DR DEAN D'SOUZA

Principal Investigator

Dean has been investigating mechanisms of developmental change and tracing the developmental trajectories of higher-level abilities such as language back to their basic-level origins in infancy, in typical and atypical populations. He is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Science & Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, supervisor on PBS6 at the University of Cambridge, Chartered Psychologist, and Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.

DR HANA D'SOUZA

Co-Investigator

Hana currently holds the Beatrice Mary Dale Research Fellowship in Psychology at Newnham College, University of Cambridge. She is interested in the development of attention and motor abilities, and how these interact over developmental time and constrain other domains in typically and atypically developing children. As part of the London Down Syndrome (LonDownS) Consortium, she has been investigating individual differences and interactions between various domains and levels of description across development in infants and toddlers with Down syndrome.

DR DAN BRADY

Collaborator

Dan has been developing scripts for one of our projects. His primary research interest is looking at motor control and learning in typically developing individuals and individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD).
He is also interested in how functional brain networks differ in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly when and how this differentiation occurs and how it translates to behavioural differences.

DR FLEUR CORBETT

Postdoctoral Research Assistant

Fleur has a PhD from UCL. Fleur is currently following up the children with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome whom we previously tested in infancy and toddlerhood. Fleur is measuring the children’s current set of abilities in order to relate their new abilities to the previous measures we took, and by doing so, discover which of the early, basic-level measures best predict later outcomes in these children.

STEFANIA CANGEMI

Erasmus Trainee

Stefania is a postgraduate student at the University of Verona in Italy. In collaboration with Hana D'Souza at the University of Cambridge, Stefania is working on observational data we collected from toddlers with Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome. Our aim is to understand more about how toddlers with neurodevelopmental disorders and their parents interact in naturalistic settings.

SIMONE GUBBINS

Research Assistant

Simone is an MSc psychology student at Anglia Ruskin University. Under the supervision of Dr Fiona Richardson, Simone is currently using artificial neural networks to investigate sensitive periods and recovery implications after paediatric brain insult.

Simone has research interests in bilingualism, neurodevelopmental disorders, and traumatic brain injury, with a special focus on sensitive periods, and is pursuing a career as a clinical psychologist specialising in paediatric neuropsychology.

LILLY GYIMES

PhD student

Lilly is studying the role of parenting in the development of emotion understanding in Williams syndrome. She also plans to train parents to use emotion validation with their children. Lilly has an MSc in Clinical Child Psychology and volunteers for children with developmental disabilities in Cambridgeshire.

LIBBY

Honorary Scientist

Libby is an ‘honorary scientist’ at the ELAN lab. She visited us 7 years ago with her brother to help with our research. Libby is currently working on a school project on scientists and sent us this picture!

LAUREN KIVLIN

Research Assistant

Lauren is helping us to understand how infants with different neurodevelopmental disorders (Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome) explore objects and interact with parents/caregivers during naturalistic play. Lauren's long term goal is to pursue a career in clinical/health psychology.

ISABEL QUIROZ

Research Assistant

Isabel has been involved in running infant/toddler studies at the Birkbeck Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development (CBCD), including a very large testing protocol for the London Down Syndrome Consortium (LonDownS). She is currently collecting infant eye tracking data for us, while studying for a Master's degree in psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy (part-time) at Birkbeck, University of London.

RAHUL BHALE

Intern

Rahul is a student in the Seven-Year Medical Program at Boston University & Boston University School of Medicine. His interests include incorporating research in clinical settings in the fields of orthopedics and neurology.

SHANNON DILKS

Student Volunteer

Shannon has been working at a children's foster home for boys with autism. She is very interested in understanding how family structure and relationships shape typical and atypical development, and is working towards a career as a clinical child psychologist.

BESS CONWAY

Student Volunteer

Bess is a psychology student with aspirations to become a forensic psychologist. She has a particular interest in developmental psychology, especially the child development of offenders.

AMY BOWLER

Student Volunteer

Amy is a psychology student at Anglia Ruskin University. She is interested in typical and a typical child development, and is pursuing a career in paediatric neuropsychology.