Healthy cognitive ageing; cognitive decline in older adults; cognitive neuropsychology of stroke and dementia; sex and cognition in later life

BSc (Hons) in Applied Psychology from Leeds Metropolitan University (2005).

MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience from University of York (2006).

PhD in Psychology from University of Birmingham (2011) investigating visual attention to social cues following parietal lobe damage caused by stroke, under the supervision of Prof Jane Riddoch and the late Prof Glyn Humphreys.

Two years postdoc experience working in hospitals and community care settings, recruiting stroke patients into clinical research trials. Two years at University on Warwick working on a project investigating the association between sleep and cognitive function in a large population cohort of older adults.

Recent work has focussed on healthy cognitive ageing, sexual activity and cognitive function in older adults, and self-management of long term conditions including cancer and stroke.

Area of Expertise:

Cognitive ageing, sex and cognition in older adults, stroke, neuropsychology

I have been interested in cognition since my undergraduate degree in Applied Psychology, and for my PhD I investigated attentional deficits after stroke. I have since developed an interest in the wider, epidemiological study of cognitive ageing and decline in the general population, as well as the sociobiological associations between sexual activity and cognitive function in later life. I hope to develop self-management programmes for older adults that support cognitive function, wellbeing and sexuality.