Meet the Researchers

I am an academic developmental psychologist and I am interested children’s play with their family members and friends and how it helps them understand the world around them. I am also interested in ways we can support children’s mental health, particularly for care experienced children. In my free time, I enjoy travelling, going to gigs, and good food!

I’m a lecturer at Cardiff University and lead the Developing Social Minds Lab at the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC). I am interested in how social experiences—both offline and online—shape cognition and brain function during adolescent development. A key focus of my research is how experiences of social disconnection, such as loneliness or isolation, impact brain function and mental health outcomes in young people. In my free time, I enjoy exploring the beaches in Wales with my husband and daughter, yoga and reading sci-fi books.

I am a developmental neuroscientist interested in how our early childhood experiences with parents, friends, and our environments change the way our brains function. I ask the question: how can we improve childhood experiences to ensure healthy outcomes? When I am not doing research, I enjoy playing with my daughter and dog, going for long runs, and visiting historic architecture.

I am a Reader in psychology and I study how children learn about the world. Children are constantly watching and interacting with other people, and I want to find out how they make sense of these other people and what they are doing. When not doing research, I enjoy running, reading, and traveling. 

I am a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor). The aim of my fellowship is to adopt a process-centred ecological and interactionist approach to understanding infant adaptations to diverse environments; specifically by measuring the complexity of each infant's environment and combining it with multilevel naturalistic and experimental data and computational modelling.

I study the development of attention and motor abilities, and how these interact over developmental time and constrain other domains in neurotypical and neurodivergent children during the first years of life. My research focuses on infants and toddlers with neurodevelopmental diagnoses of known genetic origin, such as Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome.

I am a 1st year PhD student researching the development of infants' attention preferences to emotion faces over the first 2 years of life. I am particularly interested in how infants differ in their preferences, and the social and biological factors that might influence this! In my spare time, I enjoy cycling, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

I am a PhD student in psychology, interested in both external and internal influences to children's learning. Particularly, I am interested in exploring how the environment where children interact with someone and who they interact with impacts their memory, emotions, and learning outcomes. In my free time, I enjoy hiking in nature, baking and reading.

I am a placement student undertaking my MSc in Psychology, currently working at the Tiny to Tots Lab. I am involved in ongoing studies, including doll play, dementia, social collaboration, and infant development. I also helps in managing the lab’s social media. Outside the lab, I enjoy walks in the park, volunteering, and making jewellery .

I am a 3rd year PhD student researching the ways children and their parents play together. I’m especially interested in how playing with parents may help children’s social and emotional development. In my spare time, I enjoy sketching, playing guitar, and playing games with my two daughters. 

I am currently undertaking my MSc placement at CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre) under the supervision of Dr. Matthias Gruber & Dr. Ellen O'Donoghue, who are investigating how curiosity influences learning in adolescents. In my spare time, I like to travel, ski and surf.

I am a MSc student in Children's Psychological Disorders researching how group categorisation impacts pSTS activation during doll play in childhood. I am particularly interested in how peer problems impact this relationship and what insights doll play can provide in child development. In my own time, I enjoy skiing, painting, and watching live music.

I am a placement student completing my MSc in Psychology, working under the supervision of Dr. Matthias Gruber and Dr. Ellen O'Donoghue, alongside James Flecther at CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre). We are investigating how curiosity influences learning in children and adolescents. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my cat and eating good food.  

I am a PhD student in psychology, interested in the risk and protective factors associated with child development, and implementing community-based interventions to support children in school/at home. For my PhD, I am looking into children's emotional understanding and behaviours, primarily working with adopted children. Outside of work, I'm often found at the gym, crocheting at home with shows running in the background, or checking out new food spots

I am placement student currently undertaking my MSc in Psychology and working at the Tiny to Tots Lab. I am involved in a range of ongoing studies, including doll play, dementia, social collaboration, and infant development. I also contribute to managing the lab’s social media presence. Outside the lab, I enjoy dancing, crocheting, reading, taking long walks, and trying out different teas.