Claire Hutchinson

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Claire Hutchinson, a dearly respected colleague and friend from the School of Psychology and Vision Sciences who died on 9 May 2026. 

Professor Claire Gibson writes:

After completing an MA (Hons) in Psychology (University of Aberdeen) and a PhD in Visual Neuroscience (University of Nottingham) Claire joined the School of Psychology as a lecturer in 2007. Her research interests were in human vision, perception and cognition, with a particular focus on visual perception and cognition in normative samples, and in healthy aging, neurodegeneration and disease. She collaborated with vision scientists and clinicians working with clinically relevant groups including those experiencing amblyopia, chronic fatigue syndrome and dementia. Her research attracted funding from a variety of funders including the Alzheimer's Society, British Academy, Fight for Sight, Freemasons' Grand Charity, Human Frontier Science Program, Irish ME Trust, ME Research UK and Thomas Pocklington Trust.

During her time at Leicester, Claire was a loyal and supportive colleague – she was a ‘safe pair of hands’ and could be trusted to deal with even the most difficult of situations in a professional and respectful manner. She was extremely popular amongst undergraduate and postgraduate students and received student-nominated awards for her teaching. Claire was a strong advocate and friend to the MSc and PGR students she supervised and many of them fondly remember the positive impact Claire had on their education and professional journeys.

In 2016, she led the curriculum transformation of the highly popular BSc Psychology degree and went on to develop new courses that brought together cognate disciplines such as Psychology and Biological Sciences. Over the years, she held a number of key administrative roles including lead for undergraduate Psychology admissions, member of Psychology ethics, Psychology undergraduate year tutor and more recently research lead for the Vision Sciences research group. She was honoured to represent the University on strategic visits to countries such as Iraq and was a strong advocate in supporting women’s education in countries in which this presented challenges.

In her personal life, Claire married Colin in 2012 who she had met whilst they were both working at the University of Leicester and they went on to have two children, Sophie and Astrid, who they adored. Claire was a devoted wife and mother who dedicated her time to achieving a healthy work-life balance, instilling in her children a sense of fun, compassion and personal strength.

In 2023, Claire accepted a professorship in the School of Psychology at the University of the West of Scotland. There, she took on a number of senior leadership roles including REF lead (for UoA 4) and Chair of Ethics alongside teaching and supervisory responsibilities. 

Claire was a true friend to many, generous in so many ways and often described as ‘one of a kind’. She is dearly missed and fondly remembered by colleagues, collaborators and friends.

Claire Victoria Hutchinson, dearly beloved wife of Colin and much-loved mother of Sophie and Astrid.