field trials and laboratory studies examining glass design, alcohol labelling, and the availability of alcohol-free alternatives. This work demonstrates how structural and environmental interventions can reduce consumption while remaining acceptable to consumers and industry.

More recently, her work has focused on drug use, stigma, and harm reduction, investigating how media framing, public discourse, and institutional practices affect people who use drugs. Her research highlights the harmful effects of dehumanising narratives, barriers created by stigma, and the importance of evidence-based harm reduction approaches, including safer supply and improved treatment pathways. This strand draws on qualitative research, experimental designs, and policy analysis.

Complementing her academic work, Dr Maynard volunteers weekly at Bristol Drugs Project, grounding her research in lived experience and frontline harm reduction practice. This ongoing engagement directly informs her research questions, ethical approach, and commitment to producing evidence that is meaningful for people who use drugs and the services that support them.