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Biography
I obtained my PhD in Psychological Sciences at Birkbeck, University of London (UK), in 2017 under the supervision of Professor Martin Eimer. I then undertook a 5-year postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University (Canada) under Professor Sukhvinder Obhi. In 2022, I moved to Malaysia to work as a Senior Lecturer at Sunway University, teaching 2nd year Cognitive Psychology and Research Methods courses. Since May 2025, I have been an Assistant Professor at UNM.
Expertise Summary
My expertise lies in the use of encephalography (EEG) methods to study the brain and link it to behaviour and cognition. I have developed years of experience using many different EEG systems, including Brain Products, Compumedics, and CGX systems. I have conducted analysis on both event-related potentials (ERPs) and oscillatory brain function. I also have over 10 years' experience in coding (Python, Java, Lua, Matlab, and R languages) and use this to design data analysis pipelines and experimental stimulus paradigms.
Using these skills, I have developed several research projects broadly covering the fields of Social Cognitive Neuroscience, Visual Attention and Memory, and Healthy Ageing. Some of my current research focuses on using a 2-person neuroscience (2PN) approach to understanding joint action and interbrain synchrony. Specifically, the EEG hyperscanning approach allows me to measure how "interconnected" two people's brains are while they interact during a task.
Teaching Summary
I am interested in teaching Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Research Methods courses.
Research Summary
My current Fundamental Research Grant (FRGS) aims to understand how interbrain synchrony can be used to identify the beneficial effects of task co-operation in ageing. Specifically, I aim to quantify… read more
Current Research
My current Fundamental Research Grant (FRGS) aims to understand how interbrain synchrony can be used to identify the beneficial effects of task co-operation in ageing. Specifically, I aim to quantify synchrony between individuals playing co-operative games together over long periods of time, to determine whether this promotes wider domains of cognition. In particular, I hope to find evidence of a beneficial effect for healthy ageing, indicating that keeping the brain active together with friends is the best approach to maintaining long-term cognitive health and staving off cognitive frailty.
Past Research
My PhD research was focused on understanding a specific brain response known as the N2pc, or PCN. This is an ERP signal that appears in the contralateral side of the brain to a task-relevant object. For example, when looking for a red item on the screen, if the red item appears in the left visual field, the right hemisphere of the brain shows a stronger electrical response. This is believed to mark the deployment of spatial attention, a critical snapshot in the process of visual search. My PhD research found that the N2pc could be deployed rapidly and in parallel to multiple target locations, even when targets where defined by categories ("find the digits"), shape/colour conjunctions ("find the red circles"), or real-world categories ("find the clothes").
My Postdoctoral research explored the sense of agency for mistakes, using the temporal binding technique. This refers to a preceived shortening of the time delay between actions and consequences, which emerges when we are in control of actions. Thus, our perception of a "beep" seems to be earlier in time when we caused that beep by pressing a button, compared to when we observe someone else pressing the button. Binding is thought to reflect an implicit sense of agency over our actions and their consequences.
Future Research
I plan to commence new research projects covering the following topics:
- Sense of agency in the human brain (using EEG)
- Sense of agency in joint action contexts (using EEG/eyetracking)
- Sense of agency in the context of mistakes (using EEG/eyetracking)
- Links between attention, perception, and sense of agency (using EEG/eyetracking)