Meet the Team
Academic Staff
Professor Danielle Matthews
I research how children learn to talk, in particular how infants and young children learn to use words and grammar to communicative effect.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/people/academic/danielle-matthews
Dr Dan Carroll
My main research interest focuses on the cognitive mechanisms that allow children to think and act flexibly, in particular looking at the development of inhibitory control during early childhood.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/people/academic/dan-carroll
Dr Emma Blakey
I research how children develop executive functions (flexible goal directed cognition), why these skills differ among children and how these skills support school readiness. I am interested in how we measure these skills, how they develop over time and how we can best support them.
I am currently working on three funded research projects. My ESRC funded project seeks to understand why inequalities emerge in cognitive development and is looking at how executive functions and language develop over time. I am working with colleagues at Oxford to trial an integrated executive function and maths play-based intervention, being trialled by the EEF. I am working with colleagues at Ulster on how we can support parents to engage in maths-based play activities in the home, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/people/academic/emma-blakey
Dr Sabrina Burr
I am interested in children’s numerical and mathematical cognition. I research how various factors influence concurrent and later mathematics achievement, including the home mathematics environment, language and culture, cognitive skills, mathematics anxiety, and ADHD. I am also interested in intervention work, with a focus on computer tutors to help children with complex mathematical subjects, such as fractions.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/people/academic/sabrina-burr
Dr Gideon Salter
I am interested in how infants, before they can talk, first start to navigate social interactions and communicate about the world around them. I am also interested in how these early forms of communication relate to later linguistic and social development, and how caregivers can be supported to promote their children's early communication and language.
https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/people/academic/gideon-salter-0
Sheffield Cognitive Development Lab Photos
2023
Sheffield Early Years Study Team and our placement students. Photo in our new lab space.
(L-R): Molly Jackson, Sylvana West (placement student funded by the Wellcome Trust), Mae Wallace (placement student funded by the SMI), Emma Blakey, Emma Smith, Molly Willis.
2019
Back row left-right: Dr Emma Blakey, Toni Loveridge, Yesim Yavaslar Dogru, Burcu Soy Telli, Emelie Chard, Jessica Williams, Eloise Prouten, Dr Francesco Sella, Dr Ciara Kelly.
Front row left-right: Dr Simone Bijvoet-van den Berg, Steph Powell, Ella James Brabham, Dr Danielle Matthews, Dr Dan Carroll.
Current PhD Students
Elif Ezgi Kaplan
PhD topic: The development of cognitive flexibility in early childhood using longitudinal designs.
Supervised by Dr Emma Blakey and Dr Dan Carroll.
Rosemary Wareham O'Brien
PhD topic: The neural correlates of communication.
Rosemary completed her BMedSci in Speech Science in 2020 and subsequently worked as a paediatric Speech and Language Therapist in the NHS for a year. She completed her MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and MA in Social Research before embarking on her PhD. In her spare time, Rosemary enjoys reading, climbing and doing aerial hoop!
Supervised by Professor Danielle Matthews and Dr Sabrina Burr.
Current Research Staff
Kiera Solaiman
Research Assistant working with Dr Danielle Matthews on the BBC Tiny Happy People Project. More information on the project can be found here.
Toni Loveridge
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and The ONE team on an EEF funded early play-based intervention designed to improve preschooler's numeracy and executive functions. Project information here. Toni did her BSc and MSc in Psychological Research at the University of Sheffield where she worked with Emma on projects looking at why attainment gaps arise in early childhood. Toni is also a qualified primary school teacher.
Molly Jackson
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and Dr Danielle Matthews on the Sheffield Early Years Study longitudinal study of early cognitive development. Molly did her BSc in Psychology and her MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and Human Neuroimaging at the University of Sheffield.
Carmel Brough
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and The ONE team on an EEF funded early play-based intervention designed to improve preschooler's numeracy and executive functions. Project information here. Carmel did her BSc at Bath and her MSc at the University of Bristol, where she also gained research experience at the Boston University Brain and Early Experiences Lab and the Centre for Neuroscience and Education at Cambridge.
Emma Smith
Emma is a Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and Dr Danielle Matthews on the Sheffield Early Years Study. Emma has a BSc in Psychology and is currently studying for an MSc in Psychological Researcg. Emma has worked previously as a research assistant on the BBC Tiny Happy People project with Danielle.
Molly Willis
Molly is a Study Assistant on the Sheffield Early Years Study. Molly has a BSc in Psychology and is currently studying for an MSc in Psychological Research. She previously has worked with Danielle on the BBC Tiny Happy People project.
Hannah Palmer
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and The ONE team on an EFF funded early play-based intervention designed to improve preschooler's numeracy and executive functions. Hannah completed her Bsc in Psychology at the University of Liverpool and then went on to complete a PGCE in Primary Education (ages 5-11) with QTS in Sheffield.
Molly Staley
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and The ONE team on an intervention designed to improve preschooler's numeracy and executive functions. Molly completed her BA (Hons) in Psychology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Canada, and previously worked in the Language and Literacy Lab at Dalhousie University.
Holly Amos
Research Assistant working with Dr Emma Blakey and The ONE team on an early play-based intervention designed to improve preschooler's numeracy and executive functions. Holly graduated in BSc Psychology and then worked in a mainstream school with a resource base provision as a Communication Support Worker, supporting D/deaf pupils aged reception-year 6 using BSL/SSE.
Past lab members
Former Staff Members
Dr Simone Bijvoet-van den Berg
Dr Francesco Sella (now at Loughborough University)
Dr Elena Hoicka (now at the University of Bristol)
Dr Jane Herbert (now at Wollongong University, Australia)
Former Post-doctoral researchers
Dr Michelle McGillion - now at the University of Warwick
Dr Ciara Kelly - now at the University of Manchester
Former PhD students
Gemma Stephens (supervised by Dr Danielle Matthews).
Ella James-Brabham (supervised by Dr Blakey and Dr Carroll) - Currently working as a post-doctoral researcher at the MEC, Loughborough University
Yesim Yavaslar Dogru (supervised by Dr Carroll and Dr Blakey) - Now a lecturer at the University of Kent
Steph Powell
Burcu Soy Telli
Ciara Kelly
Connor Heapy
Andrea Diaz-Barriga Yanez
Sophie Turnbull
Birsu Kandemirci
Ed Donnellan
Emma Blakey
Lily FitzGibbon
Michelle McGillion
Former Research Staff
Emma Thornton
Lisa Pepper
Jessica Buck
Ellen Ridley
Emma Sullivan
Ben Higgins
Dr David Cameron
Eloise Prouten
Lowri Thomas
Former Undergraduate/Masters Student Research Interns
Libby Hines (2021)
Olivia King (2020)
Toni Loveridge (2019)
Jessica Williams (2019)
Helen Grimshaw (2018-2019)
Emelie Chard (2019)