Kim Bul

About

Coordinating, overseeing and managing the Research arm of the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme thereby supporting the Programme Director. A shared programme between Coventry University and The University of Warwick.

Career overview

The University of Warwick | 2026 - present

Honorary Appointment as Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology

Coventry University | 2016 - present

• Assistant Professor (teaching) at CUHC; research lead for the Clinical Psychology Doctorate Programme
• Assistant Professor (60% research; 40% teaching) at Research Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, including ongoing research consultancy for Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
• Research Fellow at Research Centre for Innovative Research across the Life Course (2017 - 2022)
• Research Associate at Serious Games Institute (2016 - 2017)

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust | 2017 - present

Honorary Appointment as Assistant Professor at Renal Department

Yulius Mental Health Organisation | 2010 - 2016

Researcher at Yulius Academy, including being subcontracted to:

• Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (2014 - 2016)
• Dutch Knowledge Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2012 - 2013)

Utrecht University | 2007 - 2010

Research Assistant at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Rehabilitation Centre Leijpark | 2007 - 2010

Clinical Therapist for Early Intensive Neurorehabilitation and medically unexplained symptoms across children and adolescents

Research

Driven by the lack of NHS support, lived experience, and PPIE input, Dr. Kim Bul’s current research vision is to lead the improvement of women’s physical health and psychological well-being across all pregnancy stages through personalised, cost-effective, and integrated Digital Health Technology (DHT) solutions.

She is a social scientist with nine years of post-PhD experience in mixed-methods DHT research applied to various patient populations (e.g., renal, diabetes, autism, ADHD, obesity, depression) across different healthcare settings (e.g., NHS, community). In 2017, Dr. Kim Bul finished her PhD in Clinical Psychology “The Design and Effectiveness of a Serious Game for Children with ADHD” at the Erasmus University Rotterdam while she was working as a Research Associate on several Horizon 2020 (project numbers: 610727 and 644385) and industry-led projects for the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University. In 2019, she joined the Research Centre for Intelligent Healthcare at Coventry University as a Research Fellow to pursue her research interest in digital health, serious gaming, mental health, and behaviour change intervention research. Since 2022, Dr. Kim Bul is an Assistant Professor (with a 60% research and 40% teaching contract) and is working towards setting-up her own research programme in DHTs for women's health. Recently she established a PI role on two UK Biobank projects focusing on (metabolic) risk factors for postpartum depression. She is also very passionate about integrating PPIE input throughout different stages of her research and has strong connections with local community organizations.

Dr. Kim Bul actively contributes to the broader academic community with her roles as conference programme committee member, peer-reviewer for journals and funding proposals including two extensive editorial roles. She has won several travel awards and has been nominated as outstanding supervisory team twice at Coventry University. She used to be the Research-Enriched Learning lead for the Research Centre for Intelligent Healthcare, thereby embedding research into the curriculum of undergraduate and postgraduate students. As part of her role, she was developing CPD in Digital Health and (co)supervises a significant amount of (inter)national PhD students across interdisciplinary topics including four in Clinical Psychology. She also acted as a co-lead for the HiPPP EMR-C International Awards and contributed to the updated NICE maternal and child nutrition guidelines (2025) through published stakeholder comments with the UK Preconception Network.

External activities

2026 - present: Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society

2024 - present: Member of Society of Reproductive Health and Infant Psychology

2024 - present: Member of UK Preconception EMRC Network

2022 - Jan 2026: Member and Co-lead of the Health in Preconception, Pregnancy, and Postpartum Early and Mid-career Researcher Collective International

2022 - Jan 2026: Member of the CU ASPIRE+ development programme

2021 - present: Member of the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network

2019 - present: Programme Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Serious Games and Applications for Health

2016 - Steering Group Member of the Computer Says No project, University College London

Publications and press

• Guala, M. M., Nielsen, H. N., Bul, K., Clinton, D., Scarpelli, M., Christiansen, R., ... & Nielsen, A. S. (2025). The journey of playing: a qualitative evaluation of ‘Maze Out,’ a serious game for eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13(1), 154.
• Guala, M. M., Bikic, A., Bul, K., Clinton, D., Mejdal, A., Nielsen, H. N., ... & Nielsen, A. S. (2025). Maze‐Out: A Serious Game to Enhance Treatment for Eating Disorders. A Randomized Controlled Trial. International Journal of Eating Disorder, 58(8), 1558-1571.
• Van der Mey‐Baijens, S., Vuijk, P., Bul, K., van Lier, P. A., Sijbrandij, M., Maras, A., & Buil, M. (2025). Co‐Rumination as a Moderator Between Best‐Friend Support and Adolescent Psychological Distress. Journal of Adolescence, 97, 1161-1172.
• Guala, M. M., Bikic, A., Bul, K., Clinton, D., Nielsen, A. S., Nielsen, H. N., ... & Christiansen, R. (2024). An in-depth understanding of stakeholders’ experiences about their participation in the co-production of ‘Maze Out’: a serious game for the treatment of eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1), 178.
• Guala, M. M., Bikic, A., Bul, K., Clinton, D., Mejdal, A., Nielsen, H. N., ... & Søgaard Nielsen, A. (2024). “Maze Out”: A study protocol for a randomised controlled trial using a mix methods approach exploring the potential and examining the effectiveness of a serious game in the treatment of eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders, 12(1), 35.
• Vuijk, P., Bul, K., Buil, M., Rauws, M., Curie, K., Amesz, C., ... & Riper, H. (2024). Effectiveness of a blended school-based mindfulness program for the prevention of co-rumination and internalizing problems in Dutch secondary school girls: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials, 25(1), 40.
• Guala, M. M., Bul, K., Skårderud, F., & Søgaard Nielsen, A. (2023). A serious game for patients with eating disorders (Maze Out): Pilot user experience and acceptance study. JMIR Formative Research, 7, e40594.
• Pelton, M. K., Crawford, H., Bul, K., Robertson, A. E., Adams, J., De Beurs, D., ... & Cassidy, S. (2023). The role of anxiety and depression in suicidal thoughts for autistic and non‐autistic people: A theory‐driven network analysis. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior, 53(3), 426-442.
• van der Mey-Baijens, S., Buil, J. M., Vuijk, P., Bul, K. C., Branje, S., Meeus, W., & van Lier, P. A. (2023). Perceived Support from Best Friends and Depressive Symptoms During Adolescence: Disentangling Personal from Dyadic Level Effects. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51(4), 469-483.
• Bul, K., Holliday, N., Bhuiyan, M. R. A., Clark, C. C., Allen, J., & Wark, P. A. (2023). Usability and preliminary efficacy of an artificial intelligence–driven platform supporting dietary management in diabetes: Mixed methods study. JMIR Human Factors, 10, e43959.
• Abbott, S., Denton, A., Wong, S. H., Mollan, S. P., & Bul, K. C. (2023). Weight management communications in idiopathic intracranial hypertension: Challenges and recommendations from the patients’ perspective. BMJ Neurology Open, 5(2), e000527.
• Bul, K. C., Bannon, C., Krishnan, N., Dunlop, A., & Szczepura, A. (2023). Can eHealth applications improve renal transplant outcomes for adolescents and young adults? A systematic review. Transplantation Reviews, 37(2), 100760.
• Martin, A., Caon, M., Adorni, F., Andreoni, G., Ascolese, A., Atkinson, S., Bul, K. ... & Condon, L. (2020). A Mobile Phone Intervention to Improve Obesity-Related Health Behaviors of Adolescents Across Europe: Iterative Co-Design and Feasibility Study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 8(3), e14118.
• Bul, K., Holliday, N., Magee, P., & Wark, P. (2020). From development to exploitation of digital health solutions: Lessons learnt through multidisciplinary research and consultancy. Journal of Enabling Technologies, 14(4), 273-279.
• Gauthier, A., Kato, P. M., Bul, K. C., Dunwell, I., Walker-Clarke, A., & Lameras, P. (2019). Board games for health: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Games for Health Journal, 8(2), 85-100.
• Bul, K. C. M., Doove, L. L., Franken, I. H. A., Kato, P. M., Van der Oord, S., & Maras, A. (2018). A serious game for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Who benefits the most? PLoS ONE, 13(3), e0193681.
• Klaassen, R., Bul, K.C.M., op den Akker, H. J. A., Van der Burg, G. J., Kato, P., & Di Bitonto, P. (2018). Design and Evaluation of a Pervasive Coaching and Gamification Platform for Young Diabetes Patients. Sensors, Smart Sensing Technologies for Personalised Coaching, 18, 402-429.
• Bul, K. C., Kato, P. M., Van der Oord, S., Danckaerts, M., Vreeke, L. J., Willems, A., ... & Maras, A. (2016). Behavioral outcome effects of serious gaming as an adjunct to treatment for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(2), e26.
• Bul, K. C., Franken, I. H., Van der Oord, S., Kato, P. M., Danckaerts, M., Vreeke, L. J., ... & Maras, A. (2015). Development and user satisfaction of “Plan-It Commander,” a serious game for children with ADHD. Games for Health Journal, 4(6), 502-512.
• Fliers, E. A., Buitelaar, J. K., Maras, A., Bul, K., Höhle, E., Faraone, S. V., ... & Rommelse, N. N. (2013). ADHD is a risk factor for overweight and obesity in children. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 34(8), 566-574.
• Bul, K. C., & van Baar, A. L. (2012). Behavior problems in relation to sustained selective attention skills of moderately preterm children. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 24(2), 111-123.