I am a PhD student undertaking neuroscience research in the field of dementia. Specifically, my research focuses on how the health of small vessels in the brain relate to other brain changes commonly seen in dementia, as a way of understanding the contribution of vessel-related changes in cognitive impairment. As part of this project, I am also looking at the heart-brain connection, by studying the interactions between heart health and risk factors of cerebral small vessel disease, e.g., sex, high blood pressure, exercise, diabetes, etc.

I have been an aspiring clinical psychologist for 5 years since graduating with an MSc in Cognitive Neurosciences from Kings College London. As a first-generation graduate in the family, I know first-hand the challenges faced by socioeconomic adversity into the accessibility to the clinical psychology profession: be it in the NHS or within academia.

I am currently a second year PhD student in the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience research group at the Department of Psychology. My project aims to understand the role of peer and friendship groups, family support and neighbourhood cohesion in self-judgments and mental health during adolescence. My background and interests lay at the intersection between psychology, the social sciences and cognitive neuroscience.

I am a first-gen academic and the first person in my family with an undergrad degree. I studied at Royal Holloway, UCL and worked at the University of Oxford before coming to Cambridge to work with Prof. Rebecca Lawson on the computational psychiatry of anxiety and depression symptoms and their implementation in the brain. I am generally interested in using computational models and neuroimaging to improve our understanding of mental health in a way that is clinically relevant.

I’m a second-year PhD student at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. I’m originally from Germany and hold an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Aberdeen as well as an MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge. For my PhD research, I use neuroimaging (MEG) and behavioural data (collected online) to study multisensory integration for speech perception during face-to-face communication.

I’m a Gates Cambridge Scholar and for my PhD, I am examining the link between parent-child conversations and children’s executive functions. I administer cognitive assessments to 4- to 6-year-old children and obtain recordings of family talk unobtrusively in the family’s natural environment via wearable audio processing devices. I’m particularly interested in conversations that occur at mealtimes and finding ways in which parental talk can promote children’s cognitive development.

My name’s Rebecca and I’m a first year PhD student specialising in dementia research. I use behavioural tests, neuroimaging and computational modelling to explore how the brain works and what might go wrong to cause dementia symptoms such as apathy. I’m originally from the North of England so love a good brew while I work. I also enjoy baking (a hobby you can eat = win-win) and taking part in theatre around Cambridge.

I grew up in Germany and moved to England for university where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford in 2019. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I undertook several research internships relating to topics ranging from learning theory to cellular mechanisms in neurodegeneration in the UK and the US. In 2020, I completed my MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience from the University of Cambridge where I am currently a PhD student in Professor David Belin’s lab. My work mainly focuses on the plasticity of amygdala neurons in substance use disorders, which I investigate using behavioural rat models of cocaine addiction. I use whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology and molecular biology methods to elucidate these mechanisms.

Tanatswa is the Founder and Director of Ndinewe Foundation, a youth led mental health organisation that seeks to promote good mental health for children, adolescents and youths in Zimbabwe. She is also a member of the Student Space Governance Group which serves as a critical friend to the Student Minds team ensuring that the Student Space programme is run well. Tanatswa’s research interests lie primarily in cognitive neuroscience. She is interested in the underlying mechanisms of mental illness, as well as neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental conditions, paying particular attention to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Tanatswa is currently pursuing an MPhil in Basic and Translational Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and her research project is identifying the utility of serum cytokine markers in identifying inflammation and its relationship with neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with frontotemopral dementia and related conditions.